Drainage Planning Research Articles

Engineering geomorphology at the cutting edge of land disturbance: erosion and sediment control on construction sites

Construction site management, traditionally dominated by professional engineers, provides an important opportunity for engineers and geomorphologists to work together in minimizing the environmental impacts of land disturbance. Areas disturbed for construction activity have soil erosion rates from 2 to 40,000 times greater than pre-construction conditions, and are important components of nonpoint source (NPS) pollution that degrades surface water quality. Despite significant local-to-watershed-scale environmental and economic impacts, the lack of an individual economic incentive for land developers to control erosion has limited voluntary adoption of erosion and sediment control measures. However, increased regulatory requirements, combined with efforts to identify and publicize the benefits of erosion control, are increasing the number of construction sites on which erosion control efforts are being implemented. Geomorphologists have the opportunity to play an active role in erosion and sediment control by implementing knowledge of erosion and sedimentation processes and of the variables that effect these processes. Pre-project geomorphological site assessments allow project designers to work around areas with high erosion potential, and to stage and schedule land disturbing activities to minimize erosion potential. Combined engineering and geomorphological analyses can increase the likelihood that streams and drainage channels are stable under altered hydrologic conditions, both during and after land use change, and can be used to design a drainage plan that minimizes surface water flow through disturbed areas. A variety of temporary measures to reduce erosion and to trap sediment on site can be designed and implemented, such as temporary surface covers, silt fence, and sedimentation basins. However, design and implementation of these measures require an understanding of erosion and sedimentation processes, and in many cases incorrect installation and maintenance limit their effectiveness. Regular on-site inspections and training by geomorphologists specializing in erosion control can ensure that measures are being installed and maintained correctly, and allow the inspector to modify the erosion control plan to deal with changing conditions and unanticipated problems. In addition, geomorphologists and engineers can use their combined understanding of erosion processes and construction site realities to develop innovative and practical measures to improve erosion control. Construction site erosion control is a field that relatively few academic geomorphologists have shown an interest in, yet has great potential both in terms of job opportunities and research. It is an area in which morphologists and engineers can work together using their complementary knowledge, both for the development and implementation of erosion control plans; as the basis for developing innovative practices; and for undertaking research on the effectiveness of traditional and new approaches to erosion control.

HASTE MR cholangiography in the evaluation of hilar cholangiocarcinoma.

The objective of this study was to determine the usefulness of MR cholangiography using the half-Fourier acquisition single-shot turbo spin-echo sequence in the examination of patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma. Half-Fourier acquisition single-shot turbo spin-echo MR cholangiography is a useful, noninvasive adjunct to other imaging techniques, particularly MR imaging, in the evaluation of hilar cholangiocarcinoma. MR cholangiography allows rapid visualization of the biliary tract without instrumentation and, therefore, without the risk of inducing sepsis in a patient with ductal obstruction. In the six patients presented. MR cholangiography allowed for determination of the proximal extent of disease and assessment of resectability and delineated the duct both proximal and distal to the stricture and isolated ductal obstructions. MR cholangiography provides three-dimensional images of the biliary tract that facilitate planning of surgery, palliative drainage, and radiation therapy.

Integrating Drainage, Water Quality, Wetlands, and Habitat in a Planned Community Development

This paper describes the planning, design, and construction of multiuse drainage facilities for the Rock Creek development, a planned residential community in the town of Superior, located between Denver and Boulder, Colorado. The Master Drainage Plan provides for a regional system of storm-water channels and detention facilities that provide management of the increased runoff due to urbanization and multiple use of the channels and ponds for open space, recreational greenway corridors, wetland preservation, and riparian habitat. Rock Creek is also the first community in Colorado to implement a comprehensive plan for quality enhancement of urban storm-water runoff. Under the plan, all storm flows from the development are routed through specially designed extended detention basins prior to discharge into the receiving drainageway. Selected stabilization measures are used along the channels to preserve their natural character and maintain stability.

