Long-term hydraulic and pollution retention performance of infiltration systems

Abstract

Infiltration techniques are now widely used to manage stormwater in urban areas. These techniques are used and recognized around the world for their many advantages, such as decreasing stormwater flow in sewer systems and recharging groundwater. But numerous cases of infiltration devices that failed after a few years of operation are still being reported. This study, which is based on site-monitoring of operational infiltration systems, is part of the Field Observatory for Urban Water Management (OTHU). The main goals of this study are to improve knowledge of long-term hydraulic behaviour, especially as concerns the clogging speed and the quality of the runoff. This article will present the site, the monitoring process and the model that will be used to assess the hydraulic behaviour. First results of the calibration of the model show that the model is able to assess the hydraulic behaviour of the basin when it is clogged (average value of hydraulic resistance 17.1 h) and when it has been scraped (hydraulic resistance less than 3.8 h). However, further data are needed in order to validate the model. We also show that the experimental setup is well designed to assess the water volume and the sediment brought to the basin with low uncertainties.