Elizabethtown College Lake Placida Renovation and Water Quality Improvements

Elizabethtown College is committed to their students and also to their campus environment. This commitment has resulted in a number of projects to improve the sustainability of their campus including Elizabethtown’s project, “Lake Placida: Improving Water Quality and Educating the Public.” Designed to control and improve storm water runoff from the College into Lake Placida, the project created 1.5 acres of wetland, restored 500 feet of stream channel and established three acres of native meadow grasses and wildflowers. The project also created an interpretive trail with educational curriculum and signs highlighting the improved storm water control systems.

Later phases of the project improved the flow of runoff water into an aquifer located beneath the campus and extended the flow of water downstream from Lake Placida through a plant-lined waterway created by returning a portion of a parking lot to green space. This project improves water quality, serves as an example of how green space may be reclaimed, illustrates best management practices for water quality, and serves as an educational site for college students and community groups.