Stormwater

Stormwater is rainwater that picks up pollutants from impervious (impermeable, hard) surfaces, such as parking lots, roads, buildings, and sidewalks, and transports them to local waterways - many times through storm drains. Stormwater is a major concern throughout the entire Schuylkill River Watershed, especially in highly developed areas and with increased storm events due to climate change.

The Stormwater Workgroup works to improve stormwater management by implementing best management practices (BMPs), such as naturalized basins, rain gardens, bioswales, rain barrels, riparian stabilizations, and more. The workgroup partners with nonprofits, municipalities, government agencies, water suppliers, and other watershed organizations to implement these BMPs. The workgroup also partners with schools to implement BMPs through the Schuylkill Action Students. Find more materials and resources using the links below!

Materials:

Links to partner resources:

Presentations:

Workgroup Chairs: Alex Cupo (Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia) and Zach Nemec (Pennsylvania Sea Grant)

Gallery

Projects

Blue Mountain High School (Schuylkill Action Students)

Schuylkill Headwaters Association partnered with Blue Mountain Middle School to retrofit existing stormwater features into rain gardens.

Brookside Country Club Stream Restoration

A stream restoration project was installed at Brookside Country Club as part of the Schuylkill Watershed Initiative Grant. 

Christopher Dock High School (Schuylkill Action Students)

Montgomery County Conservation District worked with Christopher Dock High School in Towamencin Township to install a 1000 square-foot rain garden on the school’s campus to process stormwater from a parking lot and athletic fields. 

Conrad Weiser Middle School (Schuylkill Action Students)

Conrad Weiser Middle School worked with Berks County Master Watershed Stewards and other volunteers to retrofit a grassy area with native plants. The students helped with researching what native plants and pollinators to use. 

Cook Wissahickon School (Schuylkill Action Students)

Wissahickon Sustainability Council partnered with the Philadelphia Water Department, Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, and Community Design Collaborative to develop a green master plan for the school. 

Click here for more information about the master plan.

East Norriton Middle School (Schuylkill Action Students)

In 2011, an acre of turf grass was converted to meadow, and 200 riparian buffer trees were planted along Stony Creek with TreeVitalize funding. The project restored a primary headwater stream, Stony Creek, before it flows into the Schuylkill River, by stabilizing eroding streambank, installing energy dissipaters upstream of the eroded areas, converting 1.4 acres of turf grass into deep-rooted meadow, and planting over one acre of riparian buffer.

Germantown Academy (Schuylkill Action Students)

Germantown Academy completed a master plan in 2011, with the goal of reconnecting the school with the natural environment. Environmental features include restored wetlands, ponds, wet meadows, woodlands, and walking trails. The school planted a rain garden and also has a green roof.

In 2012, Germantown Academy earned the Montgomery Award for environmentally sensitive site planning, sustainable building design, and restoration of natural features. For more information, click here.

Green Lane Reservoir Riparian Buffer Planting

The Green Lane Reservoir supplies drinking water to the town of East Greenville, but increased upstream development intensified stormwater runoff, and threatened to increase water quality impairment.  A reforestation project took place to slow the destructive force and filter pollutants from the runoff. 

Greening Greenfield (Schuylkill Action Students)

Albert M. Greenfield School in Philadelphia greened its campus by removing an asphalt yard and transforming it into a stormwater management system.

Hereford Elementary School (Schuylkill Action Students)

Students and educators at Hereford Elementary School planted a 9,000 sq. ft. rain garden which treats runoff from the front parking lot and the roof on the front side of the school.

Kutztown Middle School

Berks Nature partnered with Kutztown Middle School to convert existing mowed turf area into an unmowed area, planted with 230 native trees and 100 native shrubs.

Along the perimeter of the school, 40 large trees were planted. A section of the parking lot was also planted with 9 trees. These native trees and shrubs help to protect the Saucony Creek, a subwatershed in the Maiden Creek Watershed.

Lankenau High School (Schuylkill Action Students)

Destination Schuylkill River partnered with the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary to install a rain garden at the Lankenau School in Philadelphia.

Limerick Elementary School (Schuylkill Action Students)

Students at Limerick Elementary School helped with planting a riparian buffer on their campus, along Landis Creek

Lingelbach Elementary School (Schuylkill Action Students)

The Friends of the Wissahickon (FOW) worked with the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary, students, teachers, and FedEx school employees to install a rain garden at Lingelbach Elementary School, which will treat stormwater before it enters Monoshone Creek.

Norristown Area School District (Schuylkill Action Students)

Working on two school campuses bordering a full mile of the Stony Creek,The NASD improved stormwater management by restoring a riparian buffer and retrofitting two retaining basins. 

Norristown Farm Park Stream Stabilization

An eroding stream bank was stabilized and replanted using erosion-control tubes filled with a composted growing medium.  Despite being under water several times, the fully vegetated berm is holding strong and continues to protect the Stony Creek from erosion at this site. 

Phoenixville Area Middle School (Schuylkill Action Students)

Green Valleys Watershed Association designed and installed a bioswale vegetated channel in front of the Phoenixville Area Middle School’s cafeteria windows, with hands-on help from middle school students.

