Pretreatment features

Without a forebay (top) the flow is concentrated around the inlet, potentially causing erosion and not optimally spread for infiltration; A three sided forebay (centre) with a level spreader on all sides will distribute the water and reduce the energy, sediment will collect in the pad of the forebay (shown darker); In a narrow cell, the forebay may extend across the whole facility (bottom).

Small concrete forebays are a pretreatment option for open inlets such as curb cuts. Energy of the incoming flow is dissipated, causing suspended particles to drop out of the water. These accumulated particles/sediment can then be easily swept or vacuumed during routine maintenance and doesn't end up clogging downstream filter media or material. A well designed feature will distribute the flow, reducing erosion around the inlet. One effective way of achieving this is by surrounding the pad with some form of level spreader on all sides. The level spreading could be a sharp crested weir in metal or concrete, or be soft edged with irregular landscaping stone.

For BMPs serving up to a two hectare catchment area, a significant forebay feature may not be required. However, for larger catchments or those with heavy sediment loading a properly sized feature will help prevent clogging of the filter media and ease maintenance requirements of bioretention facilities.

Design

1. The required volume for a pretreatment feature (V_f, m³) serving catchments up to five hectares may be calculated as:

$V_{f}=A_{c}\times R\times L_{o}\times F_{c}$

Where:

• A_c = The area of the catchment (ha),
• R = The capture efficiency (default to 0.8),
• L_o = The sediment loading rate (m³/ha/yr), and
• F_c = The cleanout frequency (yrs)

Sediment loading rates from impervious surfaces studied by STEP were between 0.3 - 0.6 m³/ha/yr . In Brisbane a value of 0.6 m³/ha/yr is the default used to size small forebays .

2. a) The area of a feature (A_f) with 80% capture efficiency of particles ≥ 1 mm may be estimated as:

$A_{f}=120\times Q$

Where:

• Q = Design flow rate (m³/s),

2. b) To size a feature for a maximum depth (d_f, m), where d_f must be ≤0.3 m and is recommended to be between 0.1 - 0.2 m:

$A_{f}={\frac {V_{f}}{d_{f}}}$

It is recommended that both sizing calculations be made and the pretreatment feature be designed to meet both targets. In some cases the additional storage required to meet both targets will reduce the expected frequency of maintenance. See below.

Example calculation

A parking lot catchment of 1.7 ha is being routed through a small forebay into a bioretention cell. The design flow rate is 0.07 m³/s. The system should be designed to require cleaning no more often than once per year. The volume is calculated as:

$V_{f}=1.7\times 0.8\times 0.6\times 1=0.816\ m^{3}$

The area required to keep the maximum head of water within the forebay to 0.15 m is calculated as:

$A_{f}={\frac {0.816}{0.15}}=5.44\ m^{2}$

The area required to settle the 1 mm particles is calculated as:

$A_{f}=120\times 0.07=8.4\ m^{2}$

So to meet the target particle removal, the forebay will be 8.4 m² in area. This gives the storage volume of 1.26 m³, which can be returned to the initial equation to determine the minimum cleaning frequency as:

$F_{c}={\frac {1.26}{1.7\times 0.8\times 0.6}}=1.5\ years$

Gallery

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  Solid splash pad preventing erosion from the flow from the inlet. Image credit Dylan Passmore

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  Forebay connected to drainage area in the roadway with a curb cut, overflow visible in the centre of the feature, level spreading is encouraged with the rock check dams, Milwaukee, WI, Photo credit: Aaron Volkening

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  Rounded 'river rock' and a series of check dams slow water from this inlet.

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  This forebay has a rock splash pad to slow water down before it reaches a bioswale.

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  Incoming water from these curb cuts is slowed by river rock splash pads.

Proprietary products

As with underground pretreatment there are an increasing number of proprietary products available. Some of those listed below are currently only available overseas.

• rain guardian
• Swalegard

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A pretreatment basin at the inlet of a practice that allow settling out of sediment and associated contaminants suspended in urban runoff.

Soil, sand and minerals washed from land into water, usually after rain. They pile up in reservoirs, rivers and harbors, destroying fish-nesting areas and holes of water animals and cloud the water so that needed sunlight might not reach aquatic plans. Careless farming, mining and building activities will expose sediment materials, allowing them to be washed off the land after rainfalls.

The engineered soil component of bioretention cell or dry swale designs, typically with a high rate of infiltration and designed to retain contaminants through filtration and adsorption to particles.

The land draining to a single reference point (usually a structural BMP); similar to a subwatershed, but on a smaller scale.

The total mass of a pollutant entering a waterbody over a defined time period.

The net amount of something (e.g. chemical, such as phosphorus), calculated as the product of concentration and volume in a given time. Some BMPs significantly reduce loading of pollutants to the environment by reducing volume more so than concentration.

Initial capturing and removal of unwanted contaminants, such as debris, sediment, leaves and pollutants, from stormwater before reaching a best management practice; Examples include, settling forebays, vegetated filter strips and gravel diaphragms.

Cleanouts are "a fitting access in a drainage system or venting system that is installed to provide access for cleaning and inspection and that is provided with a readily replaceable air tight cover" (O.Reg 332/12: Building Code, 2022).

Soil, sand and minerals washed from land into water, usually after rain. They pile up in reservoirs, rivers and harbors, destroying fish-nesting areas and holes of water animals and cloud the water so that needed sunlight might not reach aquatic plans. Careless farming, mining and building activities will expose sediment materials, allowing them to be washed off the land after rainfalls.

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

Sustainable Technologies Evaluation Program

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

A pretreatment basin at the inlet of a practice that allow settling out of sediment and associated contaminants suspended in urban runoff.

The total surface area upstream of a point on a stream that drains toward that point. Not to be confused with watershed. The drainage area may include one or more watersheds.

Structures constructed of a non-erosive material, such as suitably sized aggregate, wood, gabions, riprap, or concrete; used to slow runoff water. Can be employed in practices such as bioswales and enhanced grass swales.

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 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.