MEDIA ADVISORY: Senator Gregg Inaugurates UNH Stormwater Center

Contact: Dolores Leonard
(603) 862-3685
CICEET

Oct. 10, 2005



WHAT: U.S. Senator Judd Gregg (R–N.H.) will visit the University of New Hampshire Stormwater Center to formally recognize its leadership in protecting water quality through stormwater management research. Senator Gregg’s visit coincides with the release of the center’s first year of data.

WHEN: Thursday, October 13, 2005, 1:30 p.m..

WHERE: The UNH Stormwater Center field site at the West Edge Parking Lot on UNH’s Durham campus.

BACKGROUND: Funding for the center was secured by Senator Gregg and administered by CICEET, the Cooperative Institute for Coastal and Estuarine Environmental Technology. A partnership of UNH and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, CICEET develops tools for clean water and healthy coasts.

The UNH Stormwater Center was created in 2004 to evaluate the effectiveness of different stormwater treatment systems in protecting water quality. The facility—which can test up to 12 different treatment systems at the same time—is the only one of its kind in the country. It addresses the biggest threat to water quality nationwide: stormwater runoff carrying nonpoint source pollution.

Called “nonpoint” because there is no one smokestack or sewage pipe at fault, this type of pollution is a byproduct of modern life. Rain washes pollutants off the landscape into streams, rivers, estuaries, and coastal waters, where they degrade water quality and threaten human health.

Managing runoff in a way that protects water quality depends on choosing the correct stormwater treatment system. Until now, reliable information about how well (or poorly) these systems work in preserving water quality has been in short supply. The data gathered by UNH researchers is being packaged for stormwater managers throughout the Northeast to use to improve water quality in their communities.

PROGRAM: Speakers will include U.S. Senator Judd Gregg (R-N.H.); UNH President Ann Weaver Hart; CICEET Co-director Richard Langan; and UNH Stormwater Center Co-director Robert Roseen. After a short program, the media is invited to tour the facility. The program will take place outside at an applied research field site; we recommend you wear warm clothing and comfortable shoes.

RSVP: Media who are planning to attend should RSVP to Dolores Jalbert Leonard at 603.862.3685 or dolores.leonard@unh.edu

DIRECTIONS: From Route 4, take the exit for 155 A. At the end of the exit ramp, turn east toward Durham on Route 155A. You will see a large red barn complex to your left and athletic fields ahead. Follow 155A for approximately ¦ mile past the first group of buildings (NH Fish & Game) and Leavitt Lane. Take an immediate right at the UNH sign for Printing & Mailing Services/West Edge Parking. Continue on this unnamed road (past the stop sign) until you reach the farthest edge of the parking area. Take a right and continue until you reach the northwest corner.