Sea Aire Development Stormwater Management

Project Proposal
Austin Balser
Daniel Chewning
Kelly Creswell
Barbara DuBose

September 12, 2014

Executive Summary
Stormwater management is one of the greatest engineering challenges during designing new
developments. Stormwater designs must meet certain state regulations and cannot impose on
developable land. This project seeks to design a stormwater management system that ensures
post-development peak runoff rates do not exceed pre-development rates, while also ensuring
post-development runoff volume does not exceed pre-development volume for both 2 and 25
year storms. To learn more about stormwater regulations and management practices a literature
review was conducted using academic and government sources. Some management practices
reviewed include detention basins, infiltration basins and constructed wetlands. Sustainability in
the design will be addressed through environmentally, economically and socially conscious
design. The environment will be serviced by retaining and infiltrating design storm precipitation,
low cost of installation and maintenance will ensure economic sustainability and the design will
offer public recreation opportunities for residents encouraging an active, social lifestyle. The
design will have a negative carbon footprint as the vegetation planted will sequester carbon and
the water storage capacity of certain features will reduce the need for potable water for landscape
uses.

Balser, Chewning, Creswell, Dubose 2

Introduction
Recognition of Problem
Urban and suburban development impacts local site hydrology and contributes to
regional changes in ground and surface water flow and quality. The largest impacts of altered
hydrology occur during and after storm events. Increased impervious surface coverage
associated with developed land leads to high runoff rates and low infiltration rates which both
reduce the quality of ground and surface water. The lower infiltration rates that result from
increased impervious cover also reduce the amount of groundwater available for local use.

Definition of Problem
High runoff rates and low infiltration rates lead to high volumes of runoff and lower
groundwater levels. The high runoff rates and volumes that are a result of development degrade
surface water quality, which is environmentally harmful. This is a particular concern in coastal
areas where surface runoff reaches tidal creeks and estuaries, which are environmentally and
economically important areas according to the State of South Carolina (SCDHEC).

Goal of Project
The goal of this project is to design a stormwater management system for the Sea Aire
Development located in the City of Charleston, SC, to ensure the post-development peak runoff
rate does not exceed the pre-development peak runoff rate, as per State regulations, as well as to
ensure the post-development volume of runoff does not exceed pre-development runoff for 2 and
25 year storms. This goal will be accomplished by designing stormwater management strategies
to encourage infiltration on site and reduce runoff flow rates and volume. Strategies will be
chosen through researching Low Impact Development and traditional stormwater management

Balser, Chewning, Creswell, Dubose 3

practices to determine the best choices for the site. The best choices will be determined by using
criteria distributed by the US Green Building Council pertaining to LEED and criteria for
Sustainable Sites certification from the Sustainable Sites Initiative. The sustainability of the
design will also be evaluated according to the Brundtland Report and the sustainability triangle
(UN WCED). During the design, physical site and soil characteristics will be considered to
ensure the designs will perform as desired in situ. The project deliverable will be a site-wide
stormwater management plan that meets the goals of this project.

Constraints
The nature of this project and design team will place considerable constraints on the final
product. Cost is a consideration with any project and land development or remodeling projects
often carry high price tags. Ideally project cost would not be an object and a perfectly
environmentally friendly site design could be implemented. However as this project has a
budget and is subject to approval from the City of Charleston as well as subject to
implementation by several contractors. Therefore cost and regulatory compliance, even at the
expense of environmental design, as well as feasibility of implementation with general
contractors will be obstacles.
The biggest challenges of the project will come from the city and consideration of
installation and implementation. Regulators that approve plans are often resistant to change, and
presenting new strategies to replace traditional methods can be difficult. Convincing contractors
of the importance of following drawings and plans can also be extremely difficult. Contractors
often have experience with particular methods of accomplishing a goal and are reluctant to try
new ideas. Some contractors will even ignore instructions to accomplish a goal in the easiest or

Balser, Chewning, Creswell, Dubose 4

cheapest way. In an environmentally conscious design, shortcuts around or bypasses of
installation instructions may harm the functionality of features and defeat the design goal.
The physical constraints of the site will also pose difficulties. Soil characteristics on site
may not be facilitate infiltration and may require augmentation to ensure design features
function. The site may also have a very shallow water table which could hinder infiltration
basins and below ground storage. Ideally the stormwater features designed will function as
neighborhood amenities so functionality beyond stormwater management will also shape the
design. Ongoing maintenance may have to be conducted by homeowners so ease of maintenance
will be a design goal as well.
The budget for the design portion of this project is $1400 and will be used to cover travel
costs and other incidental expenses. As implementation and construction of this plan will be
handled by a contractor the design budget does not control construction costs. The design budget
should not constrain the design or design process.

