Students Study Urban Stormwater With EPA P3 Grant

A team of undergraduate and graduate students, led by Earth and Environmental Studies Professor Yang Deng, recently received a $75,000 People, Prosperity and the Planet (P3) grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

By removing contaminants from urban stormwater at their source, the students’ project, “Toward Sustainable Urban Stormwater Management with New, Green, Low-Cost Sorbent-Coated Wood Mulch,” will help shorten water treatment time and make it more efficient to provide clean, safe water.

“Montclair State has long been a leader in New Jersey in the field of environmental science, management and sustainability research,” says Scott Herness, vice provost for research and dean of The Graduate School.

“This grant enables our students and faculty to further the work on improving the quality of urban environments by using recycled municipal solid wastes as new adsorbents for removing heavy metal contaminants — such as lead and nutrient phosphorous — from stormwater at its source.”