The message “Only Rain in the Drain” is stenciled around many storm water drains on campus. It’s a very small part of a complex, ongoing effort to make sure that storm water runoff from Buffalo State’s campus complies with state and federal regulations designed to keep pollution out of streams, rivers, and lakes.
“We have a unique situation here,” said John Bleech, environmental programs manager for the Environmental Health and Safety Office. “We are one of the few SUNY campuses whose runoff flows into a waterway that has been designated as an impaired waterway—the Scajaquada Creek.” The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), makes such designations.

Runoff is collected through a system of thousands of feet of underground drains, and much of the storm water that runs through them is subjected to various processes for removing pollution before being discharged.

Bleech is responsible for overseeing campus compliance with applicable environmental protection laws, and he has worked with faculty members to develop meaningful internships and research projects for students.

For example, Jamieka Price,’09,  is working with Kim Irvine, professor of geography and planning, on a project that is part of her master’s program in multidisciplinary studies in environmental research and education. She is determining the effectiveness of a vortex separator on campus, which works by spinning pollutants out of runoff before discharging the treated water further into the storm water system. “So far,” she said, “I can tell you that the vortex works when there is a smaller rain event.”

Bleech explained that the vortex, which operates using centrifugal force, is driven by water flowing through it. The system is designed to handle flows from storm events that meet DEC-sizing criteria.  Periodically, the chamber that contains the vortex separator is cleaned and the pollutants are removed and disposed of properly.

Another antipollution device is a storm water pond and sand filter system installed between Iroquois Drive and the campus’s boundary. “The pond slows the conveyed runoff down,” explained Bleech. “It also allows sediment and other pollutants to be removed from the water through settling and filtration.” As a result, less erosion and sedimentation occurs when the water joins the Scajaquada. Sediment harms fish habitat by filling up the nooks and crannies that fish need to feed and survive.

Students, including undergraduate A. J. Venters and graduate student Jessica Baker, ’09, collect flow data and water samples from the system. They test the samples for the presence of sediment and many other pollutants including various nutrients, which, in excess, harm aquatic species. The samplings also ensure that the storm water meets the guidelines required by the campus’s permit, and that no unlawful substances are being discharged through the system.

 “Students also learn project management skills,” said Bleech, “because they have to keep an eye on the weather and make sure they are logistically prepared and ready with their equipment to respond within 30 minutes from the start of a significant storm event.”