Abstract
This paper examines incidents of illicit discharges on the University of Richmond campus as outlined by the City of Richmond's MS4 permit. Illicit discharges contaminate the Westhampton Lake by flowing from our storm drains directly into the Westhampton Lake. I detected incidents of illicit discharges by performing visual inspections as guided by numerous scholarly articles. The visual inspections were done with a special consideration of land use on campus. Along with the visual inspections, I inspected the storm drains during a dry weather event to find whether there was any flow during this period. In this study, I found several incidents of illicit discharges in the following area: animal feces, construction debris, litter, and flow on dry weather days. Animal feces, which adds E. Coli to water, was found throughout campus and especially near the Westhampton Lake where the geese reside. Construction runoff, which increases sediment, was found near Modlin, on New Fraternity Row, and near Marsh hall. Litter, which disrupts species and depletes oxygen, was found all around campus and even in a storm drain. Finally, I found one incident of dry weather flow near Weinstein Hall. The University of Richmond should improve education and regulation of these common incidents of illicit discharge to improve the quality of the Westhampton Lake.
Paper prepared for the Environmental Studies Senior Seminar/Geography Capstone.
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Peter Smallwood
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
4-25-2022
Publisher Statement
Copyright © 2022, University of Richmond.
Recommended Citation
Woodfolk, Indya. "Down the Drain: Stormwater Management effects on the Quality of the Westhampton Lake." Paper for Environmental Studies Senior Seminar/Geography Capstone, University of Richmond, April 2022.
Included in
Environmental Studies Commons, Nature and Society Relations Commons, Physical and Environmental Geography Commons