Students work on a storm water mitigation in Eagle Heights Gardens area

Last weekend, Mike Parsen and Will Waller met with the six Senior Capstone students in Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE 578, advisor Prof. Charlie Quagliana) for a tour of the Eagle Heights Community Gardens to review the area and discuss current issues with storm water run-off. The goal for the students’ Senior design project is to create a realistic and cost-effective solution for the storm water problems in the community gardens and to reduce flooding and nutrient-rich runoff from the gardens into Bills Woods.  Maria Kealey, one of the students, states, “I think the team is very motivated by the fact that if we succeed, our design might actually be implemented. As Civil and Geological Engineering students, many of our design projects are much more theoretical. Personally, this class might be the only exception to that after five years at UW-Madison!” 
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The students are responding to a Request-for-Proposal, which provides background about the Preserve and identifies the problem of erosion and nutrient transport south of the gardens and down through Bill’s Woods. The Senior Capstone students will develop mitigation systems for this area, in collaboration with their industrial mentors and stakeholders, including the Friends and Preserve staff. The Friends are supporting this worthwhile design project with a $1000 donation to pay for student expenses, including printing costs.

Left to Right: Jack Brody, Maria Kealey, Patrick Heiman, Kelley Korinek, Jay Kemp, Mike Parsen, Jan Kucher. Photo Will Waller