Hydraulic evolution and total suspended solids capture of an infiltration trench

Abstract

Abstract:Stormwater best management practice (BMP) design must incorporate the expected long-term performance from both a water quantity and water quality perspective to sustainably mitigate hydrologic and water quality impacts of development. Infiltration trench structures are one of many infiltration BMPs that reduce runoff volume and capture pollutants. Research on the longevity of these structures is sparse, leading to concerns about their long-term value and impeding implementation. In the present study, an infiltration trench was monitored from its inception to determine its hydrologic performance over time and total suspended solids (TSS) capture efficiency. The infiltration trench was intentionally undersized to accelerate longevity-related processes. The infiltration trench provided a 36% TSS removal rate and displayed a distinct decrease in its ability to infiltrate stormwater runoff over the first three years of operation. Results indicate that infiltration through the bottom of the BMP became negligible, while infiltration through the sides of the BMP remained active over the 3-year study period. The results lead to recommendations for BMP design.

Techno-Economic Analysis of Hybrid Drainage Systems in South Australia

“…A study conducted by Yazdi and Scholz [10] in Edinburgh, Scotland observed 73% reduction of mean flow volume and 80% reduction of mean peak flow using infiltration systems. They can also be used for capturing dissolved pollutants [1], [11]. Life spans of these systems are around 20 years [9], [12].…”

Water Level Loggers as a Low-Cost Tool for Monitoring of Stormwater Control Measures

“…It is unfortunate that such monitoring is not standard, because stormwater control measures can fail for a variety of reasons. The systems can release water too rapidly due to design malfunction [12], fail to infiltrate due to clogging or reduced infiltration over time [7,9], and allow the release of chemicals of concern [13,14]. If these failures could be prevented by repair or improved designs, then the dollars spent on stormwater control would be more effective.…”

“…Instrumentation may need to be built into the initial design if weirs to focus outflow are needed or if sensors to measure soil moisture or water levels need to be buried within the SCM [9,15,17]. Long-term monitoring is conducted to evaluate potential clogging infiltration basins-a common problem [9,12,14]. In some cases, stream monitoring is implemented to evaluate the impact of SCM on catchments [18,19].…”

Performance of a ‘Transitioned’ Infiltration BasinPart 1: TSS, Metals, and Chloride Removals

“…A two-part field inspection conducted by Lindsey et al (1992) in Maryland showed that about 51% of the infiltration basins surveyed (2 to 4 years of age) exhibited excessive sedimentation, clogging, inappropriate ponding of water, reduced infiltration rates and failure, and thus needed rehabilitation. Several research studies have also reported decrease in the infiltration capability with time due to deposition of sediments from runoff in the infiltration basin (Warnaars et al, 1999;Dechesne et al, 2005;Emerson et al, 2010;Lassabatere et al, 2010;Gonzalez-Merchan et al, 2010).…”