Project Proposal Feasibility Study
Team 6: The Calvin Drain Trust
Mike DeWeerd, Matt Schanck, Aaron Venema and Kat Wever
Calvin College ENGR 339/340 Senior Design Project
December 11, 2015
© 2015, Team 06 and Calvin College
II
Executive Summary
Calvin College’s engineering program requires a capstone design project for senior students. Team 06 is
made up of four civil and environmental engineers: Mike DeWeerd, Matt Schanck, Aaron Venema and
Katherine (Kat) Wever. Mike DeWeerd also has a minor in business and Kat has a major in French. The
team was presented with a project located in Grand Rapids involving the reduction and reuse of
stormwater at three different locations on Calvin College’s campus. The three locations on Calvin’s
campus are the Knollcrest East Apartments (KE), the Commuter Parking Lots, and the bioswales near the
Seminary. After discussing the potential of the project the team decided to accept it due to their interest in
stormwater management.
There are three problems presented in this project. The first problem is that the well on the eastside of
campus is currently working at capacity and will be unable to provide an adequate supply of water if
Calvin College decided to expand and develop on that side of campus. The second problem is located in
the Commuter Parking Lots. Currently when it rains the water from the parking lot discharges into the
Grand Rapids stormwater system; however, due to the uneven surface of the parking lot, water often
pools in the low areas of the parking lot. The third problem occurs at the bioswales in front of the
Seminary Building. When it rains the stormwater flows through the existing bioswales at a high velocity
that does not allow for the proper settlement of particles in the pond before the water is discharged into
Plaster Creek. The three main goals were determined to be the reuse of stormwater for irrigation in KE
apartments, reduce runoff and prevent standing water in the commuter parking lots, and decrease the
velocity of water flowing through the Seminary pond bioswales.
The team decided on design norms to be implemented and upheld in their work. These design norms are
strongly tied to the team’s Christian values and ideals. The first is sustainability. This is a design norm
due to the team’s belief of caring for the world and its resources. The team’s second design norm is
caring. This applies to the design options near the KE apartments to ensure the safety of those who live
there and the integrity of the team’s design. The third design norm is transparency; due to the public
nature of the project and impact in will have on Calvin College. The team seeks to communicate the
progress of the project to Calvin College and disclose any issues concerning the safety and health to its
community.
The team developed a team management strategy before starting the design. The team established weekly
meetings and a bimonthly meeting time with its faculty advisor, Professor Masselink. At this time, the
team also created a work breakdown schedule. This schedule contained a list of all the individual tasks
required throughout the course of the semester. Additionally, the team assigned roles to each member.
Mike DeWeerd was chosen to be the project manager and manager of client relations. Matt Schanck was
appointed to do the modeling manager. Kat Wever was selected to do the research pertaining to the design
alternatives and regulations involved in the project. Aaron Venema was elected to manage the team’s
website and assist with research.
The team conducted research on Calvin College’s existing stormwater system and the background on the
reuse of stormwater. This was important in the understanding how Calvin’s stormwater runoff is currently
handled. The team acquired topographical maps and irrigation information from Geoff Van Berkel. This
information allowed the team to comprehend the flow of stormwater based on the delineation of the
watershed on Calvin’s campus into five sub-basins. The team was also able to comprehend the layout of
Calvin’s irrigation system and where valves were located to isolated areas of campus. This data, along
with land use and soil type data, helped determine the area of the watershed on Calvin College’s campus.
A 24 hour, 25-year storm was selected as the design storm. Although other storms will be modeled, this
storm will be used for the design of stormwater reduction and reuse at all three locations on campus.
After the team established a complete understanding of the existing conditions, Best Management
Practices (BMPs) were analyzed to select an improvement method to be utilized. BMPs are standardized
design techniques, which have a low impact on surrounding areas and provide stormwater management
benefits. The team will create a decision matrix to determine the best design for each location to reduce
and reuse stormwater. Completion of current condition models will take place in January. During the
spring of 2016 the team will develop drawings for the BMP designs for each location and perform an
estimation of the costs of these designs. Team 06 will present these drawings and results to the Physical
Plant and to the Calvin Master Plan board members.
