Project Number:
DNR-053
Other Project Number:
WR87R005
Funding Year:
1987
Contract Period:
Funding Source:
DNR
Investigator(s) and affiliations:
Byron H. Shaw, University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point;
Gerald Nienke, University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point
Abstract:
Introduction: The question of how to efficiently dispose of urban runoff has been answered in many different ways. One of the most common 7 techniques in use today includes some system of curb and gutter connecting to a closed or open drain system. A closed drain system does not disperse any of the water that enters the system but merely channels it to a disposal area, usually a surface body of water. An open system may be similar to a closed system except that it is designed to disperse, into the soil, some or all of the water that enters the system. An open system may make use of drains with open bottoms called drywells and perforated pipe to connect the drains in series. Drywells are classified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as Class V Injection Wells. A Class V injection well is, roughly, any device deeper than it is wide for the purpose of transmitting surface water to the subsurface that does not fit within Classes I, II, III, and IV. There is currently some concern about how Class V wells affect aquifers when they are used to dispose of urban runoff – this study is designed to examine those effects.
Objectives: The objectives of this study were as follows:
- To chemically characterize the runoff at four sites with a different land uses.
- To evaluate the impact of stormwater disposal on groundwater quality at these four sites.
- To determine the effectiveness of drywells as a method of stormwater disposal.