Urban Stormwater Reduction Services
The Wabash River Enhancement Corporation (WREC) is a non-profit organization that raises money to invest in “opportunities to improve health, recreation, education, economic development, and environmental management” along the 31 miles of the river corridor in Tippecanoe County. According to WREC social survey data, residents in Tippecanoe County feel a strong connection to the Wabash River and a willingness to improve water quality, but lack the knowledge and resources required to implement best management practices for storm water management. WREC hosts a variety of educational and outreach events annually to broaden community understanding of how individuals, businesses, and government agencies can help water quality in the Wabash River by managing stormwater.
Students will be creating a of display educational material, such as tri-folds or posters. The booth should also have an interactive and/or engaging activity/demonstration for visitors at WREC events. The display educational material should be translated into a handout the visitor can take away with them. As part of the process, students will look at the economic benefits of implementing stormwater practices. Local business implementation of stormwater BMPs will also be considered.
UPDATE
The Wabash River Enhancement Corporation is a local environmental nonprofit with aim to educate and empower the people of Greater Lafayette with respect to the health of the Wabash River. WREC, as they are often called, provides accessible, actionable education opportunities as well as cost-share programs to defray the installation costs of green infrastructure in the area. The WREC Stormwater senior design group tackles both of these goal areas with an educational trifold on the environmental impact of littered cigarettes butts and other tobacco waste products as well as a hypothetical local site redevelopment plan to help local developers compare the financial and environmental impacts of installing green infrastructure versus installing more traditional engineered stormwater management systems. This two-pronged project approach will provide WREC with new opportunities to engage with the public on multiple fronts.