Questions of User, Client and Designer

Keeping the end users, client and designers in mind during the design process is key to
producing a functional and useful design. Involvement of stakeholders throughout the design
process allows for concerns to be addressed before they become problems and guarantees mutual
commitment and support for the project. In a residential development where lots have not been
purchased, communicating with all stakeholders can be difficult; however keeping questions that
stakeholders may ask in mind during the design process can shape the design toward a mutually
acceptable product. Possible questions of users, clients and designers are presented bellow.

Balser, Chewning, Creswell, Dubose 5

The user of the final design will be residents of Sea Aire and three of their questions might be as
follows:

What is a rain garden?

Why are there plants in the ditch and why cant I mow my yard?

What do I need to do to do my share of upkeep?

The client for this design is New Leaf Construction, and acting as their agent Robinson Design
Engineers (RDE), their questions might be as follows:

How effective will the design be compared to a traditional design?

How much more will it cost?

Will people like it?

The designer for this project will be the design team and RDE, their questions might be as
follows:

How are the state regulations met using non-traditional methods?

How can long term effectiveness of the design be ensured?

How can a stormwater feature be turned into an amenity?

Literature Review
Governing Equations
Governing equations applicable to this project include energy and mass balances as well
as other derivative equations. Separate equations will be used to represent infiltration and runoff
rates. All equations are presented in Appendix A.
An energy balance will be used to ensure the velocity of the water is decreased
throughout the target sub-basin to ensure stability of the design. Mass balances will be used to

Balser, Chewning, Creswell, Dubose 6

determine the volume of water entering and exiting the property during and after a storm event as
well as determining nutrient flow. The Green-Ampt equation will be used to find cumulative
infiltration depth at a time, t. Darcys law will be used to compute the one-dimensional flow of
water through a saturated soil. Hortons equation will be used in determining infiltration rates
storm events. The Soil Conservation Service Runoff Method, using the curve number equations,
will be used to predict runoff volume. The Revised Universal Roil Loss Equation will be used to
determine amount of soil lost from the site.

Literature Data
To gain an understanding of the problem academic and regulatory literature was
consulted and a variety of possible solutions were developed. Both conventional and Low Impact
Development (LID) stormwater Best Management Practices (BPMs) were researched.
Conventional BMPs focus on transporting stormwater to the lowest portion of the site and
detaining it while releasing it slowly in an attempt to mimic a natural stormwater response.
However high percentage of impervious cover leads to higher volumes of runoff, which do not
mimic natural hydrology (Prince Georges County, 1999). Traditional BMPs rely on designs
such as detention ponds, concrete piping, curb drains and other engineered hardscapes. LID
techniques focus on infiltration across the site removing the need for a single large detention
basin.

LID also relies upon softscapes such as grassed swales or vegetated retention and

treatment wetlands to move water across site. Through lowering impervious cover and removing
hardscapes LID seeks to more accurately mimic natural hydrology and allow for groundwater
recharge (Blount et al, 2011).
Stormwater wetlands have been a popular choice for stormwater management in order to
both capture water and reduce pollutants. Wetlands also have the added benefit of being

