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Analysis of Instrumentation Selection and Placement to Monitor the Hydrologic Performance of Permeable Pavement Systems and Bioinfiltration Areas at the Edison Environmental Center in New Jersey
Citation:
Brown, R. A., M. BORST, AND T. P. OCONNOR. Analysis of Instrumentation Selection and Placement to Monitor the Hydrologic Performance of Permeable Pavement Systems and Bioinfiltration Areas at the Edison Environmental Center in New Jersey. Presented at ASCE-EWRI World Environmental and Water Resources Congress, Albuquerque, NM, May 20 - 24, 2012.
Impact/Purpose:
To inform the public.
Description:
In 2009, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency constructed a 0.4-ha (1-ac) parking lot surfaced with three different permeable pavement types (interlocking concrete pavers, porous concrete, and porous asphalt) and six bioinfiltration areas with three different drainage area to surface area ratios at the Edison Environmental Center in Edison, NJ. The drainage area to bioinfiltration surface area ratios are 5.5:1, 11:1, and 22:1. The design ponding depth in the surface storage zone is 0.2 m (8 in.), and the drainage area is 100% impervious. Hydrologic performance is being investigated with respect to surface area because of the cost associated with the specialized fill media and the spatial opportunity cost. A series of time domain reflectometers, piezometers, and thermistors were installed at various depths in the profile in each control and in the underlying soil. A passive capillary lysimeter (drain gauge) was also installed in one bioinfiltration area. The focus of this presentation is to describe the monitoring methods used for these controls and to evaluate their effectiveness at indicating whether the stormwater controls are functioning as expected. A goal for this project was to develop an instrument list and placement scheme that together with data analysis techniques can provide a measure of changes in the control’s performance that can be used to establish when maintenance or replacement is required. As infiltration is a primary mechanism for functionality of green infrastructure stormwater controls, this study explored instrument selection and placement to measure surface infiltration rates and infiltration rates into the underlying soil. The results on instrument selection and placement are currently being applied to other green infrastructure stormwater control projects that are scheduled to be installed in Louisville, Kentucky and New England in late 2011 and early 2012.
