Water: Social Sustainability
- Iowa State University is a “city within a city”, which means ISU has a strict responsibility to not impact Ames' water quality. Because ISU is considered its own entity, it has its own stormwater plan and regulations it must follow, in addition to the parameters that the City of Ames has put in place for the community.
- ISU students are actively engaged in monitoring, testing and reporting campus' water quality. Since 2012, students have tested Iowa State's water quality in their coursework to monitor the effectiveness of best management practices, collaborating with Environmental Health and Safety staff to test water and conduct “bio inventories." In addition, the Biology and Industrial Technology departments collaborate on water quality capstone projects by hiring students. Iowa State also has a learning community called Science of the Environment and Sustainable Systems about water health for undergraduates, which is taught by Environmental Health and Safety staff.
- Environmental Health and Safety trains more than 1,000 people each year on campus about stormwater management and spill prevention.