The University of Connecticut has been named a winner of the Environmental Protection Agency's 10th annual Campus RainWorks Challenge.
The nationwide contest challenges college students and faculty around the country to use green infrastructure design principles, promote interdisciplinary collaboration and increase the amount of green infrastructure on their campuses to address stormwater pollution, according to an April 26 news release. This year's Campus RainWorks Challenge included 42 teams from 24 states and 35 various academic institutions competing in two design categories.
"The timing of this competition couldn't be better, as we celebrate Water Week 2022, the 50th anniversary of the Clean Water Act and begin to implement the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law," EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Radhika Fox stated in the release. "I would like to congratulate this year's winners, and I want to thank the faculty and thousands of students, past and present, that have endeavored to improve their community through Campus RainWorks."
According to the news release, University of Connecticut's Avery Point campus was awarded for its work in reducing the stormwater pollution entering Long Island Sound.
"The Sound is an essential ecosystem that supports many communities, economies, and habitats throughout the region, and we thank UConn for helping to fulfill our mission of protecting human health and the environment," EPA New England Regional Administrator David W. Cash said in the release.
UConn's teams finished second in the master plan category, receiving $3,500 in student prizes and $1,500 in faculty prizes, according to the news release.
