About Us

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UNH designed, constructed, and runs a facility that provides the controlled testing of stormwater management designs and devices. The primary mission of the Center is the protection of water resources through effective stormwater management. Currently the Center is acting as a unique technical resource for stormwater practitioners by studying a range of issues for specific stormwater management strategies including design, water quality and quantity, cost, maintenance, and operations. The field research facility serves as a site for testing stormwater treatment processes, for technology demonstrations and workshops. The testing results and technology demonstrations are meant to assist in the planning, design, and implementation of effective stormwater management strategies for resource managers.

The UNH Stormwater Center studies stormwater-related water quality and quantity issues. One unique feature is the field facility to evaluate and verify the performance of stormwater management devices and technologies. Fifteen different management systems are currently undergoing side-by-side comparison testing under strictly controlled conditions.

This on-campus evaluation facility enables the Center to offer technology demonstrations and workshops, and also specialized training opportunities. In addition to the primary field facility, the Center has other sites available to study approaches that need more space or present unique conditions.

Under new Clean Water Act Phase II rules, the Environmental Protection Agency requires local governments to develop stormwater programs. In response, many organizations have or are now developing plans and actions to achieve desirable water quality and storm volume reduction. Although many of the stormwater management devices are based on sound theory, there is no requirement that they undergo independent, third-party scientific testing. Perhaps as a result, a three-year study of nine seacoast sites in New Hampshire showed that traditional stormwater technologies failed in reducing at least one water quality parameter two-thirds of the time.

Mission

• Test stormwater control measures
• Disseminate test results and evaluations
• Demonstrate innovative stormwater management technologies
  

Partnering

Vendors, manufacturers, regulatory agencies, system designers, and the thousands of entities required to comply with the Clean Water Act benefit from Stormwater Center research. All are encouraged to comment on the facility and testing methods.

Field Facility & Stormwater Control Technologies

The primary field facility is located at two sites on the UNH Durham campus. Stormwater controls currently being tested include: subsurface treatment wetlands, infiltration devices, filtration devices, detention ponds, manufactured devices, a tree box, inlet inserts, and a porous asphalt pavement parking lot. The contributing drainage area is almost completely impervious and generates stormwater flows typical of many developed urban and suburban subcatchments. Planning is underway for site research of non-structural Best Management Practices, such as street vacuuming.

Project Timeline and Outreach

Full site operation began in August 2004. Information is communicated several ways, including technology demonstrations, short courses, an engaging and regularly updated website, publication in refereed journals, and presentations at regional and national forums.

Funding Source

Funding for the UNH Stormwater program has been provided by the Cooperative Institute for Coastal and Estuarine Environmental Technology (CICEET) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The Stormwater Center is part of the Environmental Research Group at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) in Durham, New Hampshire.

Dr. Thomas P. Ballestero, P.E.
238 Gregg Hall
Durham, NH 03824
Phone: 603-862-1405
tom.ballestero@unh.edu

Associate Professor of Civil Engineering at UNH
Member of the Environmental Research Group
Water Resource Engineering and Hydrology
UNH Stormwater Center Director and Principal Investigator

Dr. Thomas P. Ballestero is a water resources engineer and hydrologist. His role in the Center is Director and lead scientist. He is an Associate Professor in the Civil Engineering Department at the University of New Hampshire. He is also a founding member of the Environmental Research Group. His experience with surface water runoff extends back to 1976 when he co-taught short courses on modeling techniques. His current research projects include the Stormwater Center, the use of contaminated sediments in coastal wetlands, and the land application of biosolids. Dr. Ballestero teaches advanced courses on: stormwater systems, sediment transport, open channel flow, engineering hydrology, and hydrologic monitoring. Consulting work in which he is presently involved includes: rainfall-runoff calculations, design of stormwater control facilities, monitoring water quality consequences of stormwater, forensic studies of flood-related stormwater system failures, expert witness testimony, and review of development proposals.

