Changing the Nature of Storm Water Management

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Changing the Nature of Storm Water Management

Architects, landscape architects and builders must now look to tradition methods along with new engineered product innovations pertaining to storm water mitigation and water capture or conservation to meet these increased metric demands from the municipalities.

Green roofs, high performance storm water capture systems – both traditional and new technology, permeable hard-scaping, onsite rainwater harvesting and passive irrigation systems deigned to work in an integrated fashion provide for the site water management solutions that are need this new era. The next chapter will go into more detail about these water management tools and options.

New Innovations and Integrated Solutions

There has been such a dramatic increase in requirements for Low Impact Development and creating sustainable environmental conditions that engineers, architects, developers and manufacturers have been creating new technologies that can benefit society, and development, in conjunction with one and other. However, there is also the municipal perspective where funds are tight and understanding the value created as well as the return on investment becomes front of mind.

That has led to not only new technology but also new design methodology. What do we mean by that?

Well let’s look at innovative methodology and how we can combine that with technology to achieve environmental sustainability utilizing stormwater.

If you could take all the stormwater that traditionally runs off a site into pipes and utilize that water to provide benefits such as lowering the urban heat island effect, providing evapotranspiration to cool ambient temperatures thereby lowering the temperature of asphalt to cool stormwater discharging into tributaries, mitigate the effects of carbon by sequestering as much as we can, recharge groundwater aquifers and utilize the water to provide passive irrigation. Even gray water scenarios to flush toilets etc are very beneficial.

These are all important components to provide environmental benefits to society and create value for cities and developers.

The new methodology comes into play when the use of the stormwater for these areas is to catch, treat it, store it and reuse it! That means catching it on the roof and keeping it on the roof. If we can catch, keep it, and use it on the roof. The water becomes an asset not a liability. Now only in extreme events will water move off the roof and into the infrastructure system.

If we can infiltrate and recharge aquifers, we are using that water to provide a benefit. If we can turn every impervious area into a pervious area we can solve many problems for designers.

What if you could take all that stormwater and send it your trees or send it under green space and use it.

So, what is the value provided?… You need to keep stormwater shallow to access it, and use it. For the municipality, none of that water is going into their pipes, it’s all pretreated so they don’t need to have additional treatment cost. For designers and developers, they don’t need ponds, they get valuable land back and that land can provide even more environmental benefits. Building owners get buildings with lower operating costs, healthier exterior green space and potentially credits for reducing water usage as well as discharge rates. Municipalities don’t have to dig up roads and put bigger and bigger pipes in the ground.

One of the newest technological product advancements is Permavoid. Manufactured by Advanced Building Technologies. Permavoid is actually patented as a sub-base allowing for installation directly under impervious areas. The system is multifunctional. It has extreme loading capability, stores water, conveys water, can infiltrate water and with a membrane can provide passive irrigation as well.

You can take all the stormwater off a parking lot, put it underneath the parking lot and provide environmental sustainability. Permavoid can be used for tree pits, bioswales, bioretention systems, and under permeable pavements.

Permeable Subbase Systems: 

Structural / permeable subbase systems like Permavoid work to reduce the effective impervious behavior of a site in much the same way as any permeable surface with many potential enhancements.
First, water management subbases aim to control sediment transport through source control and pretreatment.  This can dramatically reduce the frequency, labor and maintenance costs associated with typical permeable surfaces.  Second, by routing surface flows through shallow pretreatment systems (ABT-FirstFlush, Bioswales, Raingardens, etc.) it offers the ability to begin filtering out pollutants such as hydrocarbons, heavy metals and more.  This aids in protecting the quality of our groundwater by filtering out pollutants prior to infiltration.  Finally, systems such as this maximize water storage through extremely high void space.  Compared with traditional drainage stone, it can mean up to three times more water storage for a given depth or significantly reduced site excavation requirements.  Whether through permeable surfaces or innovative permeable subbases, increased infiltration on project sites and within our urban spaces is a critical first step to promoting the natural water cycle and ultimately in protecting our fresh water.

Fullerton, CA – Uses a permeable subbase to enhance detention volumes, promote infiltration & protect California’s water.


Connected Blue→ Green Roofs: 

Connected blue→green roofs were developed with one simple idea in mind.  Take all of the water management benefits attributed to blue roofs and use them to overcome the shortcomings of green roofs.
Traditionally, green roofs used very shallow growing media to prevent excessive building loads but with the desire for more native and diverse vegetation, so increased the need for available water.  Logically, more soil was seen as the straightforward solution.  While successful, returns were small, with great cost in structural loads.  The Permavoid blue→green roof overcomes this concern through a lightweight structure with extremely high void space that makes stored water available through wicking cylinders and natural capillary action.  This means huge volumes of water are available to vegetation without the need for pumps, sprinklers, drinking water and energy.  Successfully converting stormwater into a resource in this way adds many important benefits including:

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2 Comments

  1. Dear Members:

    Wish to give you a phenomenon associated with two types of study of Science.

    One is hydo geology dealing with ground with water resources and other bio- assets on terrestrial surface.

    2nd one is seiesmology which deals with study of earth quakes and tremors and their effects.

    Wish to introduce "the sponge effect"  in sub- soil strata with greens and water resource on ground and under ground in aquifers.

    When there is water resource in aquifers and land surface, with greens this layer of soil behaves like "a sponge" in absorbing the shocks and tremors in the times of earth quakes and prevents it being conveyed upper to surface zones. 

    It is propable in dense urbans, these areas are heavily populated with high-rise buildings too.

    One shudders to consider the repurcusions when shocks and tremors if left un absorbed and  are transmitted to surface regions.

    When aquifer is contained with ample water then we consider that the soil is moist, soft and spongy.

    The corollary occurs when water is deficient and water has gone to levels very deep in aquifers, soil has no moisture, ie hard or very hard like rocks. 

    This sponge present in sub -soil, therefore is more than beneficial for neo - urbans, as it absorbs seismic shocks.

    The sub - strata sponge also absorbs the flow of water as it flows through the water-shed, thus keeping water stored in their aquifers.

    Therefore the WR, is required as mandatory requiremnt for good quality of urban- living. 

    Pl consider the point as given and take safe guard on the same.

    Well wishes.

    Prof Ajit  Seshadri. INDIA.

     

     

  2. Dear Mrmbers.

    All points have been duly covered, it is now needed to evolve the" the all community good principles and apt practices to maintain the right balance in water-shed in continuation to ground water ".

    All low - lying spaces and regions that get water logged need to be well engineered to contain the highest of high rain fall.

    The inflows into low pools need to be serviced with large dug outs to contain sludges and silt as the flow is maintained into the pool.

    As per gradient of the region, a relief channel is given to lead over flows down stream.

    AND OR

    Rain harvesting systems planned -done.

    If it is not possible then deep sump tanks are planned - designed and done with mechanised fail safe pumping station to convey to down stream pools or w/ bodies.

    All Clear joining channels are engineered- made to connect upper regions with lower down stream streams.

    Greens are developed to conserve and protect profiles of pools, channels and other water- bodies.

    Old dug out wells are revived and planned RWH Systems are made and maintained regularly.

    Well wishes.

    Prof Ajit Seshadri. INDIA.