Preliminary Field Evaluation of Soil Compaction in Rain Gardens
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 139, Issue 9
Abstract
Rain gardens are implemented to mitigate runoff volume and associated pollutants to restore the health of a watershed. Rain gardens reduce runoff volume through infiltration and improve water quality as pollutants are filtered through soil media. Infiltration rates, however, can be reduced as a result of soil compaction. Knowledge about the factors that control compaction in rain gardens is currently limited, and studies are lacking on the ability of rain gardens to infiltrate runoff over a long-term period. Twenty-six rain gardens in New Jersey were evaluated during the summers of 2010 and 2011. Depth to soil compaction was measured in the field, and soil texture, site information, and oxidation-reduction potential data were collected to compare different ages of rain gardens with various soil types. There was no significant difference in soil compaction between surveys based upon the age of the rain gardens, but soil texture was found to have an influence on compaction levels. This knowledge will help to provide information on the care and maintenance of rain gardens and will help to alleviate soil compaction and increase infiltration.
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Acknowledgments
The authors wish to thank the undergraduate students who performed the majority of field sampling: Dan Yu, Kate Sullivan, Claude Wallace, Nicole DelMonaco, Tolin Hessell, Rich Padgitt, and Kyle Gourley. We also wish to thank the innumerable partner groups and volunteers involved in the installation and maintenance of the RCE Water Resources Program’s rain gardens.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 139 • Issue 9 • September 2013
Pages: 1233 - 1236
Copyright
© 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Aug 21, 2012
Accepted: May 9, 2013
Published online: May 11, 2013
Published in print: Sep 1, 2013
Discussion open until: Oct 11, 2013
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