MIT Stormwater Master Plan
Client: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts
Size: 600 acres
Collaborators: Nitsch Engineering, Michael Van Valkenberg Associates, Haley & Aldrich
Year: 2016 - 2017
Services: Sustainability Metrics, Resiliency Strategy
Context
MIT selected the Nitsch Engineering team, which included Level Infrastructure, to create a plan for the future of the stormwater management system on its campus. As a waterfront campus on the Charles River, MIT is exposed to flooding both from heavy rain events from upstream watersheds in Cambridge as well as from coastal storm surge in extreme events. The key challenge in this context was imagining a new approach to stormwater management, given the constraints of a historic underground pipe network on an urban campus and a new stormwater regulation regime in Cambridge.
Our Role
Level Infrastructure developed quantifiable metrics to gauge progress toward stormwater goals. Metrics and targets were created to balance future regulations, construction costs, operational & maintenance costs, and environmental aspirations of the university leadership. Level also provided input on the risk assessment planning ongoing at MIT and supported the team in integrating mitigation approaches appropriate to the specific site conditions on campus.
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