Balser, Chewning, Creswell, Dubose 7

aesthetically pleasing and mimic natural processes. The water budget, consisting of a mass
balance of the water into and out of a wetland from Fangmeier er al. is presented in Appendix A.
Using this modified mass balance equation a wetland can be designed to hold a 25-year storm
(Burke et al, 2007).
Other LID practices researched include various biofiltration and bioretention cells. These
can be vegetated swales that filter and slow flow or rain gardens that encourage infiltration
(BMP Handbook, SCDHEC). Vegetated filter strips serve to filter runoff before it enters
retention basins and can reduce sediment volumes in runoff. Filter strips in conjunction with
vegetated detention ponds were modeled by Alexander et al. in IDEAL (Integrated Design,
Evaluation and Assessment of Loadings) to determine sediment and runoff reduction when
compared to traditional designs. The study found that among the techniques examined a
combination of one filter strip and two vegetated ponds reduced runoff volume and sediment
load the most, by 40.8% and 98.6% respectively for a 2 year storm. Other scenarios, from one
unmanaged site to other traditional and LID techniques reduced runoff volume between 0-21.4%
and reduced sediment load between 0-96.7% (Alexander et al. 2008).
The BMP Database categorizes literature pertaining to stormwater management and
provided several articles on LID. The BMP Database compares data from across the word to
determine the effectiveness of different techniques. Technical Summary: Volume Reduction from
the database compares different LID BMPs to determine the volume reduction of runoff
compared to traditional BMPs. Data review determined that vegetated, normally dry BMPs,
such as vegetated filter strips, swales and bioretention basins, performed the best volume
reduction function during storm events. Filter strips saw a volume reduction potential of 30%,
frassed swales saw a reduction potential of 40% and bioretention basins with underdrains saw a

Balser, Chewning, Creswell, Dubose 8

reduction potential of 50%. These reduction potentials more accurately represent smaller storms
with short return periods than large storm that occur less frequently (Clary et al. 2011).
An article by Clary et al in 2012 focused on comparing the removal rates for suspended
solids, nutrients and other contaminants. The article compared various BMPs with a focus on
LID techniques. LID techniques performed well across all categories examined, removing
suspended solids, nutrients and bacteria. Traditional retention ponds and porous pavement both
removed suspended solids at a rate of 55 mg/L while detention basins removed suspended solids
at a rate of 45 mg/L. Total fecal coliform reduction was best performed in a wetland basin with
6861 CFU/100 mL, and a grass strip with 8800 CFU/100 mL removed. Nutrient removal was
characterized by total phosphorus and total nitrogen removal. Phosphorus was best treated in
bioretention basins with a removal rate of 0.12 mg/L with retention ponds being the second best
technique with a removal rate of 0.07 mg/L. Nitrogen was best removed by retention ponds with
a rate of 0.55mg/L while bioretention basins were the second most effective with a removal rate
of 0.35 mg/L (Clary et al. 2012). Vegetated roofs also performed consistently well across the
categories tested. While not best at any one function they functioned well across the board of
tests, showing few weaknesses unlike other techniques.
Through this literature review Low Impact Development stormwater techniques emerged
as the best choice for the design goals of this project.

More research will be conducted

throughout the design process to determine which strategies specifically will perform best for the
site under consideration in Charleston. As LID is focused on volume reduction BMPs that
encourage infiltration will serve to best accomplish the design goals of this project. Other
benefits of LID techniques include pollutant reduction and multifunctional stormwater features
that serve as amenities and management practices.

Balser, Chewning, Creswell, Dubose 9

Past experience and heuristics

Coastal regions often have shallow water tables, and the greater Charleston area of South
Carolina is no exception. Shallow water tables make infiltration difficult as there is often not
enough space to store water while it infiltrates. Lack of elevation change and topography also
makes transporting water across the site for treatment or infiltration difficult without large
earthworks and grading. However, sandy soils, which are characteristic of coastal regions and
comprise most of the site encourage fast infiltration which will be a benefit during design.

Sustainability Measures
Contributions to Sustainability
Sustainability is defined as meeting the needs of the present in a way that allows future
generations to do the same without hindrance (UN WCED). For the purposes of this project
sustainability means addressing the design goals with the intention of preventing future problems
and ensuring the design goals take into account broader goals of environmental and social
responsibility than required by law.
Sustainability has three focus areas as defined in the Brundtland Report: environmental
sustainability, economic sustainability and social sustainability (UN WCED). To address
environmental and ecological sustainability the design will focus on reducing the hydrologic
effects of development on the local ecosystem. Economically the design will be low cost and
prevent flooding as well as reducing the load on municipal stormwater management structures.
Socially the design will offer recreational space and learning opportunities for residents of the
development.
Ethics will affect the final product in a non-traditional way by guiding the design process
to ensure the future users and biology stay central to the design choices made.

Balser, Chewning, Creswell, Dubose 10

Efficiency
The design will manage stormwater on site for the design storms and reduce the load on
municipal stormwater systems leading to reduced maintenance costs. The design will also
operate without the need for outside energy and be low maintenance.

