Effectiveness of water quality benefits provided by stormwater management facilities/infiltration basin

Stormwater Best Management Practices (BMP) and devices are systems frequently built under assumed design performances, but rarely verified after construction. Their effectiveness in protecting the environment against pollutants carried by stormwater runoff has been extensively questioned and investigated. This research presents a case study of an infiltration basin in Medford, NJ to verify if the 80% expected Total Suspended Solids (TSS) removal as stated in the New Jersey Stormwater BMP Manual is actually achieved. A sampling pit was installed on the site and infiltrated water samples were collected during three rain events and TSS measurements were compared with the inflow. In addition, part of the samples also had Total Phosphate (TP) and Total Nitrogen (TN) measured to verify compliance with their respective expected reduction. Results from this study show that pollutant removal vary from one event to the other and within the event itself. Greater rainfall depths yield higher pollutant concentration and only during peak pollutant wash, expected reduction was actually achieved. But for the majority of time it did not meet expected removal rates.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science in Environmental Engineering - (M.S.)

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Year

2016

Author dc:creator

• Rodrigues de Mattos Barreto, Vinicius

Contributors dc:contributor

• Thomas J. Olenik
• Robert Dresnack
• Wen Zhang

• Stormwater Best Management Practices (BMP)
• Infiltration basin
• Medford
• NJ
• Environmental Engineering

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.njit.edu/theses/276

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.njit.edu:theses-1275