Bioretention

This article is about planted installations designed to capture surface runoff through an engineered soil with subterranean infrastructure.
For simpler, residential systems, see Rain gardens.
For linear systems, which convey flow, but are otherwise similar see Bioswales.

Overview

Bioretention cells are one of the most well recognized form of Low Impact Development. They can encompass all mechanisms of action: infiltration, filtration and evapotranspiration.

Bioretention cells are an ideal technology for:

• Fitting functional vegetation into urban landscapes
• Treating runoff collected from nearby impervious surfaces

The fundamental components of a bioretention cell are:

• Biomedia: An engineered soil mix
• Planting
• Storage layer of coarse aggregate

Additional components may include:

• Under-drain to redistribute or remove excess water
• Impermeable membrane to prevent infiltration to soils below

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  These bioretention cells at Edwards Gardens in Toronto receive inflow from hydraulically connected permeable paving.

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Planning considerations

Design for maintenance

Will the BMP be a snow storage facility in winter months?

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  Bioretention cell capturing and treating runoff from adjacent parking lot at the Kortright Centre, Vaughan.

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Design

Pipes are available with perforations on just one side, these should be situated on the lower half of the pipe. Pipes with 360° perforations should have a strip of geotextile or membrane placed over the pipe to reduce the migration of fines from overlying media.

Perforated pipes are a common component of underdrains used in bioretention, permeable pavements, infiltration trenches and exfiltration systems.

Pipes should be manufactured in conformity with the latest standards by the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) or ASTM International.

• Perforated pipes should be continuously perforated, smooth interior HDPE or PVC.
  • Wherever possible pipes should be ≥200 mm internal diameter to reduce potential of freezing and to facilitate push camera inspections and cleaning with jet nozzle equipment.
  • Smooth interior facilitates inspection and maintenance activities; internal corrugations can cause cameras or hydrojetting apparatus to become snagged.
  • A perforated pipe with many rectangular slots has better drainage characteristics than a pipe with similar open area provided by fewer circular holes .
• Non-perforated pipes should be used for conveyance of stormwater to and from the facility, including overflow. It is good practice to extend the solid pipe approximately 300 mm within the reservoir or practice to reduce the potential for native soil migration into the pipe.

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  Pipe with slotted perforations

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  Perforated pipes awaiting installation, note the 45 degree couplings used to facilitate push camera inspection and jet nozzle cleaning.

See also: Flow through perforated pipe

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Vegetation

For a detailed list of recommend plant species, see Plants for bioretention

• The vegetation is a big opportunity to maximize the co-benefits of biodiversity and amenity. Planting plans can be formalized or naturalized to suit the surrounding style.
• For resilient and robust planting, native species which can tolerate periods of drought and periodic inundation are recommended.
• Woody and evergreen plants should be avoided in any areas of the bioretention cell to be used as snow storage.
• Dense shrubby plants should be avoided in locations where the accumultion of trash is anticipated as a maintenance problem.

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  Bioretention cell capturing and treating runoff from adjacent parking lot at the Kortright Centre, Vaughan.

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Performance

Performance Content

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  Bioretention cell capturing and treating runoff from adjacent parking lot at the Kortright Centre, Vaughan.

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Incentives and Credits

In Ontario

City of Mississauga
The City of Mississauga has a stormwater management credit program which includes RWH as one of their recommended site strategies[1].

LEED BD + C v. 4

SITES v.2

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See Also

• Bioswales
• Rain gardens
• Trees

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External Links

	Variations
	Overview
	Design Guidance
	BMP Sizing
	Design Specifications
	Construction Considerations
	Inspection and Maintenance Needs
	Life Cycle Costs
	Case Studies
	Typical Design Drawings
	Supporting Material and External Resources

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The portion of water precipitated onto a catchment area, which then flows as surface discharge from the catchment area past a specified point.

Water from rain, snow melt, or irrigation that flows over the land surface.

A shallow excavated surface depression containing prepared filter media, mulch, and planted with selected vegetation.

Low impact development is a stormwater management and land development strategy applied at the parcel and subdivision scale that emphasizes conservation and use of on-site natural features integrated with engineered, small scale hydrologic controls to more closely mimic pre-development hydrologic functions.

A stormwater management strategy that seeks to mitigate the impacts of increased urban runoff and stormwater pollution by managing it as close to its source as possible. It comprises a set of site design approaches and small scale stormwater management practices that promote the use of natural systems for infiltration and evapotranspiration, and rainwater harvesting.

The slow movement of water into or through a soil or drainage system.

Penetration of water through the ground surface.

The technique of removing pollutants from runoff as it infiltrates through the soil.

The quantity of water transpired (given off). Retained in plant tissues, and evaporated from plant tissues and surrounding soil surfaces. Quantitatively it is usually expressed in terms of depth of water per unit area during a specified period. e.g. mm/day

The combined loss of water to the atmosphere from land and water surfaces by evaporation and from plants by transpiration.

A hard surface area (e.g., road, parking area or rooftop) that prevents or retards the infiltration of water into the soil.

A shallow excavated surface depression containing prepared filter media, mulch, and planted with selected vegetation.

A broad category of particulate material used in construction, including sand, gravel, crushed stone, slag, recycled concrete and geosynthetic aggregates, and available in various particulate size gradations.

An alternative practice to traditional impervious pavement, prevents the generation of runoff by allowing precipitation falling on the surface to infiltrate through the surface course into an underlying stone reservoir and, where suitable conditions exist, into the native soil.

Best management practice. State of the art methods or techniques used to manage the quantity and improve the quality of wet weather flow. BMPs include: source, conveyance and end-of-pipe controls.

Filter fabric that is installed to separate dissimilar soils and provide runoff filtration and contaminant removal benefits while maintaining a suitable rate of flow; may be used to prevent fine-textured soil from entering a coarse granular bed, or to prevent coarse granular from being compressed into underlying finer-textured soils.

Soil particles with a diameter less than 0.050 mm.

The natural ground material characteristic of or existing by virtue of geographic origin.

Rainwater harvesting.