MINE SEEPAGE PROBLEMS IN DRIFT MINE OPERATIONS

Extensive mining in the Eastern Kentucky Coal Region has occurred in coal deposits located above valley floors. Underground mines present unique stability problems resulting from the creation of mine pools in abandoned works. {open_quotes}Blowouts{close_quotes} occur when hydrostatic pressures result in the cataclysmic failure of an outcrop-barrier. Additionally, seepage from flooded works results in saturation of colluvium, which may ultimately mobilize as landslides. Several case studies of both landslides and blowouts illustrate that considerations should be taken into account to control or prevent these problems. Underground mine maps and seepage conditions at the individual sites were examined to determine the mine layouts, outcrop-barrier widths, and structure of the mine floors. Discharge monitoring points were established in and near the landslides. These studies depict how mine layout, operation, and geology influence drainage conditions. The authors suggest that mine designs should incorporate drainage control to insure long-term stability and limit liability. The goal of the post-mining drainage plan is control of the mine drainage, which will reduce the size of mine pools and lower the hydrostatic pressure. Recommendations are made as to several methods that may be useful in controlling mine drainage.

Improvement in the selection of design storms for the new master drainage plan of Barcelona

In 1988 Barcelona finished its Master Drainage Plan, where a modified Chicago storm of 10 years return period was used. Nowadays, a new Master Drainage Plan has started due to enormous urbanistic changes with the Olympics, the increasing concern for CSO problems, etc. For this Plan the use of a 67 year record from an intensity raingauge, and long-term simulation models allows a change in the traditional concept of design storms, working with historical storms. In spite of that, the complexity of the urban drainage system of Barcelona advises the use of design storms for predesign purposes. Because of that, a study has been carried out to select new design storms to solve the problem that the Chicago storm is too unfavourable as it has all its maximum medium intensities corresponding to a 10-year return period, which is not realistic.

Effective Utilization of Chaurs in North Bihar, India

Low lands locally known as chaurs amount to about 5·2% of the total cultivable land of North Bihar. To reclaim these chaur lands, an irrigation and drainage plan was prepared using Pusa-Deopar chaur for a case study. The linear programming (LP) technique was used to optimize pump operation so as to maximize the net return from the study area. An intensive land use survey in conjunction with topography and socioeconomic surveys were carried out and the various hydrological data were analysed in order to prepare the plan. The LP model was run at different levels of pump drainage (percentage of the total ponded water drained by pumping). The results of the model suggest that with adequate surface drainage, the most optimal solution would be obtained at 0% pump drainage, i.e., utilizing the ponded water solely for irrigation without pumping out as drainage water. Additionally, the analysis of water table data indicated a good possibility for storing the ponded water underground in the vicinity by means of a suitable artificial recharge technique.

The importance of cumulus cells on the in vitro production of bovine oocytes

The rapidly expanding urban population in intertropical African cities that lives in poverty in informal settlements poses major problems for urban health, safety and risk reduction. Such settlements often encroach on floodplains and wetlands, restricting the space available to convey and store flood waters Climate change and the expansion impermeable urban surfaces are contributing to increased magnitude and frequency of flooding. The use of green infrastructure in Africa to alleviate climate change impacts, including for sustainable urban drainage, is widely advocated. Many consider that urban agriculture can be part of such green infrastructure. However, although municipal plans often envisage removal of settlements from floodplains and do not encourage urban agriculture, efforts to bulldoze dwellings and move people from the settlements close to city centres are strongly resisted and can become politically contested. Improvements in urban drainage require participatory, multi-sectoral planning and implementation. In many African cities three different levels of action occur, frequently without considering interests at any other level: municipal drainage and floodplain clearance plans; international NGO and consultant led schemes; and community-based small scale actions for immediate relief and protection. Political allegiances cut across the three levels, showing that without holistic views across all scales of the political, social, economic and environmental aspects of these intertropical African cities, widespread use of floodplain and wetland green infrastructure for flood hazard reduction will be difficult to achieve.

Boylegraphics: An application of a graphics data base management system

A Graphics Data Base Management System is developed for use with computerized Master Plans of Drainage and Storm Water Plans. The Storm Water Plans are prepared according to particular governing agency specifications involving multiple hydrologic and hydraulic modeling options, integrated into a single software package. Data bases are prepared for graphical representation of streets, land uses, hydrologic soil groups, rainfall, master plan system elements, topographic, and other data, as well as computational results developed from the Master Plan of Drainage computer model. Two applications are available; an integrated package enabling editing and upgrading of the Master Plan, and another package designed to publish and distribute the Graphics and the Master Plan of Drainage data bases to the public in an access-only data base retrieval environment. The opportunities provided by such public information programs are significant, in that the entire Master Plan becomes available to the public in an easy-to-read and easy-to-use environment. The public therefore becomes an integral and important member of the Master Plan team, exchanging input and easing the way for acceptance of the project.

