Urban Stormwater Management in Ellerbe Creek Watershed: The Duke Diet & Fitness Center Case Study

Stormwater runoff from urban land has become a challenge for growing communities in managing non-point source pollution. The stormwater runoff of Downtown Durham, North Carolina is of particular interest, due to its location relative to the Falls Lake Reservoir. The purpose of this study is to use monitoring and modeling data to determine the best management of the Duke Diet and Fitness Center property, which drains 474 acres of urban land in Downtown Durham. Monitoring data was collected at this site for 9 storm events from July to October, 2010 and then analyzed for total nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations. The Jordan/Falls Lake Stormwater Accounting Tool and the Upper Neuse Site Evaluation Tool were used to determine nutrient loads and peak flow rate for 4 management scenarios using Best Management Practices (BMPs) in the drainage catchments. Based on these results, we give our recommendation for the construction of a wet pond at the site which will significantly reduce peak flow and nutrient loads from Downtown Durham.