At 176 acres, Catholic U’s campus is the largest college campus in the District of Columbia. Our abundant green space provides us with acres of opportunity to improve the environment around us. Over the years, the Grounds Department has implemented a variety of sustainable best practices including planting native and adaptive plants that need less irrigation, introducing stormwater management devices to reduce runoff, and planting more trees to increase biodiversity.

Stormwater Management

Flash flooding and waterway quality is a major concern in Washington, DC. To manage stormwater on campus, the University has more than 80 stormwater management devices designed to reduce the volume of water that reaches the sewer system as well as the number of pollutants carried in it.

• Rain gardens capture and store stormwater runoff and pass it through a filter bed of soil media composed of sand, soil, and organic matter. Filtered runoff may be collected or allowed to infiltrate into the soil. Rain gardens can be found at Pope Leo Lane, Centennial Village, Maloney Hall, and Curley Hall.
• Green roofs capture and store rainfall in engineered growing media designed to support plant growth. Green roofs can be found on the University lawn, Father O’Connell Hall, and Aquinas Hall. 
• Rainwater harvesting systems store rainwater that falls onto a rooftop or other impervious surface in above- or below-ground tanks and release it for future non-potable use. Rainwater harvesting systems can be found at the Power Plant and Maloney Hall. 
• Permeable pavement is an alternative paving surface that captures and temporarily stores stormwater by filtering it through voids in the pavement surface into an underlying stone reservoir. Filtered stormwater may be collected or allowed to partially infiltrate into the soil. Permeable pavement can be found at Carlini Field at the DuFour Center and the Centennial Village plaza. 
• Sand filters capture and temporarily store stormwater and pass it through a filter bed of sand and stone. At Catholic U, sand filters are typically contained in an underground concrete vault with three chambers: the first separates sediment and trash from the water, the second is a sand and stone filter, and the third allows treated water to discharge from the facility. Sand filters can be found at Millennium North, Millennium South, and Flather.
• Infiltration trenches and basins capture and temporarily store stormwater before allowing it to infiltrate into the soil over a two-day period. Infiltration basins can be found at the Pryzbyla Center.
• Stormceptors are an oil grit separator designed to protect waterways from hazardous material spills and stormwater pollution, including suspended sediment, free oils, floatables, and other pollutants that attach to particles. Stormcepters can be found at the Pryzbyla Center and Cardinal Stadium at the DuFour Center.
• Baysavers use density differences and gravity to remove suspended solids and floatables from stormwater runoff, and keeps it from entering waterways. Baysavers can be found at the Grounds Maintenance Facility and O’Boyle Parking Lot.

Campus Trees

Catholic University regularly plants new trees across campus. In April 2023, the University partnered with Casey Trees to plant 89 trees on Main Campus. Over a dozen community members along with Casey Trees staff gathered for a community event on April 21 to learn how to properly plant and care for the trees. All community members can learn more about campus trees using TreeKeeper, a database that identifies and provides information about each tree on campus. 

Upcycled from an Unlikely Source

The Grounds department recently re-introduced an environmentally sustainable fertilizer to support the campus landscape.

Typical fertilizers contribute to chemical runoff which can disrupt ecosystems, boost algae growth, and kill aquatic life in open water bodies. However, in a partnership with DC Water's Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant in Southeast, DC, Catholic University uses an environmentally-friendly fertilizer that repurposes materials found abundantly at Blue Plains.

Blue Plains treats close to 300 million gallons of wastewater from the District and neighboring counties in Maryland and Virginia. During the treatment process, products including biosolids and energy are extracted to be reused. The biosolids are pressed into a product that functions as a soil amendment and fertilizer. This by-product is a soil conditioner made from high-quality Class A biosolids, providing essential plant nutrients, including nitrogen and phosphorous. It is dark and earthy in color because it is loaded with carbon, which is great for soil. This recycled material is ideal for improving and establishing lawns, remediating poor soils, and planting trees and shrubs.

With this fertilizer, our campus is greener without having to rely on harmful chemicals or additional water to yield similar results. Using this fertilizer in conjunction with other environmentally friendly best practices helps the Grounds Department meet its sustainability initiatives and commitments.