Presentation made by Ogechi Irondi at Green Infrastructure Community Forum on March 17, 2015

1. GREEN
INFRASTRUCTURE:
ENHANCEMENT FOR
AUC
Environmental Engineering
Ogechi Irondi
Dr. Olugbemiga Olatidoye

2. GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE
• Water management
approach that protects,
restores, or mimics the
natural water cycle.
• This management style
incorporates both natural
and engineered systems
to provide clean water,
conserve ecosystem
values and functions.
• Providing a wide array of
benefits to the
environment.
• The main components of
this approach include:
• storm water
management
• climate adaptation
• less heat stress
• more biodiversity
• food production
• better air quality
• sustainable energy
production
• clean water
• healthy soils

3. WATERSHED: PROCTOR
CREEK
• As defined by the EPA, it
is an area of land where
all of the water that is
under it or drains off of it
goes into the same place
• Separated waters flowing
to different rivers, basins,
or seas
• the waterway that snakes
from downtown and
through northwest
Atlanta before ending in
the Chattahoochee River
• Most importantly, it is the
watershed that the
Atlanta University Center
sits on and is surrounded
by

4. PROCTOR CREEK

5. PROBLEMS WITH
PROCTOR CREEK
• Contains high bacteria
levels (exceeding
amounts of E.coli in
particular tributaries) ,
illegal dumping, and
pollution that have
deemed it hazardous to
freely use.
• Little to no wildlife or fish
• Many efforts made to
clean creek

6. STORM WATER
• generated when
precipitation from rain and
snowmelt events flows over
land
• Runoff flows over the land
• paved streets
• parking lots
• building rooftops
• Accumulating pollutants
that could adversely affect
water quality
• Debris
• Chemicals
• Sediment

7. EFFECTS OF RUNOFF
• Increased both erosion and
flooding.
• Increases pollutants, such as
• Sediment
• Pathogens like e.Coli
• Organic Materials
• Toxic Contaminants
• Debris
• Also increases the stream
temperature receiving the
runoff, causing problems
and sometimes death of
organisms, including fish.

8. KEY PROCESSES TO
REDUCE RUNOFF
• Minimize impervious surfaces (e.g. concrete, cement
shingles etc.) on your property.
• Plants absorb through roots, plant more plants! (In
nature, most precipitation soaks into the ground where
it falls)
• Gradual percolation (dripped coffee method)

9. OBJECTIVE,SCOPE, &
DEFINITION
• The purpose of this project is to understand the process
of green infrastructure design and apply key elements
to complete a design to capture and retain storm
water in Atlanta University center to reduce substantial
amount of pollutants flowing into Proctor Creek, in
which the AUC sits on.
• Design will target a particular area in the AUC by the
name of CAU’s “Bird Cage”.

10. TARGETED AREA MAP

11. TARGETED AREA

12. TARGETED AREA

13. WHY IS THIS AREA OF
INTEREST?
• The Bird’s Cage on Clark Atlanta University’s campus is
one of the many areas sitting on top of Proctor Creek
Watershed that overflows.
• There is an immense build up and large tributary
underneath this particular area, therefore when it rains,
the runoff flows into the sewage system causing an
overflow of the tributary and system as well.
• There is immense flooding in this area especially during
precipitation events.

14. PLAN OF ACTION
• Create a rain garden
• Will collect water and
allows it to gradually
permeate into the soil
Construct running water
fountain to capture large
amount of rain water and
recycle it
Tourist attraction

15. CONCEPTUAL DESIGN:
RAIN GARDEN
Elm Street

16. DESIGN: RUNNING
FOUNTAIN
• Concrete stone fountain
• Fountain sits on top of a
1,200 gal cistern
• The water is going to be
pumped by a DC solar
powered pump
• Water can be reused to
water lawns
• Input = Output + KCV
(amount of water
feeding fountain)

17. BENEFITS
• Reduces contaminants
flowing into Proctor
Creek Watershed
• Minimizes use of
impervious surfaces
• Promotes sustainability
and adheres to green
infrastructure
• Attraction to campus
• Prohibits overflow of the
sewage system
• Allows better
management and
manipulation of storm
water in AUC.