Importance of Capturing the First Flush of Stormwater - Florida's Stormwater

Here is a picture of the stormwater ditch running alongside Dean Road in Jacksonville, Florida last week after a short rainfall event - probably less than one half inch total.  Notice the obvious oil and grease sheen across the surface of the water.  The distance from the particular spot the photo was taken to the St. Johns River tributaries is very short - less than a mile.

Capturing the first flush of stormwater running off any road or street is crucial.  Modular Wetlands and streetside landscaping are excellent ways to employ plants in preventing pollution.

Most of us don't realize how much the first flush carries into our stormsystems.  Intercepting the pollution at the source is important.

Curbs and Stormwater - Options for Swale Treatment

During a meeting in Orange Park, FLorida this morning a senior PE expressed her dismay at Landscape Architectural review by cities and municipalities and the requirement for curbs.

Acknowledging safety issues, those involved in the discussion all agreed ways of routing stormwater directly into swales for quality and quantity treatment was an important part of sustainable stormwater BMP design.

Having read the recent article on how Philadelphia is proposing to use stormwater for urban landscape irrigation (great article) - I mentioned the program and passed along the link to the resource.

I am always looking at the design of new plant-based stormwater technologies and whenever I happen across the successful integration of landscape and stormwater I take pictures and share here on the blog.

The photos here are of the stormwater treatment system in the UNF visitors parking lot adjacent the nature center. Stormwater flows from the parking lot, interestingly adjacent to an ADA ramp into a curb lined swale within the interior of the parking lot. The stormwater both infiltrates into the ground under the swale and flows down-gradient into a central landscape island doubling as a pond.

Curb cuts along the gradient allow stormwater to enter the swale from the asphalted parking lot.

One idea for carrying the design to the next level would be the installation of a non-woven geosynthetic wrapped underground volume storage system under the swale. OF course, groundwater levels dictate the quantity of underground storage, however I have seen systems with H-20 loading capabilities (Atlantis Drain Cell) that are only 2" in thickness - ranging up to several feet (stackable).

Stormwater, Landscape and Parking combined - the new paradigm in site design.

Kevin

The 0h Decade...and Stormwater

An Interesting Perspective and Commentary on Stormwater and the New Year (Decade)..

Below is an excerpt from the Sacremento Bee..

We must develop new, innovative sources of water supply, including massive groundwater recharge, the complete reuse of treated wastewater, local rainwater harvesting and environmentally and economically sound desalination of both seawater and brackish water. We must price water properly to encourage efficient use and appropriate allocation. And we must reform and enforce water rights allocations.

To read the entire article click the LINK...

Kevin