ii
Table of Contents
1. Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………………..1
1.1. Introduction of Team...……….……………………….…………………………………….1
1.2. Current System………….…...……………………………………………………………....2
1.3. Irrigation System…………………………………………………………………….……...3
1.4. Introduction of Project……………...……………………………………………………….3
1.5. Project Objectives……………………………………………………………………………4
2. Project Management………………………………..…………………………..…………………….5
2.1. Team Organization…………………………………..………………………………………5
2.2. Scheduling……………………………...………………………………..……………………5
2.3. Budget…………………………………………………………………………………………6
2.4. Method of Approach…………………………………………………………………………6
3. Modeling……………………………………………………………………………………………….7
3.1. Runoff Areas…………………………………………………...…………………………..…7
3.2. Stormwater System……………………………………..…………………………………..10
4. Design……………………………………………...………………………………………………….11
4.1. Design Norms…..………………………………………………………………….………...11
4.2. Major Design Solutions……………………………………………………………………..11
4.2.1. South Commuter Lot………………………………………………………..…11
4.2.2. Knollcrest East Apartments.…………………………………………………..14
4.2.3. Covenant Fine Arts Center……………………………………………………14
5. Implementation……………………………………………………………………………………....17
5.1. Cost Estimate………………………………………………………………………………..17
5.2. Presentation to Board for Master Plan……………………………………………………17
6. Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………………18
7. Acknowledgements…………………………………………………………………………………..19
8. References……………………………………………………………………………………………20
i
Table of Figures
Figure 1: Team 06, (left to right) Kat Wever, Aaron Venema, Mike DeWeerd and Matt Schanck….....…1
Figure 2: Watershed Boundaries for Calvin College’s Campus…………………………………………...2
Figure 3: Proposed Project Locations for BMPs…………………………………………………………...3
Figure 4: KE SCS Soils Map……………………………………………………………………………….7
Figure 5: SC Lot SCS Soils Map…………………………………………………………………………...8
Figure 6: KE Subbasin Delineation………………………………………………………………………...9
Figure 7: Porous asphalt vs. regular asphalt………………………………………………………………12
Figure 8: Model of Infiltration Chamber…………………………………………..……………………...12
Figure 9: Example of Bioswale…………………………………………..………………………………..13
Figure 10: Diagram of Porous Piping…..……………………………………..…………………………..13
Figure 11: Example of Weirs…..……………………………………..…………………………………...15
Figure 12: Example of Detention Basin……..…………………………………..………………………...15
Figure 13: Example of Meandering…………………………………………..…………………………...16
Figure 14: Example Rain Garden………………………………………………………………………….16
Table of Tables
Table 1: KE Soil Map Legend……………………………………………………………………………...7
Table 2: SC Lot Soil Map Legend………………………………………………………………………….8
Table 3: Area and RCN Numbers of KE…………………………………………………………………..9
Table 4: Run-off volumes for Commuter Lot……………………………………………………………..10
Table 5: Run-off volumes for KE…………………………………………………………………………10
ii
1. Introduction
1.1. Introduction of Team
The Calvin Drain Trust is a Senior Design team of four Civil Engineering students. The four group
members are Mike DeWeerd, Matt Schanck, Aaron Venema and Kat Wever.
Figure 1: Team 06, (left to right) Kat Wever, Aaron Venema, Mike DeWeerd and Matt Schanck
The Calvin Drain Trust is a Senior Design team of four Civil Engineering students. The team consists of
four team members; Mike DeWeerd, Matt Schanck, Aaron Venema and Kat Wever.
Mike is a senior Civil/Environmental Engineering major with a business minor. He was involved in
Capella for a year and a half, and is a founding member of uKnighted, a men's acapella group on campus.
During the summer between sophomore and junior year, he worked as an intern at Prein & Newhof, and
between junior and senior year, he worked at Weaver Consultants Group. He is engaged right now and is
getting married in August. His hobbies include music, board games and solving rubix cubes.
Matt is a senior civil engineering student from Howell, NJ. He is involved in Calvin's Ballroom and
Social Dance Club as well as Dance Guild. The past two summers he has interned at R.C. Burdick
Engineering, the summer before he studied in Germany. In his free time, he dances ballroom, writes
stories and poems, and crafts metal wire art.
1
Aaron is a senior civil engineering student from Grand Haven, Mi. He is a Calvin swimmer on the Men’s
Varsity Swimming and Diving Team, and the founder of the Calvin Cycling Club. In the summer before
his junior year Aaron studied in Germany and would love to travel there again. The following summer he
worked as an intern for the City of Grand Rapids Engineering Department. Some of his hobbies include
cycling, triathlons, board games and crafting projects.
Kat is a senior Civil/Environmental Engineering major with a French major. During the summers of after
her sophomore year and junior year, she worked as an intern at Prein & Newhof. She worked with the
survey department and collected data for the S.A.W. grant work they are performing for various
townships surrounding Grand Rapids. Her hobbies include music, drawing and playing intramural
volleyball.
