Morgan State University and the Challenge to Maintain an MS4 Permit: How to Independently Record and Assess Storm Water Infrustructure

Morgan State University has taken on the responsibility of pollutant and discharge elimination in accordance with the Maryland department of the environment's MS4 permit. As such, the university has taken on the task of documenting the current and future state of its storm water infrastructure. Primarily this entails cataloging the location and quantity of manholes, inlets, and any other related permanent installation. An example unique to our campus are the green roofs, bios swales, porous pavements, and any other green infrastructure efforts. Beyond the record keeping of assists is public education as to the harm littering and other contaminants cause such installations. In this effort the university has gathered information from various sources. Primarily was the implementation of Esri Software ArcGIS and Survey123. A combination of the two allows of various groups to survey different sites from nearly any device while returning data to a secured central account. Ultimately, a joined group of volunteer professors and students where able to survey nearly 300 manholes, inlet and similar features and over thirty BMP installations across our campus. The use of ArcGIS allows this data to be displayed visually for community outreach and ease of use. The final models generated are able to sort installations by their surveyed conditions, granting a scale as to the structural issues throughout the campus. It grants insight as to problem areas that need immediate attention. If Morgan State is to maintain its MS4 permit, updating aging physical records in this way is invaluable and provides a solid foundation for future expansion efforts.