The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) is partnering with Dallas Fort Worth International Airport as it takes proactive steps to manage storm water and flooding at the airport.
Nick Fang, assistant professor of civil engineering at UTA, oversees a five-year, $1.5 million project to:
Andy Kruzic and Xinbao Yu, associate professors of civil engineering, are co-investigators on the project.
"The airport has runways, taxiways and buildings that are built with massive concrete. When you have impervious surfaces like that, water can't seep through the ground, so there's a higher chance of flooding on the property," Fang said. "DFW Airport doesn't have issues with severe flooding at the moment, but adding more impervious areas and reducing permeable areas could potentially cause increased flooding as the airport continues to grow.
UTA is "a valued resource for this important initiative," said Eduardo N. Tovar, P.E., manager of systems performance at DFW Airport.
"The Airport's commitment to sustainable efforts touches many issues, including the importance of storm water quality and drainage in this region," Tovar said. "Working with a partner that shares our commitment to strong, progressive and knowledgeable management of storm water--to ensure infrastructure addresses the need for efficient and safe drainage and supports the need to protect storm water quality--is important."
As part of the project, Fang and his team will:
"We are happy to have the opportunity to team with DFW International Airport on this important project," said James Grover, UTA's interim vice president for research. "UTA is uniquely suited to this research, with several experts in urban water systems and flooding. Dr. Fang's experience with storm water runoff in Houston during Hurricane Harvey will inform many of his processes and recommendations."
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- Written by Jeremy Agor, College of Engineering