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Update to Permeable Pavement Research at the Edison Environmental Center - proceedings
Citation:
OConnor, T. AND Mike Borst. Update to Permeable Pavement Research at the Edison Environmental Center - proceedings. In Proceedings, International Low Impact Development Conference 2016, Portland, ME, August 29 - 31, 2016.
Impact/Purpose:
Stormwater runoff continues to be a major cause of water pollution in urban areas. Green infrastructure techniques that use the concepts of low impact development (LID) redirect urban stormwater away from conventional drainage systems, and instead reduce and treat stormwater at its source while delivering environmental, social, and economic benefits.
Description:
The EPA’s Urban Watershed Management Branch (UWMB) has been monitoring the permeable pavement demonstration site at the Edison Environmental Center, NJ since 2010. This site has three different types of permeable pavements including interlocking concrete permeable pavers, pervious concrete, and porous asphalt. The permeable pavements are limited to parking spaces while adjacent driving lanes are impermeable and drain to the permeable surfaces. The parking lot is instrumented for continuous monitoring with thermistors and water content reflectometers that measure moisture as infiltrate passes through the storage gallery beneath the permeable pavements into the underlying native soil. Each permeable surface of the parking lot has four lined sections that capture infiltrate in tanks for water quality analyses; these tanks are capable of holding volumes up to 4.1 m3, which represents up to 38 mm (1.5 in.) for direct rainfall on the porous pavement and runoff from adjacent driving lanes that drain into the permeable surface.Previous technical releases concerning the demonstration site focused on monitoring techniques, observed chloride and nutrient concentrations, surface hydrology, and infiltration and evaporation rates. This presentation summarizes these past findings and addresses current water quality efforts including pH, solids analysis, total organic carbon, and chemical oxygen demand.