Dr. Robert Roseen, P.E.
242 Gregg Hall
Durham, NH 03824
Phone: 603-862-4024
robert.roseen@unh.edu

Assistant Research Professor of Civil Engineering at UNH
UNH Stormwater Center Director

Robert Roseen, Ph.D. is the Director and Co-PI for the Center for Stormwater Technology Evaluation Verification. His responsibilities include coordinating the development of the research facility for the Environmental Research Group at the University of New Hampshire. The development involves permitting and contracting procedures, development of collaborative efforts with manufacturers, site design for stormwater treatment devices, selection of treatment technologies (Best Management Practices), evaluation of site hydrology, and sampling and monitoring design.

Dr. Roseen has broad experience in water resources including hydrology and hydraulics evaluations, restoration and enhancement alternatives, dam removal assessment, groundwater investigations, nutrient and TMDL studies, and remote sensing and GIS applications. He has been working for over 5 years in New Hampshire's Great Bay in groundwater-related projects. Research efforts include: characterization of groundwater discharge to Hampton Harbor, NH; development of GIS application extension for use in delineating groundwater discharge zones; and groundwater mapping. He has lectured on hydrologic monitoring techniques, sediment transport and sampling, velocity profiling, stream restoration, dam removal, river mechanics, open channel flow, fluid mechanics, and environmental systems analysis.

James Houle
346 Gregg Hall
Durham, NH 03824
Phone: 603-767-7091
james.houle@unh.edu

Outreach Coordinator/Program Manager

James Houle is the Outreach Coordinator and Program Manager for the Stormwater Center. His responsibilities include development of outreach and education products, and supervising the Stormwater Center's growing body of research projects.

Mr. Houle holds a M.A. in Sustainable Development and a B.S. in Molecular Biology. He has over seven years of experience with water quality related issues in New Hampshire and is a certified professional in storm water quality (C.P.S.W.Q.) In addition to his technical expertise, Mr. Houle is also experienced in environmental systems analysis, systems thinking facilitation, and served three years in the U.S. Peace Corps in Ghana.

Heather Gilbert
346 Gregg Hall
Durham, NH 03824
Phone: 603-767-7091
heather.gilbert@unh.edu

Facility Manager

Heather Gilbert graduated from UNH with a BS in Medical Technology. She has over ten years of experience working with various types of medical samples, as well as with complex medical instrumentation. Additionally, Ms. Gilbert has gained both research and field experience in water quality analyses while working at the Water Resources Research Center, a water quality lab at UNH, as well as at the NH Department of Environmental Services.  Ms. Gilbert has experience as Director and Assistant Director of the Massachusetts Audubon day and overnight camps for children, where she oversaw the operation, programming, staffing and facility management of the camps.  Heather joined the UNH Stormwater Center as Facility Manager in September of 2007.

Joshua F. Briggs
230 Gregg Hall
Durham, NH 03824
Phone: 603-862-1172
briggs@unh.edu

Research Assistant

Josh earned his M.S. in Civil Engineering at the University of New Hampshire in December 2006, specializing in Water Resources/Hydrology.  He is currently preparing construction drawings and specifications for an LID project in Greenland, NH.  He spent 2007 conducting research on porous asphalt and permeable pavements for the UNH Stormwater Center as a follow-up to his thesis on porous asphalt.  From 2000 to 2003, Josh worked with a consulting firm in Massachusetts, where he worked on projects involving Low Impact Development (LID) stormwater retrofits, stormwater wetland creation, stream restoration, and saltmarsh restoration.  From 1997 to 2000, he worked at a consulting firm in California on groundwater and soil investigation/remediation projects.  He received a B.S. in Engineering & Environmental Science and a B.A. in History from University of Notre Dame in 1996.

