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Ohio State, ADS partner on sustainability, water management

Ohio State University and Advanced Drainage Systems (ADS) have partnered on a new collaboration to support water management research, enhance student learning and make the school’s campus more sustainable. ADS is donating two stormwater management systems for the west campus Innovation District, along with a cash gift to install them and fund related research and teaching opportunities.

Additional parts of the gift will promote diversity and inclusion by supporting the Engineering House Learning Community and will help the university improve recycling on campus.  The total value of the donation and cash gift exceeds $1 million.

Kate Brattier, executive director of the Sustainability Institute, said in a statement that the collaboration “will greatly improve the way Ohio State manages stormwater runoff from new development at Innovation District.” She noted that catastrophic flooding in the southern U.S. and overseas in Germany have highlighted the danger from extreme events to life and property.

In addition to the product donation and installation cost, ADS plans to support research and teaching opportunities that will use the larger of the two stormwater systems as a living laboratory for urban water management. Potential projects include comparing the performance of the company’s stormwater management system to water quality from traditional retention pond and exploring the possibility of tapping the water stored inside the system for irrigation.