VILLANOVA CENTER FOR RESILIENT WATER SYSTEMS
Constructed Stormwater Wetland
Through interdisciplinary engineering research鈥攅nvironmental, geotechnical, water resources鈥攖he 柑橘直播 Center for Resilient Water Systems (VCRWS) engages with society to create resilient solutions to global water challenges.
VCRWS AT A GLANCE
20+
YEARS OF STORMWATER RESEARCH
14
ACTIVE GRANTS
8
FUNDING SOURCES
6
FACULTY MEMBERS
3
RESEARCH INTENSIVE LABS
20+
MONITORED RAIN GARDENS
OUR RESEARCH
The 柑橘直播 Center for Resilient Water Systems is home to the 柑橘直播 Urban Stormwater Partnership whose mission is to advance the evolving field of sustainable stormwater management and to foster the development of public and private partnerships through research.
Some of our funders include:
- Environmental Protection Agency鈥檚 (EPA) Science to Achieve Results (STAR) grant
- Philadelphia Water Department
- William Penn Foundation
- National Science Foundation
- Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection鈥檚 Growing Greener Grants and 319 Nonpoint Source National Monitoring Plan, for which we just celebrated our 20th year of participation!
The following is a small snapshot of some of the ongoing research projects being conducted:
CURRENT PROJECTS
Bio Infiltration Traffic Island
Located on 柑橘直播 University鈥檚 West Campus, this rain garden has been monitored since 2003 and was designed to reduce downstream stormwater volumes, stream bank erosion and nonpoint source pollution to the headwaters of the Darby Creek.
鈥�The Commons鈥�
The student housing development on Lancaster Avenue was developed with new stormwater infrastructure, including nine rain gardens to handle the site鈥檚 stormwater runoff.
Granite Run Project
Five streams in Delaware County, Pa., are monitored to evaluate the effectiveness of stormwater controls near the site of a redevelopment of the former Granite Run Mall.
Delaware River Watershed Initiative (DRWI)
DRWI is a cross-cutting collaboration working to conserve and restore the streams that supply drinking water to 15 million people in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware.
Constructed Stormwater Wetland (CSW)
The CSW treats over 42 acres of stormwater runoff on 柑橘直播 University鈥檚 main and west campus, and is one of the oldest stormwater control measures within VCRWS.
I-95 PennDOT Project
VCRWS researchers have installed rain gardens along I-95 to help mitigate the additional impervious surface created with the expansion of the interstate.
VCRWS NEWS
Chenfeng Xiong, PhD, Virginia Smith, PhD, and Peleg Kremer, PhD, with support from Bridget Wadzuk, PhD, have been awarded $750,000 of a $2 million research grant by the National Science Foundation (NSF) for a project designed to reduce the vulnerability of underserved communities to the social and environmental impacts of urban flooding events.
Dr. Bridget Wadzuk Receives 2024 Outstanding Faculty Research Award
The professor of Civil Engineering and director of Sustainable Engineering was recognized for her work in water resources engineering and green stormwater infrastructure, most notably her research on the evapotranspiration process from green roofs and bioretention.
The school's rain gardens have proven effective at helping prevent raw sewage from overflowing into waterways.
Courtesy of whyy.org