Sustainable Rainwater Management: A University Campus Case Study

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Guler F., Er B. A., Ardalı Y.

Dicle Üniversitesi Mühendislik Fakültesi Mühendislik Dergisi, vol.17, no.1, 2026 (TRDizin)

Abstract

Water supplies are being severely strained by climate change and growing urbanization, resulting in increasingly frequent and severe adverse effects such as droughts, heavy rainfall, floods, and overflows. This situation, leads to the inadequacy of existing stormwater management systems and threatens the sustainability of water resources. In this context rainwater, harvesting and storage systems offer a strategic solution both for enhancing resilience to the impacts of climate change and for developing alternative water resources. In this study, sustainable stormwater management solutions were developed for Ondokuz Mayıs University Kurupelit Campus in order to reduce the load of the mixed infrastructure system on the wastewater treatment plant during rainy periods. Focusing on the rapid runoff problems caused by the sloping topography of the campus, both conventional and sustainable stormwater management systems were designed using rational methods and their performances were compared. Following the university's sustainable water management objectives, stormwater storage facilities designed for the campus not only lower the risk of flooding but also aid in the development of alternate water sources. In this respect, the study offers a sustainable infrastructure model that may be used as a model for college campuses, as well as a novel engineering approach for implementation.