Pottsgrove High School (Schuylkill Action Students)

The Partnership for the Delaware Estuary and Montgomery County Conservation District partnered to retrofit a failing rain garden into an improved bioretention area, filled with native shrubs.  School district maintenance staff completed construction under the direction of the District Watershed Specialist.  Then, the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary teamed up with a science teacher to lead students in planting the garden.  Funding was provided through a grant from 3M, awarded to the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary.

Riverbend Environmental Education Center

A pervious parking lot and bio-infiltration areas were installed to slow and filter stormwater runoff to Saw Mill Run, a direct tributary to the Schuylkill River.  

Robeson Elementary Center (Schuylkill Action Students)

Berks Nature worked with Robeson Elementary Center to eliminate mowing from a 2.6 acre area of the campus. The area was reseeded with native seeds and planted with native trees and shrubs. Addtionally, blacktop was removed from a 1,200 square foot area of the parking lot and graded to collect stormwaterrunoff. An 800 square foot pollinator garden was also added to the site. These projects absorb and infiltrate stormwater running off into an unnamed tributary of the Hay Creek.

Sandy Run Middle School (Schuylkill Action Students)

At Sandy Run Middle School in Dresher, more than 700 students were involved in a project to rip out invasive knotweed in Sandy Run and replace it with native trees and shrubs that will help restore the waterway.

Schuylkill Elementary School (Schuylkill Action Students)

Green Valleys Watershed Association worked with Schuylkill Elementary School to install a large rain garden on their campus.

Spring Ford High School (Schuylkill Action Students)

One acre in size, a traditional detention basin on the school campus drained 65 acres of parking lots and playing fields. Retrofitting the large basin slowed stormwater runoff volume and pollution to the Mingo Creek.

Springside School (Schuylkill Action Students)

Students transformed a paved traffic circle into a working rain garden, calming trqaffic problems and preventing heated parking lot runoff pollution from entering the Wissahickon Creek.  Other rain gardens and student-created sculptural installations addressed runoff from the school roofs. 

The Montessori School (Schuylkill Action Students)

The Montessori School in Dresher, PA has installed a rain garden, rain barrels, downspout planters, and developed a green master plan.

Unami Creek Headwaters Stream Restoration

The headwaters of Unami Creek was restored, with invasive species removed and a riparian buffer planted.

Upper Perkiomen High School (Schuylkill Action Students)

A riparian buffer, rain garden, and meadow were installed at the Upper Perkiomen High School.

West Vincent Elementary School (Schuylkill Action Students)

Green Valleys Watershed Association worked with West Vincent Elementary School to naturalize an existing stormwater basin.

Related Documents

Name Upload Date Download View

Campus Stormwater Guide

January 9, 2018 Download View

Homeowner's Stormwater Handbook

January 9, 2018 Download View

Rain Gardens Brochure

January 9, 2018 Download View

The Montessori School Master Plan 2017

July 17, 2018 Download View

Manayunk Watershed Education - Kay Sykora

September 5, 2018 Download View

Transforming Philadelphia's Schoolyards Guide

A guide to greening schoolyards and implementing green stormwater infrastructure.

June 3, 2019 Download View

Schuylkill Action Students brochure

June 17, 2019 Download View

MS4 Workshop: Agenda and Stormwater Grants Handout

August 8, 2019 Download View

MS4 Workshop: SAN Intro presentation

August 8, 2019 Download View

MS4 Workshop - PEC Funding & Financing Mechanisms presentation

August 8, 2019 Download View

MS4 Workshop - Pennvest Low Interest Loans & Grants presentation

August 8, 2019 Download View

MS4 Workshop - Schuylkill River Restoration Fund presentation

August 8, 2019 Download View

MS4 Workshop - Treevitalize presentation

August 8, 2019 Download View

MS4 Workshop - MCCD Technical Assistance & Funding Opp. presentation

August 8, 2019 Download View

Biochar Presentation by Gary Gilmore 6-11-2020

June 11, 2020 Download View

Rain Garden Water Balance Presentation 6-11-2020

June 11, 2020 Download View

Rain Garden Maintenance Presentation

Presented at the SAN Stormwater Workgroup Meeting on 12-2-2020 by Christopher C. Obropta, Ph.D., P.E. from Rutgers Cooperative Extension.

December 4, 2020 Download View

Green Stormwater Infrastructure Maintenance Presentation Kate Henry

December 4, 2020 Download View

EPA FITS Webinar Slides

March 31, 2022 Download View

SRF 101

March 31, 2022 Download View

Funding Natural Infrastructure Workshop Flyer

Flyer for American Rivers Stormwater Funding Series Sprin 2022

April 7, 2022 Download View

PennEnvio_Slides

January 27, 2023 Download View

Waterways Perceptions Survey Results Summary

January 27, 2023 Download View

October 20 Workshop Agenda

September 29, 2023 Download View

2023 Stormwater Workshop Resources

October 18, 2023 Download View

Needs, Challenges, and Solutions for Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) Implementation

February 15, 2024 Download View

SAN Stormwater Minutes 02.12.2024

February 20, 2024 Download View

June 10 Flat Rock Dam and Manayunk Canal Improvement Project

September 10, 2024 Download View

Did you know?

The stormwater runoff from an anverage roof in the Schuylkill River Watershed could fill almost 500 bathtubs over the course of a single year!