BIORETENTION in CLAY SOILS
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r WESTMORELAND CONSERVATION DISTRICT PRESENTS a PRIMER on enter STORMWATER MANAGEMENT BIORETENTION in CLAY SOILS 3rd edition 1 Table of Contents pages BIORETENTION IN CLAY SOILS PRIMER Plant List Photo Gallery Glossary PRIMER Engineering: Specifications TABLE of CONTENTS Ecology: Mimicking Natural Systems Rainfall Events Regional Map 3 Charts Design & Sizing Assumptions Recaps & Quick Calculations Benefits of Rain Gardens ABOUT THE BIORETENTION IN CLAY SOILS PRIMER v. 3 Evaluation Water Quality Management ADOBE ACROBAT Water Quantity Management This PDF is designed to be read by Adobe Acrobat Reader, version 8 and higher. BMP Integration Construction Considerations 39.5” USE & LICENSING Liabilities The web site is for guidance and educational purposes Cost Effectiveness only. Because we believe in sharing good information and giving credit where it is due, reproduction and Seasonal Influences distribution of all or parts of this document is allowed Residential Rain Garden Sequence on three conditions: Lessons Learned 1) Westmoreland Conservation District is attributed Appendix as the source and if used in any type of presentation, Three Water Cycles hardcopy or digital that our web address WCDPA.COM is displayed; Links 2) all credits must accompany photographs found in the Plant List; and, PLANT LIST 29 Plants with Photos 3) all unmarked photos are to be credited to WCD. Cross-Sections and Planting Plans Installation & Maintenance Notes CREDIT: Content Photo Credits Westmoreland Conservation District Precipitation Summaries & Calculations PHOTO GALLERY 6 Public / Municipal Rain Gardens, 3 Residences Landbase Systems Design, Layout & Charts GLOSSARY Stormwater & Bioretention Vocabulary image earth (opens separately) Funding from Pennsylvania Dept of Environmental Protection copyright Westmoreland Conservation District, 2013 Environmental Education grant www.wcdpa.com 2 Engineering pages BIORETENTION IN CLAY SOILS PRIMER Plant List Photo Gallery Glossary ENGINEERING 3 BIORETENTION PLANTS The design of living engineering sys- Landscape plants in bioretention cells are subject to demanding micro- tems calls for careful consideration climates and highly variable moisture and climatic conditions, especially of the six elements listed here. in parking lots. 4 Design calculations must accurately 3” MULCH determine the volume of water to be Coarsely shredded hardwood bark has proven to be durable and is less treated and the size of the bioreten- likely to wash away. Dissipator strips made of grass or gravel at runoff tion cell. Underdrains make sure that entry points, like curb cuts, slow down the entering water and filter out 1” rains are captured in 24 hours. debris—important for long-term system stabilization and maintenance. 1 OVERFLOW DRAIN 5 CONSTRUCTED SOIL MIX The overflow drain drains off high levels In our experience, this is the most critical element for long-term success. of runoff levels water during short, inten- This mix provides mechanicalsheet flow and chemical qualities that encourage soil sive rain events. Stable, well-anchored in- PONDING VOLUME 12” capacity biota and microflora that help clean runoff waters. The soil mix must be lets, like concrete are best. moderately fast draining (2-4 in/hr). Ideal Soil Blend: 50% topsoil (remove all rocks and foreign matter) 2 UNDERDRAIN 30% sand or pea gravel In this region, an underdrain is neces- 20% compost sary in clay soils and compacted fill. Size the underdrain pipe according to the ex- Topsoil used in constructed soil must be less than 10% clay. Too much pected inflow (6” min). The overflow drain clay quickly clogs a system. Excessive sand dries them out. Minimize soil connects to the underdrain which can mix compaction during construction. Designers can assume that un- then connect to existing storm sewers, in- compacted soil mix has a 20% void space. filtration basins, or stormwater wetlands. 6 GRAVEL ENVELOPE Pipe: See PennDOT design A geotextile fabric envelopes the gravel-underdrain area, allowing for manual, Section 610.2(a) 1c for water to pass through, while keeping soil out. perforated plastic underdrain. Geotextile Fabric: Class 1 woven or non-woven geotextile Note: an underdrain control valve may be as specified in PennDOT’s Design Manual, Section 735. needed to minimize rate and volume of de-watering the bioretention cell. Coarse Aggregate: PennDOT No. 57 (No. 2B). Designers can assume that the gravel envelope has a 40% void space. TYPICAL DIMENSIONS IN A PARKING LOT WIDTH: 6-8’ min., 10’-12’ ideal (commercial). DEPTH: 4’ min. incl 12” gravel envelope LENGTH: Varies, 10x width typical for parking lots; 2x width for residential copyright Westmoreland Conservation District, 2013 SIDE SLOPES: 3:1 maximum, stabilize