Continuous Simulation of an Infiltration Trench Best Management Practice
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Villanova University The Graduate School Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Continuous Simulation of an Infiltration Trench Best Management Practice A Thesis in Civil Engineering by Hans M. Benford Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Water Resources and Environmental Engineering May 2009 Continuous Simulation of an Infiltration Trench Best Management Practice By Hans Benford May 2009 Robert G. Traver, Ph.D., P.E. Date Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering Bridget M. Wadzuk, Ph.D. Date Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering Ronald A. Chadderton, Ph.D., P.E. Date Chairman, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Gary A. Gabriele, Ph.D. Date Dean, College of Engineering A copy of this thesis is available for research purposes at Falvey Memorial Library. Acknowledgements I would like to thank those who have supported me in my academic and personal life during my time at Villanova University as a graduate student. Without their continual support, I would not have been able to complete this study. First of all, I have to thank Dr. Traver for giving me the opportunity to join the Villanova Urban Stormwater Partnership as a graduate student. His ability to motivate and organize people of all types has shown the value of strong leadership as it pertains to progress, specifically in the field of stormwater. In addition to Dr. Traver, I need to thank the entire Villanova University Civil Engineering faculty and staff for my undergraduate education. Dr. Wadzuk, thank you for your valuable advice and guidance through my graduate studies. Bill Heasom, it was always a pleasure working and learning with you. I would like to give a special thanks to Linda DeAngelis and George Pappas for always finding the time to help or talk in their busy days. Clay Emerson and Tom Batroney, thank you for your help in our work at the trench and for your friendships away from school. Keep on fishing. I would also like to thank Mary Ellen and the rest of the VUSP graduate students who I worked with in my time at Villanova. I am forever grateful for Jane and James Benford who showed me their undying parental support from infancy through my collegiate education. I was blessed to be raised by such great individuals. Also in need of thanks are my six older brothers and sisters who were always supportive of me at all times. Finally, I am grateful of anyone who has been part of my life over the past 6 years as I have grown at Villanova University and become who I am today. i Abstract The goal of the study is to explore the relationship between contributing watershed size and hydrologic performance for an infiltration trench Best Management Practice (BMP). The following study is a continuation of research performed on the Villanova Urban Stormwater Partnership’s (VUSP) infiltration trench BMP, which was constructed in July of 2004. This study builds off of the previous research and instrumentation that has been utilized on the site in an effort to develop a continuous hydrologic model capable of accurately simulating the flow of water through the trench on a long-term basis. While the development and verification of the hydrologic model are specific to the site, they do provide a methodology for the development of similar models at other such infiltration sites. Examination of simulated infiltration and overflow rates in comparison to measured depth and flow at the site proves that the Environmental Protection Agencies’ Storm Water Management Model 5 (EPA SWMM 5) is capable of accurately simulating the infiltration trench hydrology for isolated events. The continuous simulation of water quantity over the course of the entire year of 2006 proves the accuracy of the approach, and is more comprehensive than a single event methodology. The resulting calibrated and verified model is a functional tool capable of analyzing different sized drainage areas contributing to the infiltration BMP. The model is altered to simulate different scenarios of variously sized drainage areas contributing ii to the infiltration trench. Examining various ratios of drainage area to BMP footprint allows the selection of an appropriate drainage area size to achieve infiltration goals. The model is used to demonstrate that an “aged” infiltration trench still meets the goals of stormwater regulations. The flow-duration and depth- duration curves from the continuous flow model provide a more comprehensive understanding of infiltration BMP. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements.............................................................................................................. i Abstract............................................................................................................................... ii List of Figures................................................................................................................... vii List of Tables ..................................................................................................................... ix Chapter 1 - Introduction...................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Introduction.............................................................................................................. 1 1.2 Stormwater Management and Legislation ............................................................... 2 1.3 Long term performance of infiltration trenches....................................................... 6 1.4 Hydraulic conductivity and infiltration capacity of infiltration trenches ................ 7 1.5 Infiltration Trench Site............................................................................................. 8 1.6 Site Characteristics ................................................................................................. 12 Chapter 2 - Instrumentation .............................................................................................. 19 2.1 Introduction....................................................................................................... 19 2.2 Data Logger ........................................................................................................... 20 2.3 Rain Gage .............................................................................................................. 21 2.4 Inflow Thel-Mar Weir and Pressure Transducer ................................................... 22 2.5 Inflow V-Notch Weir and Pressure Transducer .................................................... 24 2.6 Well and Pressure Transducer ............................................................................... 26 2.7 Outflow Palmer Bowlus Flume and Pressure Transducer..................................... 26 Chapter 3 - SWMM 5 Simulation Development .............................................................. 29 3.1 Introduction............................................................................................................ 29 3.2 Basic SWMM 5 Modeling Approach .................................................................... 29 iv 3.3 General SWMM 5 Parameters............................................................................... 31 3.4 Subcatchment Characteristics, Methods, and Assumptions .................................. 31 3.5 Rain Characteristics and Methods ......................................................................... 33 3.6 Storage Unit Characteristics and Methods............................................................. 34 3.7 Outlet Infiltration Characteristics, Methods, and Assumptions............................. 34 3.8 Outlet Overflow characteristics and methods........................................................ 38 3.9 Outfalls................................................................................................................... 39 3.10 SWMM 5 Model Development Summary........................................................... 40 Chapter 4 – Simulation Verification................................................................................. 41 4.1 Introduction............................................................................................................ 41 4.2 Visual Verification................................................................................................. 41 4.3 Statistical Verification ........................................................................................... 48 4.3.1 Basic Statistical Comparison .......................................................................... 49 4.3.2 Spearman Pair-wise Statistical Analysis.......................................................... 51 4.4 Overflow Comparison............................................................................................ 53 4.5 Snowmelt Deviation .............................................................................................. 56 Chapter 5 - Trench Sizing and Comparisons .................................................................... 59 5.1 Introduction............................................................................................................ 59 5.2 Contributing Area Variations................................................................................. 61 5.3 Varied DA:BMP Infiltration Comparison ............................................................. 62 5.4 Storage Capacity of a Trench Sized to Appropriate Capture Volume................... 67 5.5