Improvement in the selection of design storms for the new master drainage plan of Barcelona

In 1988 Barcelona finished its Master Drainage Plan, where a modified Chicago storm of 10 years return period was used. Nowadays, a new Master Drainage Plan has started due to enormous urbanistic changes with the Olympics, the increasing concern for CSO problems, etc. For this Plan the use of a 67 year record from an intensity raingauge, and long-term simulation models allows a change in the traditional concept of design storms, working with historical storms. In spite of that, the complexity of the urban drainage system of Barcelona advises the use of design storms for predesign purposes. Because of that, a study has been carried out to select new design storms to solve the problem that the Chicago storm is too unfavourable as it has all its maximum medium intensities corresponding to a 10-year return period, which is not realistic.

AN ANALYSIS OF DIFFERENT LATERAL DRAIN DIAMETERS FOR A LARGE SCALE SUBSURFACE DRAINAGE PROJECT

Construction and materials costs are the two principal factors affecting the economic feasibility of subsurface drainage projects. A study was conducted to determine the potential savings in PVC resin if 80 mm OD diameter lateral subsurface drain pipes were used, rather than the traditional 100 mm OD diameter pipes, for a large scale subsurface drainage project in India. Three lateral pipe design alternatives were considered for three sections of the project area, and drainage plans of the 9 design combinations were prepared using AutoCAD. Using 80 mm OD diameter pipe resulted in savings of PVC resin, ranging from 19 to 24%. A combination of 80 and 100 mm OD diameter laterals resulted in resin savings of 20 to 26%. Such savings in resin, compared to using 100 mm OD laterals alone are highly advantageous for a country like India, where the PVC resin must be imported and foreign exchange used for such purposes.

Comprehensive Planning of Urban Drainage and Wastewater Treatment

For upgrading the urban drainage system (UDS) the reduction of pollution impacts is the priority task concerning the environmental protection of the receiving waters. With simulation models the interactions between surface, sewer systems, overflow structures and treatment facilities within the UDS can be shown. Models to simulate the pollutant impacts, transport and the effects on the receiving waters are available. In a first step a pollutant transport model of sewer systems and a model to simulate the wastewater treatment processes are connected. With these models the efficiency of upgrading measures can be checked in all parts of urban drainage systems.

Planning of Storm Water Drainage at the Ancient Capital City in Japan

In this paper, the planning of storm water drainage at the ancient capital city in Japan is discussed. The dimensions of “Horikawa”(waterway) and many “Mizo”(ditch) constructed at both sides or one side of road in Heiankyo (the capital of Japan) are made clear using historical literature “Engisiki” and the archaorogical excavation data. Considering the topography of Heiankyo and the dimensions of “Horikawa” and “Mizo”, Heiankyo is divided into four drainage blocks. The drainage capacity of “Horikawa” and “Mizo” are quantitatively evaluated using the rational method.

Evaluation in Complicated Inflammatory Disease

Fusion of single-photon emission computed tomographic (SPECT) and x-ray computed tomographic (CT) images can facilitate the direct comparison of function and anatomy by simultaneously displaying comparable cross-sectional images. A computer-assisted fusion method was used to prospectively evaluate 10 patients with suspected inflammatory disease complicated by an associated condition. CT images were transferred to the nuclear computer. Image fusion was accomplished with standard scaling, rotation, translation, and stretching transformations, using anatomic or external landmarks. SPECT-CT fusion correctly localized the inflammatory process in all 10 cases and facilitated percutaneous drainage or preoperative surgical planning in 6.

Hydrodynamic Water Quality Simulation - An Approximative Solution

Impacts from combined sewer systems on receiving waters are heavily polluting a lot of small river ecosystems. A simulation model which can be used to predict the development of water quality after combined sewer overflows and other impacts from the urban drainage system has been developed. This model works with hydrodynamic flow calculation because it is applied in a system of small wetland creeks with nonstationary flow conditions. The numerical solution of the differential equations is described as well as calibration results. It is shown that water quality simulation based on the one-dimensional mass transport equation is possible for nonstationary flow conditions and is going to become very useful in urban drainage planning.

La santé urbaine à Madrid. Le projet de Jaime Bort pour l'évacuation des eaux usées

Beatriz Blasco Esquivias : Urban health in Madrid. Jaime Bort's plan for waste drainage. Throughout the modern period, cleanliness has probably been one of Madrid's most serious problems. Since 1561, when Philip II decided to place his court there, it had been under pressure as it did not possess a waste disposal system sufficient for its large population. Until the first underground drainage plans in the 18th Century, the Madrid inhabitants had to throw their rubbish into the street, which was the only way to keep their interiors free of infection. We study here the plans drawn up by the architect Jaime Bort in 1752, after a scientific commission which led him to travel throughout France and the Netherlands in search of a sanitary model applicable to Madrid. His project was the inspiration for the one finally applied in 1761 thanks to the efforts of Francisco Sabatini and Charles III.