Societal Issues
The design does not address societal issues in the traditional manner in that in prevents
issues from arising in the future. Stormwater is often managed by diverting it offsite, which
often affects people who dont have the resources to manage it. This design responsibly manages
stormwater to prevent other people from being forced to address a problem that they had no part
in creating. The design will also encourage social equity by allowing residents to spend time
together in a natural environment, which encourages learning and thereby broadening social
horizons.

Carbon and Water Footprint

The final product of this design will be carbon negative as the plants growing in the
vegetated infiltration features will sequester carbon. The development and installation of the
design will involve carbon emissions but ongoing operation will be emission free with the only
emissions associated with the project coming from occasional maintenance. The design will also
require minimal irrigation while allowing for water storage to reduce potable water for other
irrigation uses.

Timeline
The detailed timeline produced for this design process is in the format of a Gantt Chart
and can be found in Appendix B.

Balser, Chewning, Creswell, Dubose 11

References
Alexander, M.D., Barfield, B.J., Bates, B/T/, Chalavadi, M., Harp, S.L., Hayes, J.C., Stevens, E.
2008. Modeling Impacts of Post Development Water Quality BMPs. 21st Century Watershed
Technology: Improving Water Quality and Environment, Proceedings of the 29 March-3 April
2008 Conference.
Best Management Practices Handbook. South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental
Control. www.scdhec.gov/Environment/waterquality/stormwater/BMPHandbook/
Blount, J., Storey, A., Talbott, M.D. 2011. Harris COunty Low IMpact Development Green
Infrastructure Design Criteria for Stormwater Management. Adopted by Harris County
Commissioners Court.
Burke, M.K., Hitchcock, D.R., Lewitus, A.J., Strosnider, W.H., 2007. Predicting Hydrology in
Wetlands Designed for Coastal Stormwater Management. An ASABE Meeting Presentation,
Paper Number 077084.
Bonta, J.V. 2012. Managing Landscape Disturbances to Increase Watershed Infiltration.
American Society of Agricultural and BIological Engineers. 56(4): 1349-1359.
Clary, J., Earles, A., Poresky, A., Strecker, E. 2011. Technical Summary: Volume Reduction.
International Stormwater Best management Practices (BMP) Database.
Clary, J., Hobson, P., Leisenring, M. 2012. TSS, Bacteria, Nutrients, and Metals. International
Stormwater Best Management Practices (BMP) Database Pollutant Category Summary.
Fangmeier, D.D., Elliot, W.J., Huffman, R.L., Workman, S.R. 2013. Wetlands. Soil and Water
Conservation Engineering. Seventh Edition. 287-302.
Fangmeier, D.D., Elliot, W.J., Huffman, R.L., Workman, S.R. 2013. Precipitation. Soil and
Water Conservation Engineering. Seventh Edition. 31-54.
Fangmeier, D.D., Elliot, W.J., Huffman, R.L., Workman, S.R. 2013. Infiltration and Runoff. Soil
and Water Conservation Engineering. Seventh Edition. 81-111.
Prince Georges County, Maryland. 1999. Low Impact Development Hydrologic Analysis.
Department of Environmental Resources Programs and Planning Division.
UN WCED. 1987. Our Common Future. Report of the World Commission on Environment and
Development. New York, NY. United Nations, World Commission on Environment and
Development.

Appendix A
Energy Balance

1
1
!! ! + !!!! + mg! = !! V + m!!! + mg!
2
2

Mass Balance
!"##!" !"##!"# !"#$%&'() = !""#$#%!&'()

Green-Ampt Equation
!=

!! !! (! ! )
! !!

Darcys Law
! = !"

Hortons Equation

!
!"

! = !! + (!! !! )! !!"

Curve Number Method

!=

!!!.!! !
!!!.!!

,!=

!"#$$
!"

254

Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation

T=RKLSCP

Water Budget for Wetlands

P + SWi + GWi = ET + SWo + GWo + S

Appendix B
Event
9/8
Finish Proposal
Present Proposal
Finish majority of Literature Review
Pick Design
Start Writing Midterm Paper
3- week progress report
Develop preliminary Design
Calculations for Design
Finish Writing Midterm paper
Midterm Presentation and paper due
Cost Analysis for Design
Bring together final design
Write Final Paper
Final Presentation

9/10

9/17

9/24

10/1 10/7 10/8 10/15 10/22 10/29 11/5 11/12 11/19 11/26 12/3