Pedro M. Avellaneda
230 Gregg Hall
Durham, NH 03824
Phone: 603-862-1172
pedro.avellaneda@unh.edu

Ph.D. Candidate

Pedro Avellaneda is pursuing a doctorate in Water Resources at the University of New Hampshire. He joined the Stormwater project in the Spring of 2004 as a research assistant. He received his undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering (2000) and his Master degree in Water Resources (2003) from Universidad Nacional de Colombia. Before coming to UNH, he worked as a research assistant at UNC. He has experience in building software for 2D finite element model of water flow through saturated and unsaturated media. Also, he has experience in working with Artificial Neural Network (ANN) models for predicting monthly average streamflows and two dimensional inversion of geoelectrical resistivity data.

Iulia A. Barbu
230 Gregg Hall
Durham, NH 03824
Phone: 603-862-1172
iaj4@unh.edu

Ph.D. Student

Iulia Barbu is pursuing a doctorate in Water Resources at the University of New Hampshire. She joined the Stormwater project in the Fall of 2007 as a research assistant. She received her undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering (2005) from the University of Technical Engineering in Bucharest, Romania, with an equivalent in United States of a Master Degree in Civil Engineering with a concentration in Hydraulics.

Her research focus is on Sustainable Engineering and she is currently looking at the connection of Low Impact Development Stormwater Management to sustainable practices along with maintenance of the water cycle in context of climate change for mitigating impacts of urban hydrology.

During her time as an undergraduate, she completed the design of a waste water plant which incorporated the sludge management and minimization of its impact on the environment. Before coming to UNH, she worked for the New Hampshire Department of Transportation as a Civil Engineer where she received specialized training and gained experience in preparing preliminary layouts for roadways and bridges, signs and pavement markings; final design for roadways and required drainage; conducting traffic analysis; reviewing design work performed by private consultants including design criteria, drainage design and stormwater management for compliance with NH Standard Specification; inspecting roadway and railroad construction; and inspecting airports for safety and runway approach surface for clearance.

George Fowler
230 Gregg Hall
Durham, NH 03824
Phone: 603-862-1172
deforestfowler@yahoo.com

Masters Student
Graduate Research Assistant

George joined the Stormwater Research Team in July 2006 to help investigate the efficiency of stormwater systems in removing pollutants from impervious areas.  He graduated from Stonehill College with a BS in Biology, and subsequently implemented stream corridor restoration projects in Portland, Oregon.  From 2002 to 2004, he served as a soil conservation extensionist with the Peace Corps in Nepal—designing and helping farmers execute bioengineering interventions on highly erodable areas.  Upon return from his service in Nepal, George worked with Vermont farmers to create nutrient management plans in order to increase the efficiency of their soil fertility while controlling agricultural runoff.   Some of his long-term objectives at UNH are to enhance his design and management skills for the Low Impact Development (LID) of stormwater systems and stream restoration projects, while also learning geomorphologic assessment and hydrological monitoring techniques.

Kristopher M. Houle
230 Gregg Hall
Durham, NH 03824
Phone: 603-862-1172
kmf42@unh.edu

Masters Student
Graduate Research Assistant

Kris is a Master's degree student in Water Resources Engineering at the University of New Hampshire.  He joined the Stormwater Center in June 2006 as a research assistant and has been involved in a number of field projects.  He is currently leading an experiment investigating porous asphalt and its significance toward chloride source control.  He is also assisting with the design, construction, and monitoring of the UNHSC Pervious Concrete Project that is to be completed in September 2007.  Kris received a B.S. degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 2006, in which his main area of study was water resources.  During his time as an undergraduate, he completed a restoration project in the Turks and Caicos Islands that incorporated water quality analyses and hydraulic designs to improve tidal flushing to local salt-ponds.  A 2008 graduation is expected.  

UNH Stormwater Center
Gregg Hall
35 Colovos Road
University of New Hampshire
Durham, NH 03824

Robert M. Roseen, Ph.D.
Director, The UNH Stormwater Center
Environmental Research Group

Phone: (603) 862-4024
robert.roseen@unh.edu

Thomas P. Ballestero, P.E., Ph.D., P.H., C.G.W.P., P.G.
Principal Investigator, Senior Scientist
Department of Civil Engineering

Phone: (603) 862-1405
tom.ballestero@unh.edu

(603) 862-3957 fax