Allendale Middle School

ENS 201: Introduction to Environmental & Sustainability Studies

Molly Tracy, Jack Dewald, Joey Proctor

Project Overview

For this project, our ENS 201 class was split into five different groups that each were assigned a different location throughout the Grand River Watershed that is being affected by stormwater runoff. Our group was assigned to assist Allendale Middle School and we were tasked with surveying appropriate areas for trees to be planted where they would intercept the greatest amount of stormwater runoff.

Throughout the project the group used what is known as the Design Thinking Process, which is a series of steps of Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and finally Test. By making a trip to Allendale Middle School and meeting with one of the teachers and an LGROW member, we fufilled the empathize and define steps by seeing and hearing first hand what some of the problems are that the school is dealing with due to stormwater runoff. The ideate step of the process was conducted through finding tree species and experimenting with iTree Design to determine the best possible locations for tree planting without being harmful to any existing structures or processes like drop off/pick up locations for parents and buses. This website serves as our prototype stage, where we present our ideas and solutions to others in the hope for critical feedback that we will then use to perfect our prototype, which then will allow us to proceed to the Test stage of the process.

LGROW or the Lower Grand River Organization of Watersheds is the organization that we paired with to complete this project, as we provide the most advantageous positioning and species of trees and LGROW turns our plans and ideas into a reality. LGROW has made this project possible through obtaining a federal grant that gives us and the organization access to the resources we need to plant trees throughout the Allendale campus in order to give the surrounding ecosystem and water drainage system much needed support.

facing environmental & stormwater runoff issues

Why is stormwater runoff an issue?

Stormwater runoff can threaten the water quality of local watersheds. Stormwater that does not infiltrate into the ground naturally and instead flows across a surface, will pick up sediments from erosion, nutrients/pesticides from lawns or gardens, bacteria, oil, or other pollutants. These pollutants then make their way into watersheds, greatly reducing water quality.

These pictures show the pavement drains, the two erosion damaged areas, retention pond, and creek.

Suitable areas for trees

The areas that would benefit the most from our trees are the landscape medians and open areas of grass near the paved surfaces. This would maximize the stormwater interception around the impervious surfaces, reducing the amount and speed of the water that either makes its way to drains or runs across grass.

Some of the current landscape features have changed since this satellite picture was taken.

Areas with runoff erosion issues are outlined in red. Areas outlined in blue show the retention pond and creek. Areas that have a purple striped highlight are recommended planting locations for the trees and where they will be effective for stormwater interception.

Stormwater runoff issues on the Allendale Middle School campus:

The Allendale Middle School campus has recently done some construction relating to the parking lots and roads that run through the property. These new paved surfaces and landscape medians are not supplied with proper stormwater drains or stormwater interceptors, resulting in the neighboring landscape being eroded away by stormwater. There are other areas with runoff issues on the large campus but we are focusing on the most severe areas in this project.

The two areas that we are focusing on have experienced severe erosion. The stormwater from the nearby paved surfaces only encounters two obstacles on its way to the nearby retention pond. The first obstacle being a pile of rocks directly below the pavement drain, the next being a 90 yard stretch of water saturated sand and heavily eroded grass. The water then enters a retention pond that borders a creek. There is a small strip of earth separating the pond from the creek that does serve as a natural filter for the water between the two. However, pollutants can still make their way through from the pond to the creek and can enter the groundwater from the pond. Flooding could also cause the retention pond to overflow into the creek.

tree species and why we chose them

American Elm

Ulmus Americana

Absorbed Stormwater Runoff: 43,695 gal

Stormwater Interception: 409,516 gal

Siberian elm

Ulmus Pumila

Absorbed Stormwater Runoff: 27,145 gal

Stormwater Interception: 215,846 gal

Tulip tree

Liriodendron Tulipifera

Absorbed Stormwater Runoff: 57,354 gal

Stormwater Interception: 537,529 gal

swampy white oak

Quercus Bicolor

Absorbed Stormwater Runoff: 29,268 gal

Stormwater Interception: 215,543 gal

corkscrew willow

Salix Matsudana

Absorbed Stormwater Runoff: 30,389 gal

Stormwater Interception: 284,807 gal

freeman maple

Acer Freemanii

Absorbed Stormwater Runoff: 29,139 gal

Stormwater Interception: 273,093 gal

The most important factor in our tree selection process was the species' ability to intercept stormwater. The figures above represent the cumulative amount of water each tree will absorb and intercept in gallons for the span of 50 years. Trees absorb water through their root systems as well as intercept water and rainfall by collecting it on their branches, leaves, bark, and flowers if applicable to a species. We also considered other factors such as low pest risk, low allergenicity, carbon storage, and low VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) emission of each species, due to the location being a middle school with many young children.

a look at the numbers

Data retrieved from the University of New Hampshire's EOS EarthData shows that in Michigan, the annual precipitation throughout the state is predicted to increase between the years 2000 and 2100. This increased rainfall will mean that more and more water is running off of impervious surfaces like roads and parking lots and will contribute to the issues that are shown above. This is also the reason that this tree planting project is so crucial to the well-being of the land surrounding Allendale Middle School, as the trees will help reduce the force and amount of water that runs over the surface at any given time.

The trees we have chosen to plant exhibit key characteristics as shown in these charts with one illustrating the ecosystem services that the trees provide as well as an in depth look at the specific pollutants that will be removed from the environment by the trees themselves.

All of the showcased tree species that we have chosen exhibit a high affinity for PM10 and O3 removal, where PM10 represents particle pollutants that are transported through water and O3 being the ozone that is potentially harmful to other plant and tree species.

How Does the Addition of Trees Benefit the School?

Arbor Day Foundation: How Trees can Retain Stormwater Runoff

Green Landscaping in the Present to Benefit the Future

Along with planting trees, another effective way of removing pollutants and reducing runoff amounts is to install rain gardens and/or bioswales. These natural structures allow for proper drainage, purification, and infiltration of water into the soil, where it does not carry harmful pollutants or contaminate above ground waterways. The idea behind this project and any others that aim to protect the environment is to benefit future students and preserve natural environments that would otherwise be harmed by our own actions.

These trees obviously have environmental benefits that have been discussed, which is helpful to foster a lush landscape for the students to enjoy as well as a reduction in flooding during storms. In this way, this addition of trees is beneficial for not only the environment but also for the community. Aesthetically, having a variety of trees in an open field as opposed to a sunken in, sandy plot of land is objectively more desirable. Flooding will also be minimized, which can help in dropping students off, outdoor activities, and landscape management.

There are also educational benefits that were intentionally implemented at the request of a staff member of the school. Along with the six trees we've showcased, there are nine additional species that we are recommending be planted on the property. These 15 species are intended to be planted in the same area and act as a small arboretum for the students and community to enjoy. Science teachers can then show students how to identify different tree species and the children can have better knowledge of the ecosystem services that different trees provide.

Bibliography

“Benefits of Trees.” The Benefits of Trees at Arborday.org, www.arborday.org/trees/index-benefits.cfm?TrackingID=404.

Environmental Protection Agency. (n.d.). Stormwater to Street Trees: Engineering Urban Forests for Stormwater Management. Retrieved February 20, 2020, from https://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZyPDF.cgi/P100H2RQ.PDF? Dockey=P100H2RQ.PDF

Kelly, C. Personal Communication, (2020, February 03). Allendale Middle School Site Visit.

Stormwater Trees Technical Memorandum. (2016, September). Retrieved February 17, 2020, from https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2016-11/documents/final_stormwater_trees_technical_memo_508.pdf

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