1.2 Current System
Currently a large portion of stormwater surface runoff is not contained within Calvin College’s campus.
The infiltration of stormwater into the soil on Calvin's campus is severely limited by loamy clay, with the
exception of the Knollcrest East apartments which has a primarily sandy soil with higher infiltration rates.
Because the majority of campus experiences low infiltration rates, the campus is prone to puddling water
where there are no catch basins or underdrain to capture and transport stormwater. To monitor the flow of
stormwater the team has delineated the campus into five watershed runoff zones as seen in Figure 1.
Figure 2: Watershed Boundaries for Calvin College’s Campus
2
The first zone is the northeast side of campus, divided by the road between the Prince Conference Center
and Knollcrest East apartments and the east beltline. The runoff discharges into a series of ponds in a
constructed marshlands. The runoff water in this zone is treated as the ponds allow time for settling of
particles.
The second zone is the southeast side of campus. In this zone, water gathers quickly due to steep ground
surfaces. The storm water here either infiltrates in the sandy soil or flows into the Grand Rapids
stormwater system. The volume of water that comes out of this can cause flooding issues for larger storm
events.
The third zone is the west side of campus, which includes parking lots 1-5 on the south west corner of
campus. This zone contains underdrain and catch basins to capture storm water. Runoff collected from
these basins enters the Grand Rapids stormwater system through storm drains on the south end of campus.
The next zone is directly east and extends to the Beltline. The runoff water in this zone discharges to the
seminary pond. The pond is designed to allow for particles to settle before the water exits over a weir on
the south end of the pond and is discharged to Plaster Creek. During larger rainfall events this does not
happen. The water flows through the seminary pond with a high velocity that prevents settling of the
particles.
The last zone contains the remainder of the northwest side of campus. The water from this zone enters the
Calvin’s north pond on the North West corner of campus. An underdrain pipe connects Calvin’s north
pond to a series of marshland and ponds that eventually lead to Reeds Lake.
1.3. Irrigation System
Part of the appeal of Calvin College is the pleasant aesthetics around the campus. One of the contributing
factors to the aesthetic appeal is the lush green grass. Keeping the campus maintained at this standard
requires upwards of 33 million gallons of water a year for irrigation. The water is currently being drawn
from wells on campus. The wells draw the local water table down and contain metallic ions that can cause
issues for irrigation. Additionally, the current well water supply is not sustainable for long term irrigation
needs. Calvin is looking to expand the east side of campus and irrigation wells will not be capable of
supplying additional water for irrigation. To continue irrigating Calvin’s campus to the same quality
standards the college will eventually need to invest in an additional water supply for irrigation.
1.4. Introduction of Project
The team’s goal is to reduce runoff water entering the Grand Rapids storm water system, limit pollutants
entering Plaster Creek watershed and increase the irrigation systems capacity. To help understand the
project goals the team has established Geoffrey Van Berkel, irrigation specialist of Calvin College, as our
representative to our client Calvin College. To assist in designing, comparing design alternatives, and
general guidance. The team has also established Travis Vruggink from GMB Engineering as our
industrial consultant for the project.
This project is part of an Engineering Senior Design class at Calvin College. This gives the team two
semester to complete the project before the deadline. The team will use the first semester to collect
rainfall data, perform simulations, visit existing sites, research and meet with professionals for guidance.
The second semester the team will design the system and request to be approved as part of master campus
plan.
3
1.5. Project Objectives
The objective of this project is to reduce runoff water entering the Grand Rapids storm water system, limit
pollutants entering Plaster Creek watershed, increase the irrigation systems capacity and meet the master
campus plan requirements. Based on stormwater outflow location and irrigation needs the team has
identified the three key zones; Parking lots 1-5, the bioswales near the Seminary pond, and the KE
apartments.
Figure 3: Proposed Project Locations for BMPs
The team plans to find a solution to meet future irrigation needs, limit outflow and reduce pollutant
discharge. The team will investigate the reuse of runoff storm water and drilling another well as
alternatives for additional irrigation. The team must find suitable locations to collect and store the water
and perform water quality tests to ensure adequate water quality. In the case of reusing rainwater or
drawing from the pond a method for isolating the rainwater from the well will have to be found. DEQ
regulations do not allow for an open connection between a well and rainwater. Additionally, the team will
research and evaluate methods of removing pollutants and increasing infiltration for stormwater runoff
The end result of the project is to get approved and have this project used in the future. The campus
master plan includes reducing the campus runoff. Part of being good stewards includes responsible
management of our campus. The team plans to use Professor Wunder in assistance of getting master plan
approval.
