2023 Campus RainWorks Challenge Results
On September 18, 2024, EPA announced the winners and honorable mention for the 11th annual Campus RainWorks Challenge, a national competition that engages college students in the design of green infrastructure solutions to address stormwater pollution either on their campus or with a neighboring k-12 school. This year 13 teams from 10 states and 12 academic institutions competed with green infrastructure designs that not only treated and managed stormwater, but also addressed a range of other campus goals from flood protection to improving pedestrian and bicycle connectivity. showcased the environmental, health, economic, climate resiliency and social benefits of green infrastructure. Special thanks go to the Water Environment Federation, the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Society of Landscape Architects, and all of the students, faculty, and judges that participated in this year's challenge.
Congratulations to the Winning Teams!
First Place
- University of Oregon
Second Place
- Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Honorable Mention
- University of California, Berkeley
First Place
University of Oregon
The team’s entry, titled “Rainy Days, Nature’s Way: Embracing Stormwater and Play at the Village School” integrated stormwater management and nature play into at a K-8 school through a co-design process with students and other state and local partners. The design featured green infrastructure practices included rain gardens, bioswales, a “dry creek” infiltration trench and permeable material defining play areas, and a school yard forest. The team effectively employed stormwater modeling tools, and the design a design adhered to local stormwater codes and policies.
Project Narrative (pdf) Design Board (pdf)
Student Team: Giffin Glastonbury, Katherine Harrison, Katherine Rola, Keith Stanley, Yeongseo Yu
Faculty and Staff Advisors: Yekang Ko
Second Place
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
In their entry titled “Creating a Sustainable, Walkable Community for Odell’s Village and the HWS Campus,” this team emphasized using green infrastructure practices to reduce stormwater flow into Odell’s Pond and prevent localized flooding of the Odell’s Village while improving the pedestrian experience. The team used the campus’s long-term master plan to meet other goals such as utilizing space on campus more efficiently; restoring native plant communities; and providing more outdoor recreation and education opportunities while also addressing stormwater permitting requirement, ADA compliance, and maintenance and implementation funding.
Project Narrative (pdf) Design Board (pdf)
Student Team: Madeleine Buck, Owen Hotaling, Erin Howe, Tarang Malhotra, Jackson Mischler
Faculty and Staff Advisors: Beth Kinne, Max Piersol, Chris Button
Honorable Mention
University of California, Berkeley
Project Narrative (pdf) Design Board (pdf)
Student Team: Florencia Sepulveda, Jiangyi Du, Gustavo Coronilla, Shayda Rashidi, Kanani D'Angelo, Danica Jean Bowers, Madeira Simone BooydeGraaff, Shrabya Timsina, Chenyi Wang, Grace Diebel, Alex Robert Jordan, Jack Joseph Van Thyn
Faculty Advisors: G. Mathias Kondolf
Cooperating Organizations
These cooperating organizations assisted EPA with judging and outreach:
To sign up for e-mail updates or ask a question about the Campus RainWorks Challenge, e-mail RainWorks@epa.gov.