Column: Thanks for the climate committee, IU, now let some students get involved
The devastating and deadly flood of June 2021 was a clear indicator that the city needs to invest more in drainage and green infrastructure, but that is only one piece of the puzzle. Indiana University itself has a lot it needs to change in regards to campus green infrastructure, drainage, and service to our wider community.
According to a GIS-analysis completed by current chair of the Bloomington Environmental Commission, Sam Armstrong, almost all of the watershed that convenes at the Campus River/Kirkwood Avenue is part of IU’s campus. During the flood of June 2021, Kirkwood Avenue found itself under several feet of water, most of it run-off from the IU campus and the Campus River, which overflowed the drainage capacity of the storm drain near Kirkwood.
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This means it is IU’s responsibility, as a good neighbor and steward of our land, to make some serious changes to better our community as a whole. While we are encouraged by IU’s improvement of gray infrastructure, such as widening the storm drain at the end of the Campus River, we cannot ignore the lack of green infrastructure investment by IU. There are several projects, particularly along the Campus River, which would minimize run-off, divert water away from floodable areas, and overall improve our resiliency when it comes to a changing climate and the inclement weather it brings.
For example, IU could invest in a riparian buffer along the Campus River and its major tributaries. A riparian buffer, or native trees, shrubs, and perennial plants installed alongside a stream/other body of water, filters nutrients/pesticides out of the water to avoid algal blooms and harm to aquatic species, stabilizes banks against erosion, filters sediment, provides shade/shelter for aquatic species, provides wildlife corridors for other species, and protects downstream communities from flooding. Riparian buffers installed by IU, which has the authority and resources necessary to make such changes today, would pay for themselves within a matter of years.
IU could also install rain gardens, bioswales, and use more native species when planting in the ground to minimize run-off pollution and flooding. They could also replace aging sidewalks/pavement with permeable surfaces, which would reduce the run-off IU produces and sends downstream.
While we are pleased that IU President Pamela Whitten has convened a Climate Action Planning Committee (CAPC) to discuss green infrastructure, and we hope that the above suggestions will be taken seriously and implemented quickly, we are disappointed by the lack of student involvement in the group. Rather than a state-wide committee that will struggle to work cohesively, each IU campus should have their own CAPC — each IU campus will face different challenges over the coming years and should have a committee that is able to tailor its response to those specific challenges.
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Additionally, there are plenty of student experts who could serve on this board who have experience in green infrastructure, climate change mitigation, and policymaking. It appears that the CAPC was convened without input from either IU Student Government or the Graduate & Professional Student Government (GPSG), both of which have dedicated sustainability officers to work with the administration on these exact types of problems. To not include those students already dedicated to the aforementioned policies/goals is a disappointing misstep by President Whitten.
IU — invest in green infrastructure. Reduce run-off. Be a good neighbor and a good steward of your land. Involve more students in your CAPC and restructure said committee so each IU campus has its own. We must work together to solve these problems now for future generations, lest another deadly flood stain IU’s hands red.
This column reflects the views of the authors solely and does not necessarily represent the views of the City of Bloomington, the Bloomington Environmental Commission, or IUB Graduate & Professional Student Government.
Sam Armstrong is the current chair and Andrew Guenther is former chair of the Bloomington Environmental Commission.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Indiana University could help control flooding in downtown writers say
