A Simple Infiltration Test for Determination of Permeable Pavement Maintenance Needs
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 142, Issue 10
Abstract
Permeable pavements allow stormwater to pass through the pavement surface, filtering out sediment and debris; over time, regular preventative maintenance will be needed to maintain the pavement surface infiltration rate (IR). IR testing is commonly used to determine maintenance needs and frequencies. ASTM standard methods may be used to measure permeable pavement IR; however, these tests can take hours to complete and require infiltrometers not readily available to maintenance contractors. A simple infiltration test (SIT) has been devised which (1) is conducted using easily acquired materials, (2) has a larger surface area (i.e., more representative of average pavement conditions), and (3) requires, on average, 72% less time to conduct than the ASTM test. ASTM and SIT methods were compared by conducting a total of 873 IR tests at the same locations on 12 permeable pavements in North Carolina, Ohio, and Sweden. Results showed that (1) a segmented linear relationship related SIT and ASTM-measured IRs; (2) the SIT and ASTM tests predicted approximately the same IR up to ; (3) the larger surface area of the SIT reduced the variability in measurements (average 40% less) compared to the ASTM method. The SIT took one-quarter the time to run, on average, making this newly-devised tool more efficient when assessing IR than ASTM methods, potentially saving maintenance personnel time and money.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute for their financial support of this work. The authors are grateful to the many people who aided in data collection, including Kristen Buccier and Keely Davidson-Bennett of the Chagrin River Watershed Partners, Dr. Jay Dorsey of Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Bre Hohman and Eric Dodrill of Erie County Soil and Water Conservation District, Alessa Smolek and Shawn Kennedy of North Carolina State University, Rebecca Jacobson of the University of New Hampshire, and Malin Engström of Växjö municipality, Sweden. This work was partially supported by the University of New Hampshire under Cooperative Agreement No. NA09NOS4190153 (CFDA No. 11.419) from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the University of New Hampshire or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Disclaimer
The work conducted in Sweden was supported by VINNOVA and Norrbottens Forskningsråd.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 142 • Issue 10 • October 2016
Copyright
© 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Sep 18, 2015
Accepted: Jan 20, 2016
Published online: Apr 26, 2016
Discussion open until: Sep 26, 2016
Published in print: Oct 1, 2016
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