VILLANOVA CENTER FOR RESILIENT WATER SYSTEMS
Constructed Stormwater Wetland
Through interdisciplinary engineering research—environmental, geotechnical, water resources—the Villanova Center for Resilient Water Systems (VCRWS) engages with society to create resilient solutions to global water challenges.
VCRWS AT A GLANCE
20+
YEARS OF STORMWATER RESEARCH
14
ACTIVE GRANTS
8
FUNDING SOURCES
6
FACULTY MEMBERS
3
RESEARCH INTENSIVE LABS
20+
MONITORED RAIN GARDENS
OUR RESEARCH
The Villanova Center for Resilient Water Systems is home to the Villanova Urban Stormwater Partnership whose mission is to advance the evolving field of sustainable stormwater management and to foster the development of public and private partnerships through research.
Some of our funders include:
- Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Science to Achieve Results (STAR) grant
- Philadelphia Water Department
- William Penn Foundation
- National Science Foundation
- Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s Growing Greener Grants and 319 Nonpoint Source National Monitoring Plan, for which we just celebrated our 20th year of participation!
The following is a small snapshot of some of the ongoing research projects being conducted:
CURRENT PROJECTS
Bio Infiltration Traffic Island
Located on Villanova University’s West Campus, this rain garden has been monitored since 2003 and was designed to reduce downstream stormwater volumes, stream bank erosion and nonpoint source pollution to the headwaters of the Darby Creek.
“The Commons”
The student housing development on Lancaster Avenue was developed with new stormwater infrastructure, including nine rain gardens to handle the site’s stormwater runoff.
Granite Run Project
Five streams in Delaware County, Pa., are monitored to evaluate the effectiveness of stormwater controls near the site of a redevelopment of the former Granite Run Mall.
Delaware River Watershed Initiative (DRWI)
DRWI is a cross-cutting collaboration working to conserve and restore the streams that supply drinking water to 15 million people in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware.
Constructed Stormwater Wetland (CSW)
The CSW treats over 42 acres of stormwater runoff on Villanova University’s main and west campus, and is one of the oldest stormwater control measures within VCRWS.
I-95 PennDOT Project
VCRWS researchers have installed rain gardens along I-95 to help mitigate the additional impervious surface created with the expansion of the interstate.
VCRWS NEWS
Villanova Urban Stormwater Partnership Hosts 2022 Symposium
More than 350 engineers, researchers, planners and other water-resources professionals gathered on Villanova’s campus Oct. 12 and 13 for the 2022 Pennsylvania Stormwater Management Symposium. The biennial symposium aims to promote green stormwater infrastructure to combat urban flooding and protect environmental quality.
Dr. Rob Traver Discusses Seine River Cleanup in ‘Time’ Cover Story
In the article, which leads the magazine’s issue for April 10-17, 2023, the director of the Villanova Center for Resilient Water Systems compares the ambitious project to similar discussions in Philadelphia to rid the Delaware River of pollution and make it safe for swimming.
Shifting the Flood Paradigm | TED.com
Dr. Virginia’s Smith TEDxVillanovaU talk is being showcased on TED.com. It is the first Villanova talk to be promoted on this international stage. Her captivating talk presents why water resource planning is fundamental for a more sustainable world, how her cutting edge research is addressing growing global flood crises, and what you can do to help shift the flood paradigm.