2008 Woodie Awards
Drainage system to prevent flooding
Tirza Austin
Issue date: 3/6/08 Section: News
The university braced itself for colossal rains Tuesday night. But the researchers at the College of Chemical and Life Sciences could rest assured their labs and equipment were safe from flash flood.
It hasn't always been that way.
Engineers this week are putting the finishing touches on a $2.75 million renovation to the storm water system on Campus Drive. School officials say the improvements will help avert the kind of multi-million dollar disaster that befell the fledgling Bioscience Research Building in 2006 when flooding stalled the building's opening by almost a year.
For researchers, it's a chance to breathe a little easier.
"It has big psychological impact," said David Dalo, director of facilities for the College of Chemical and Life Sciences. "The fear was always there when the forecast called for heavy rains."
The new drainage pipes have already been installed, and Director of the Department of Architecture, Engineering and Construction Carlo Colella said workers should finish covering the new system by the end of the week.
The renovation, contracted out to CPF Underground Utilities, Inc., doubled the size of the pipes that carry excess rain water to Paint Branch Creek.
The 1500-foot piping that ranges from 48 to 68 inches in diameter will "reduce the speed at which the water goes into the stream, decreasing erosion," Colella said.
Aside from tamping down flood concerns, the new drains will also benefit campus ecology, said biology professor David Inouye.
He said water typically runs off campus very quickly into Paint Branch Pond, which merges with the Anacostia River.
As a result, the gravel beds in Paint Branch Creek are now covered with sediment, destroying a breeding ground for fish.
"The renovation can help to reverse [the sediment]," Inouye said. "It means we are a better neighbor for the watershed. We are trying to create a new habitat for animals to nest on campus."
The newly diverted runoff will also mean a more stable habitat for research experiments.
The mess left in the Bioscience Research Building in 2006 caused delays in the project. Temporary facilities were built for highly-acclaimed faculty members that hoped to move directly into the new facility.
"The frustrating thing was researchers were chomping at the bit to get in the new research facility," Dalo said about the 10-to 11-month delay.
Dalo, who has been with the building since the design phase, said it was 70 percent complete when the rain storm flooded the Bioscience Building, which hadn't been closed or graded.
The drains in their original state were not large enough to accommodate the water causing an overflow.
Dalo estimated that the flood caused more than five million dollars in damage.
taustindbk@gmail.com
It hasn't always been that way.
Engineers this week are putting the finishing touches on a $2.75 million renovation to the storm water system on Campus Drive. School officials say the improvements will help avert the kind of multi-million dollar disaster that befell the fledgling Bioscience Research Building in 2006 when flooding stalled the building's opening by almost a year.
For researchers, it's a chance to breathe a little easier.
"It has big psychological impact," said David Dalo, director of facilities for the College of Chemical and Life Sciences. "The fear was always there when the forecast called for heavy rains."
The new drainage pipes have already been installed, and Director of the Department of Architecture, Engineering and Construction Carlo Colella said workers should finish covering the new system by the end of the week.
The renovation, contracted out to CPF Underground Utilities, Inc., doubled the size of the pipes that carry excess rain water to Paint Branch Creek.
The 1500-foot piping that ranges from 48 to 68 inches in diameter will "reduce the speed at which the water goes into the stream, decreasing erosion," Colella said.
Aside from tamping down flood concerns, the new drains will also benefit campus ecology, said biology professor David Inouye.
He said water typically runs off campus very quickly into Paint Branch Pond, which merges with the Anacostia River.
As a result, the gravel beds in Paint Branch Creek are now covered with sediment, destroying a breeding ground for fish.
"The renovation can help to reverse [the sediment]," Inouye said. "It means we are a better neighbor for the watershed. We are trying to create a new habitat for animals to nest on campus."
The newly diverted runoff will also mean a more stable habitat for research experiments.
The mess left in the Bioscience Research Building in 2006 caused delays in the project. Temporary facilities were built for highly-acclaimed faculty members that hoped to move directly into the new facility.
"The frustrating thing was researchers were chomping at the bit to get in the new research facility," Dalo said about the 10-to 11-month delay.
Dalo, who has been with the building since the design phase, said it was 70 percent complete when the rain storm flooded the Bioscience Building, which hadn't been closed or graded.
The drains in their original state were not large enough to accommodate the water causing an overflow.
Dalo estimated that the flood caused more than five million dollars in damage.
taustindbk@gmail.com
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