Model for Designing Infiltration Basins in Tropical and Subtropical Climates with a Focus on Unpaved Roads
Publication: Journal of Hydrologic Engineering
Volume 19, Issue 9
Abstract
Controlling runoff from impervious surfaces such as roadways is an important part of storm water management in both urban and rural societies. Infiltration basins are one type of structure used to control storm water runoff. Design of these structures often involves using a single design storm and the assumption that the basin is initially dry. However, in tropical and subtropical climates where rainfall occurs frequently, the assumption of a dry basin is invalid. The objective of this study was to develop a new infiltration basin model that includes the effects of closely spaced storms on basin size. The model was used to design an infiltration basin for a section of unpaved road in João Pinheiro, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The performance of the model was evaluated with respect to infiltration rate, storm return period, and basin dimension parameters. Results showed that the infiltration rate was the most important input variable affecting basin size and that small but closely spaced storm events more strongly influenced basin size than isolated large events. Thus, while infiltration basins are often sized to capture small storm events (e.g., 25 mm or 90th percentile) to capture the most pollutants, this model indicates that such a sizing guideline may be inadequate if the basin is not empty. For unpaved roads, it is recommended that basins have an infiltration rate to balance hydrologic performance and size.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e tecnológico–CNPq (Brazil), and Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais–FAPEMIG (Minas Gerais state, Brazil), for providing necessary funds to conduct this work.
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Published In
Journal of Hydrologic Engineering
Volume 19 • Issue 9 • September 2014
Copyright
© 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jul 2, 2013
Accepted: Mar 12, 2014
Published online: Mar 14, 2014
Published in print: Sep 1, 2014
Discussion open until: Nov 18, 2014
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