Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

University of Kentucky Stormwater Harvesting System Receives Award

  • By Matt Jones
  • 05/29/25

The Utilities and Energy Management team from the University of Kentucky recently received a Grand Award at the 2025 Engineering Excellence Awards, according to a university news release. The award from the American Council of Engineering Companies of Kentucky was for the university’s Central Utility Plant (CUP) Stormwater Harvesting System, which activated in fall 2023.

The system was designed to capture about 25 million gallons of stormwater per year and repurpose it to run the plant, reducing the costs and labor associated with purchasing domestic water. The project was developed in partnership with Bell Engineering, and funding came from a Stormwater Infrastructure Grant from the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, the news release reports.

Photo by Arden Barnes

“The stormwater harvesting system plays a critical role in helping us offset campus water usage and manage stormwater runoff,” said Britney Ragland, Utilities and Energy Management associate director. “If we can capture, reuse and return this water to the environment, it reduces our footprint on the local water system while also benefiting the local watershed.”

The CUP cooling plant uses about 45 million gallons of water annually. In addition to the project’s functionality, it also provided the opportunity for engineering senior design teams to study aspects of the system during the most recent academic year, according to the news release.

“This award highlights the university’s dedication to sustainability, innovation and collaboration,” said Ragland. “We are proud of the work that has gone into this project and look forward to its long-term impact on campus and beyond.”

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • University of Kentucky Reopens Scovell Hall

    The University of Kentucky recently reopened Scovell Hall, part of the Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment (CAFE), following comprehensive renovations to the 120-year-old facility in Lexington, Ky., according to a news release.

  • Tomball ISD Opens New Tomball West High School

    Tomball Independent School District in Tomball, Texas, recently celebrated the official opening of Tomball West High School, the district's third comprehensive high school, with a community ribbon-cutting ceremony, according to a district news release.

  • Hawaii Elementary School Reopens Following $25M Campus Modernization

    Haʻaheo Elementary School in Hilo, Hawaii, has reopened to students following a three-year, $25-million campus modernization and expansion project that significantly increases the school's instructional space while preserving one of the island's oldest educational institutions, according to local news.

  • URI Cuts Underwater Ribbon on New Ocean Robotics Laboratory

    The University of Rhode Island recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new Ocean Robotics Laboratory at its Narragansett Bay Campus, according to a news release. Two students used a remotely operated vehicle to cut an underwater ribbon in a 30-by-20-foot test tank.