i-Robot: Fish

There are some really interesting developments going on in Europe. I came across one today thanks to THE STORMWATER JOURNAL.

SHOAL successfully developed a 5-foot long robotic fish equipped with chemical sensors to detect and identify pollutants in marine environments. They aren't your regular goldfish. The artificial intelligence software allows them to communicate with one another, map their locations, avoid obstacles, sample and analyze water samples with various parameters in real-time, etc. WOW! They are currently testing it in Spain.

If you want one though (not that it is available for commercial production yet), it isn't your regular $2 fish you purchase at a pet store. It costs around $31,600 each. I wonder if it will be applied in the future for remedial dredging projects!

Stormwater Blog
MSNBC
SHOAL

Porous (Permeable, Pervious) Pavement

Last year, I was part of a project where we designed a porous pavement system as part of the stormwater management plan, which was constructed late last year (videos at the end of this post if you do not want to read).

Typical Porous Pavement Cross-Section

 Image Source: NJDEP BMP Manual

As the name suggests, this type of asphalt or concrete mixture allows for infiltration of stormwater through the surface layer compared to traditional pavement (IMpervious). This is another example of green infrastructure technology "mimicking" the natural hydrologic cycle. Essentially, stormwater will infiltrate into the surface where the reservoir base course layer will temporarily provide storage prior to allowing stormwater to seep into groundwater through the uncompacted subgrade (groundwater recharge). Layer thickness, porous asphalt mixture, different configurations, types of material for your base course, addition of underdrains, etc. are site-specific.

Porous pavement systems have been successfully installed throughout the U.S.  Porous pavement systems can reduce stormwater runoff volume, rate and provide water quality benefits. If you have a project where you are proposing additional impervious areas already, you should definitely consider porous pavement as part of the stormwater management plan.

Of course, before you consider porous pavement, there are several site-specific conditions that must be met. These include, but are not limited to:

• load-bearing and infiltration capacities of subgrade,
• anticipated load and volume of traffic in proposed condition,
• anticipated use of the proposed site (e.g., do not install in areas with potential for spills and leakages of hazardous materials such as industrial and commercial areas),
• seasonal high groundwater table (groundwater separation criteria - typically the min. is at least 2-3 ft.),
• surface slopes (site grading),
• consideration for maintenance (must be committed to maintain the system), etc.

Below are two videos of the constructed porous pavement system from the project I worked on:

 

Enjoy!

Campus RainWorks Challenge

EPA is launching a challenge for college students to design an innovative green infrastructure project for their campus. Very cool competition for college students!



For more information, go to Campus RainWorks Challenge.

Registration opens September 4th, 2012 and Entries Due December 14th, 2012.

  

청계천

Buzzwords these days include "sustainability", "eco-friendly", "green-infrastructure", etc. While this concept is not "new"...well,  it is still considered very new and innovative. The concept of promoting the natural hydrologic cycle (e.g., infiltration, evaporation, transpiration) in urban environments provides a plethora of benefits to our society, which can include:

• Water quality improvements
• Reduces stormwater runoff volumes and peak flows (part of a solution for flood mitigation)
• Reduces the demand on CSO's
• Groundwater recharge
• Energy benefits (e.g., urban heat island effect, rainwater harvesting for re-use)
• and plenty more...

Last Summer, I finally visited South Korea (for the first time since I visited back when I was a baby) and I walked into an amazing example of an eco-friendly environment - The 청계천 cutting across downtown Seoul.

It is a restored channel (miles and miles long) in the middle of a highly populated city. From what I researched online, the stream dates back to the Josun Dynasty originally dredged to provide drainage. However, after decades of neglect (heavily polluted and ultimately filled), it was restored in 2005 under the ambitious "Cheonggyecheon Stream Restoration Project".

Now, it is a very popular recreational area that provides multiple benefits to society, which include: flood protection, increased biodiversity, recreational space, reduction of urban heat island effect and economic benefits. This is a classic case of integrating ecological principles in a highly urbanized environment.

Here are some photos I took:

Cheonggyecheon in Seoul, South Korea

Enjoy!

Introduction

New blog focusing on water resources! I plan to randomly post blogs related to my profession. Thanks.