Restoring Northern Oklahoma College-Enid Campus Pond: A Sustainable Stormwater Management Plan for Enhanced Water Quality and Recreation

Marketing Paragraph: Statement of Purpose: Discover how sustainable management practices can help restore a stormwater pond into a vibrant recreational hub. This study focuses on the restoration of the Northern Oklahoma College-Enid Campus Pond using sustainable practices, including Green Infrastructure (GI) solutions to enhance water quality, increase recreational opportunities, and promote ecological health. The session also highlights the use of field monitoring techniques and PCSWMM modeling to optimize GI implementation, manage stormwater effectively, and ensure long-term success in urban water body restoration.

Full Abstract: Complete Proposal for Your Session: Urban water bodies and green spaces are often central locations for communities, and this was the case for the 3-acre pond on the Northern Oklahoma College’s Enid Campus. However, the pond now has diminished storage capacity and water quality due to excessive sedimentation. The catchment is primarily urban land use and has dated infrastructure that does not adequately convey modern stormwater flows, resulting in erosion, sedimentation, and runoff pollution. An online survey was distributed to NOC’s students, staff, faculty, and Enid community members, garnering 197 responses. The collected data provided research direction on the necessary infrastructure to be incorporated into site planning. This study aims 1) to develop a sustainable stormwater management plan, that includes Green Infrastructure (GI), to aid in flow attenuation and water quality, and 2) to identify opportunities to increase recreational use and encourage habitat in the pond and connecting streams.

The study proposes the implementation of GI practices, such as rain gardens, bioretention cells, vegetative swales, infiltration trenches, and permeable pavements to promote infiltration and evapotranspiration, thus improving runoff water quality and biodiversity in the pond area. The GI plan was created within the Personal Computer Storm Water Management Model (PCSWMM) software to develop a site model. The model was calibrated with field-collected data, including rainfall, flow parameters, and water quality. Water samples collected during storm-flow events were analyzed for Escherichia coli, turbidity, total suspended solids (TSS), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorous (TP). Different scenarios were developed within PCSWMM to evaluate each proposed GI type's effectiveness in runoff and pollutant reduction and revitalizing the pond area for recreational purposes. To strengthen the long-term success of this project, educational signage, outreach events, and community engagement will be continued throughout implementation, including signs displaying the purpose of GI practices, wildlife in this habitat, and improvements made.

This project is funded by the Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust Planning, Design, and Policy Development Track. The support is gratefully acknowledged.