WASHINGTON — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced the four winners of its second annual Campus RainWorks Challenge, a design challenge created to engage college and university students in reinventing our water infrastructure and developing innovative green infrastructure systems to reduce stormwater pollution and build resilience to climate change, according to a press release.
Stormwater is one of the most widespread challenges to water quality in the nation, noted the release, as large volumes of stormwater pollute our nation’s streams, rivers and lakes, posing a threat to human health and the environment and contributing to downstream flooding.
The Campus RainWorks Challenge engages students and faculty members at colleges and universities to apply green infrastructure principles and design, foster interdisciplinary collaboration and increase the use of green infrastructure on campuses across the nation, reported the release.
According to the press release, the 2013 challenge winners are: University of Florida, Gainsville, Fla for 1st place in the Master Plan Category; Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kan. for 1st place in the Site Design Category; Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich. for 2nd place in the Master Plan Category; and Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Miss. for 2nd place in the Site Design Category.
Teams recognized as honorable mentions, continued the release, included teams from the University of Texas at Austin, Purdue University, Kansas State University and University of Maryland.
Read the full release here.