Kelly Rulison
Staff Writer
Part of a $3.8 million grant that was given to Lewis and Clark Community College by Gov. Quinn is going towards creating an eco friendly pavement in Haskell’s parking lot to prevent pollution.
In 2012, an Eco Road was built in front of the McPike Math and Science Complex to prevent stormwater runoff to enter the retention ponds and instead seep into the groundwater below it.
This year, a similar project is underway with Haskell’s staff parking area to reduce stormwater runoff from entering the ponds near it.
“The rainwater wasn’t necessarily damaging the parking lots; however, the goal of this project is to slow the runoff of the water from the parking lot down and to cleanse it through a rain garden/bioswale before it eventually finds its way into the creek behind campus and the larger watershed,” said Vice President of Administration, Lori Artis.
Governor Pat Quinn granted L&C $640,000 from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to the L&C Stormwater Runoff Reduction Project to install porous/permeable pavers as well as trees that are not foreign to our area.
The new Eco plan will direct the stormwater outflow through Radiating Waves. The Radiating Waves will filter the stormwater before it reaches the ponds.
“We will continue to find impact roadways and parking lots and convert them to the pervious pavement,” Artis continued. “The parking lot is expected to be complete and reopen by Tuesday, September 8. The bioswale will begin mid-September and should be completed by mid October.”
The project as a whole has two parts to it. Part one is to capture the runoff water with the storm drain, and part two is to use the bioswale to move the storm water into the creek.
“The bioswale will be located in the grassy lawn behind Erickson Hall, L&C’s administrative building. This is a part of the Haskell lot project,” said Media Specialist, Louise Jett.
For more information on how this project will help our campus, visit http://bit.ly/1UshJyT.
