How an Oklahoma developer is trying to stop polluted runoff from reaching the Gulf
Storm water draining from the new Flint Hills neighborhood in Norman, and any pollution in it, runs to the Little River, then flows to the Canadian River, the Arkansas River, the Mississippi River, and into the Gulf of Mexico.
The developer of the new neighborhood is trying to stop it, to study it, in hopes of reducing runoff from the construction site, which can carry sediment and pollutants that can potentially harm streams, lakes and wetlands along the way from Flint Hills, which is east off of N Flood Avenue, south of W Tecumseh Road.
Ideal Homes & Neighborhoods, based in Norman, is working with researchers from the Oklahoma Water Survey at the University of Oklahoma in the study, which is looking at the effectiveness of sediment control barriers. The study was funded by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation.
Why Ideal Homes & Neighborhoods is studying erosion control methods in a new neighborhood in Norman, Oklahoma
Storm water is nothing to sniff at.
"As storm water flows through a construction site, it can pick up sediment, debris and chemicals, and transport them to a storm sewer system, and eventually end up in our local streams," Ideal's Tiffany Aguilar said, pointing to regulations of the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality.
The DEQ details the damage that displaced sediment can cause:
"Sediment in water bodies from construction sites can reduce the amount of sunlight reaching aquatic plants, clog fish gills, smother aquatic habitat and spawning areas, and high volumes of runoff can cause stream bank erosion and impede navigation," the DEQ says.
Controlling erosion and sediment "can significantly reduce the amount of sedimentation and other pollutants transported by storm water runoff from construction sites," according to the agency.
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Ideal Homes & Neighborhoods says it wants to "help purify Oklahoma water"
Ideal Homes already followed a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWP3) through DEQ to protect water, but wanted to stop more sediment from being displaced, said Zack Roach, vice president of development.
"Our goal is to improve water runoff from our communities and help purify Oklahoma water by filtering beyond what is required,” he said.
Nathan Wright, a graduate research assistant in OU's School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science who is involved with the research, said the study is a side-by-side test of three sediment control devices: a compost filter sock, a silt fence and a Triangle Silt Dike.
“These sediment control devices minimize sediment transportation from construction sites that can cause poor water quality," Wright said "Results obtained from this research will provide engineers, developers, and municipalities with critical information to help them choose which sediment control device to use to prevent sediment and nutrient movement off of their construction site."
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Ideal Homes & Neighborhoods has a good reputation in energy conservation and environmental protection
It's not Ideal Homes & Neighborhood's first study of erosion control methods. Previously, the home builder and developer studied the effectiveness of using compost to slow erosion at its nearby Green Leaf Trails addition, south of Tecumseh Road and east of 12th Ave. NW.
Ideal Homes has a reputation for emphasizing energy conservation and environmental protection.
The company built the first Green Home through the National Association of Builders, the first LEED-certified home (for Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) in the U.S., and the first affordable zero-energy home in the U.S.
It also was the first Energy Star builder for affordable homes in the U.S., and has been recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a 5-Star energy builder.
The EPA, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the American Lung Association have all asked Ideal to test efficient building technologies, and with its neighborhoods, the company has worked with the Nature Conservancy, the Oklahoma Compost Conference, and others.
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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU scientists study runoff control in Ideal Homes neighborhood