with vegetation www.wcdpa.com 3 Ecology pages BIORETENTION IN CLAY SOILS PRIMER Plant List Photo Gallery Glossary ECOLOGY EVAPOTRANSPIRATION Large amounts of water are pulled up into trees, shrubs, and all plants Bioretention cells emulate functions from the surrounding soil in a process called transpiration. Water is drawn within the upper layer of forest soils, up into leaves during photosynthesis, and once utilized, is returned to where water, plants, soils, and micro- the air as water vapor. This process creates a pump-like effect, in which a flora interact to clean and infiltrate constant flow of moisture from the roots is pulled upward to replace that water, sustain plant communities, which escapes to the air. A growing plant transpires 5-10 times as much and recharge groundwaters. Forest water as it can hold (Environment Canada). Some dissolved pollutants soils cycle and assimilate pollutants are carried up into plant tissues and rendered harmless. and metals through interactions MULCH LAYER among plants, soil, and the organic After runoff hits the dissipator strip, the mulch layer acts like leaf litter on layer—the three major elements of a forest floor by slowing the rate of water entering bioretention areas. As the bioretention concept. runoff slows, sediments and colloids fall out of suspension and dissolved pollutants and toxins are carried into the bioretention cell for treatment. The mulch layer plays a critical role in heavy metal uptake with nearly all SOIL BIOTA & the metal removal occurring in the top few inches of the bioretention area. Heavy metals affiliate strongly with organic matter in this layer. POLLUTANT REDUCTION Microorganisms in the mulch layer are credited for degrading petro- In addition to soils providing water and leum-based solvents (hydrocarbons) and other pollutants. nutrients to plants, they provide a physi- cal, chemical and biological matrix for liv- WATER COOLING ing organisms. Soil biota existing within In warm months, heated runoff from impervious surfaces is cooled with- the soil layer are critical to the filtering of in bioretention facilities, better to support aquatic life upon discharge. nutrients and pollutants and maintaining soil fertility. Soil particles themselves play INFILTRATION (and EXFILTRATION) a role, clay for instance, (due to its molec- Due to extremely small particle size and platelet structure, native clay ular and magnetic properties) provides or clay/silt soils have a limited capacity for infiltration, nonetheless they adsorption sites for hydrocarbons, heavy infiltrate rainwater when uncompacted. In a bioretention cell, with prop- metals, nutrients and other pollutants erly engineered soils, a 1” rainfall (over a 24-hr period) can be completely (EPA Office of Water, 1999). managed through infiltration, absorption, and exfiltration into surround- ing clay or compact urban fill. Soil infiltration testing yields good infor- mation to assist the design and sizing process. ADDITIONAL WATER CLEANING Often, some water will remain under the drain, creating anaerobic conditions. Though this condition is undesirable in the plant root zone, specific pollution removal occurs here, copyright Westmoreland Conservation District, 2013 namely, denitrification, the transformation and reduction of nitrates. www.wcdpa.com 4 Precipation #1 pages BIORETENTION IN CLAY SOILS PRIMER Plant List Photo Gallery Glossary PRECIPITATION: Annual Rain Volume Allegheny Average Precipitation Amounts by Year, County Allegheny County, PA (year) (inches) Appalachian Mountains 2011 48.3 Ohio 2010 38.8 26 miles 2009 31.1 Westmoreland 2008 36.1 County 2007 40.0 2006 36.9 West Virginia 48 miles 2005 34.0 2004 50.4 * The average annual rainfall in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania from 2004 to 2011 was 39.5”. Overall 39.5” Meteorology and landscape characteristics, like physiography, influence where rain and snow end * Hurricane Ivan, in September up falling on the ground. It’s not unusual for a person to drive through a downpour in one area only 2004, accounted for an atypical to travel on dry roads two or five miles away. Large regional landscapes affect rain and snow fall— 7-10” of rain over three days. both amounts increase by a modest percentage as Great Lakes-driven weather moves eastward from Allegheny County towards the Appalachian Mountains. 3 Rivers Wet Weather’s Calibrated Radar Rainfall Data was summarized by Landbase Systems on the Precipitation charts in this section. copyright Westmoreland Conservation District, 2013 www.wcdpa.com 5 Precipitation #2 pages BIORETENTION IN CLAY SOILS PRIMER Plant List Photo Gallery Glossary PRECIPITATION: All Days in a Year ALL DAYS in an AVERAGE YEAR — RAIN & NO RAIN One can see from the graphic to the left that 61% of days in a year in this region of Southwest Pennsylvania