Stochastic Approximation Applied to Optimal Irrigation and Drainage Planning

Parameter uncertainty in modeling complex hydrologic systems has resulted in development of stochastically based water management models. Optimal solutions to such models, particularly those having parameters with large variance, may be difficult, if at all possible, to obtain, due to intensive computational requirements. This paper discusses application of a stochastic quasigradient (SQG) approximation method to a management model. The model describes the effects of regional irrigation and drainage system planning on shallow saline groundwater behavior and net economic returns to farmers. Due to the complexity of the model, Monte Carlo simulation techniques were used. Despite model complexity and large parameter variance originating from spatial variability in soil hydraulic properties, the SQG method obtained near‐optimal solutions in about 15% of the CPU time required to obtain such solutions using response surface methodology.

Comparison of bulk and elutriate test data from a New York peat mining operation: leachability of selected trace elements

Bulk and elutriate test data from 43 depth-composited cores in 3 New York, U.S.A., peat deposits are compared in order to evaluate the leachability of 11 metals under simulated stormwater runoff conditions. Synthetic rain water was used to simulate the type and quality of water which interacts with the peat during stockpiling and mining operations. The composited samples were mixed in three different concetrations to represent a high range of total suspended solids expected during a runoff event and to allow for an assessment of leachability under varying peat-to-water concentrations. Bulk analysis data revealed elevated concentrations of chromium, iron, lead and manganese in the peat deposits. Elutriate test data indicates that iron and manganese are easily leached and may be mobile under the proposed site drainage plan. However, the relatively low concentrations of those two metals should not adversely affect surface and/or ground water quality.

Textural Composition of Near-Surface Alluvium in West-Central San Joaquin Valley, California

Approximately 1,130 preconstruction holes, with an average depth of about 4 m, were augered in the 2,025 km 2 Westlands Water District, which is underlain mostly by Quaternary piedmont alluvium derived from the Coast Ranges. The alluvium consists of fluvial deposits of major ephemeral streams, separated by “interfan” alluvium of minor streams frequently deposited as “mudflows.” Average visual textural composition and average content of sand-size particles of alluvium were calculated for three depth intervals (0 to 1.5 m, 1.5 to 3 m and 3 to 4± m) for all fans and interfans in 461 the following three areas: 1) the western area, between the Coast Range foothills and San Luis Canal; 2) the central area between the San Luis Canal and the “outer rim” of piedmont alluvium; and 3) the eastern area or “outer rim” of the piedmont alluvium. The overall average composition of near-surface piedmont alluvium is: gravel—traces; sand, mostly clayey or silty—20 percent; silt—1 percent; lean clay—68 percent; and fat clay—11 percent. The sand content of interfan alluvium is notably larger than that of the alluvium of major neighboring fans. There are also increases in sand content 1) from the valley trough toward the Coast Range foothills, and 2) from the northwest toward the southeast. The amount of fat clay increases toward the valley trough. These patterns are explained by 1) differences in geology of source areas, 2) decreases in transportation forces away from the foothills, 3) variations in mode of deposition, 4) possible historical climatic changes; and 5) post-depositional ion exchange of clay minerals. This study is a byproduct of preconstruction studies and has been useful for the planning of drainage and irrigation, application of gypsum, preparation of environmental reports and several specifications, etc. The information may also be helpful in planning future projects in similar piedmont terrain.

Planning schemes for recultivating the central zones of water wastes in quarries at the semiluks refractories factory

This article assesses plans for reclaiming land previously used for a waste water disposal site at the Semiluks refractories plant and mining complex and discusses the soil mechanics involved in landscaping and road building around the facility from an engineering geology viewpoint. Drainage plans are presented in detail.

Stormwater Management Measures in Ontario: Status and Problems in Implementation

Results of a survey of Ontario municipalities indicate that a majority are utilizing stormwater management (SWM). The use of SWM is more common either among large and/or rapidly growing municipalities. Of those municipalities employing a traditional approach to urban drainage planning and design, most perceive a need for the adoption of SWM measures. The main problems encountered in instituting SWM were related to an initial lack of understanding on the part of land developers and inadequate funding.