A keen group of engineers and town planners from Nova Scotia, an environmental engineer with Halifax Water and the Ecology Action Centre's Water Coordinator recently had the pleasure of visiting one of
the leading stormwater research institutions in North America. This trip was organized and funded by Nova Scotia Environment and the Climate Change Directorate as well as Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations.
The University of New Hampshire’s Stormwater Center (UNHSC) located in Durham, N.H. is dedicated to
the protection of water resources through effective stormwater management. One of the ways that UNHSC does this is
through conducting primary field research on various stormwater treatment
systems. These include conventional systems such as swales and ponds, LID designs such
as bioretention and gravel wetlands, and manufactured systems. The image below shows the layout of their
primary research site.
This
stormwater research site collects water from a 3.6 hectare parking lot in
Durham. The stormwater is captured
in the distribution box at the top of the image and equal volumes are piped to the
various stormwater systems being tested.
Measurements from the outflow of the treatment systems are collected and
tested at the sampling gallery at the bottom of the image.
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| Source: University of New Hampshire Stormwater Center, 2009 Biannual Report |
The photos below show the various Best Management Practices (BMPs) on the site.
Manufactured system Stormtech Isolator in the foreground. Retention pond in the background.
Photo 2:
Dr. Ballestero from UNHSC standing in the Retention Pond
Photo 3:
The Subsurface Gravel Wetland, slightly overgrown with vegetation. The diagram below shows how the Subsurface Gravel Wetland works.
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| Source: University of New Hampshire Stormwater Center, 2009 Biannual Report |
This method is one of the most effective ways of removing dissolved inorganic nitrogen and total phosphorous, as well as controlling peak flow.
Results from all of UNHSC's stormwater BMP testing are available at the UNHSC website under publications.
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