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Sound Rivers’ Program Director Clay Barber made a visit to Rocky Mount High School this week, scoping out future stormwater control measures on campus.

Along for the tour led by RMHS custodian Quinton Lee were Kris Bass Engineering ecological engineers Carmen Tormey and Simon Gregg.

“Carmen and Simon were looking at the existing permitted stormwater control measures and opportunities for new ones for educational purposes,” Clay said.

RHMS is one of three campuses Sound Rivers is surveying for potential stormwater projects, courtesy of the 2020 Environmental Enhancement Grant. Kris Bass Engineering is on board to write the report assessing what measures are already in place, and what condition they’re in, and additional opportunities.

“The measures at Rocky Mount High School are actually very good,” Clay said. “This is a new campus — it was built somewhere around 2012 — so they were required to put in some pretty large stormwater control measures. They have a wetland on site, a couple of bio-retention ponds, and dry detention basins, and they seem to be very well maintained, minus a few very common maintenance issues.”

With that green stormwater infrastructure already in place, the Kris Bass Engineering report will likely come back with recommendation for educational opportunities.

“It’s definitely a case of finding educational opportunities, as opposed to fixing severe problems,” Clay said. “I think rain gardens and rainwater harvesting systems will be the most likely options that Simon will pitch our way.”