4
2. Project Management
2.1. Team Organization
The team has four members, as well as a faculty advisor, industrial consultant, client and other mentors
for the project. The team’s faculty advisor is Robert Masselink. The team’s industrial consultant is Travis
Vruggink from GMB. The team’s client for the project is Calvin College, and the team’s main contact is
Geoff Van Berkel. Other mentors that we have consulted with on this project are Scott Davidson from
Frederick Meijer Gardens, and Mike Herrema from Cornerstone University. Both Scott and Mike have
similar systems in place and the team met with each to discuss how their system works and some things
they would like to improve.
Each team member has a set section of the project that they focus on. Mike has been working with the
communication with clients, mentors and setting up meetings with different people and coordinating trips
to certain places such as Frederick Meijer Gardens and Cornerstone University. Mike has also been
working on the team management and schedule management by making sure that each of the assignments
are completed on time as well as making sure that the work that is submitted is correct and well done.
Mike has also been the main person behind each of the presentations that were given in class by preparing
the PowerPoints and the speech.
Matt has been focusing on the design aspect of the project. He has worked with AutoCAD modeling each
of the drainage areas. He also looked at the soil types in each location. Matt has also figured out the peak
discharges for each section. The more detailed account of his work can be seen in section 3.
Aaron is the webmaster and has been working with optimizing the website, making sure that it is up to
date and making it look good. Aaron is also involved in the design of the South Commuter lot and the
design implications from that project.
Kat has been doing the research for the project by focusing on the EPA regulations as well as DEQ and
design options for the Knollcrest East Apartments, the parking lots, and the seminary pond.
The team scheduled a regular weekly meeting for around 1 hour as well as meetings when needed. A few
of the meetings were spent traveling to Frederick Meijer Gardens, Cornerstone University, meeting with
Travis from GMB, multiple meetings with Geoff Van Berkel, as well as other different meetings. Each
member would work on different projects throughout the week and report how each of the projects were
going.
All of our documents, including project documents, meeting notes, and other documents are stored in a
Google Drive folder that is shared between us. This has many different sections including project
documents, project presentations, research, organization and meeting notes. Within these sections, there
are the emails, budget and other things.
2.2. Scheduling
Scheduling is an essential part of a senior design project. The process from the start of the project to the
research to the modeling and completion of the project. The planning for the project has to be firm, but
still be flexible enough to adjust if the requirements are not met in time or met before time. The schedule
is managed by Mike mainly using Excel and Word to help allocate tasks. The schedule is updated every
meeting to accommodate what the team is working on during that week.
5
2.3. Budget
The budget of our senior design project is $500. So far we have not spent any of the money on equipment.
If we spend money, Mike is in charge of the budget, which will be managed by using Excel.
2.4. Method of Approach
While working on this project, the team approaches each section of design through team collaboration.
The team would discuss different design alternatives and figure out which one we thought was best. The
team did a lot of collaboration to think of different design alternatives and things to research, and each
member contributed thoroughly to the goal. The primary research methods used include use of case
studies from all over the country and EPA regulations, in order to retrieve bioretention principles and
ideas. According to the EPA stormwater needs little to no further filtration before being used for
irrigation. Also if the stormwater is kept in a cistern the capture water must be used in a timely fashion.
The team also examined Chapter 7 in the Low Impact Development (LID) Manuel for Michigan to obtain
design guidelines for bioswales, bioretention, check dams, porous pavement, infiltration practices,
detention basins, and capture reuse. Many resources were found via online databases; Glenn Remelts of
Calvin College’s Hekman Library trained us in the use of these databases and provided some research
ideas.
Team communication is kept open, with opportunities to share new ideas ranging from minor editorial
preferences to major alterations in scope definition. Efforts are made to respect the suggestions of team
members, even when making decisions which lack universal agreement. Team members are flexible in
the decision making process, which creates less friction during team meetings and task completion.
Disagreements are not taken personally but are recognized as mere differences in project ideas.
6
3. Modeling
When approaching the problem of modelling the two major areas (namely the Knollcrest East
[KE] Apartments, and the South Commuter [SC] Lot), the initial work was applied to determining
the division of the land into drainage subbasins that would be focused on. The subbasins for KE
were centered around storm drains that were depicted in the map that we were given with the
addition of three storm drains that were not depicted on the drawing. The delineation of the
subbasins was very approximate and based on both contour elevation maps and physical onsite observation for the KE apartments, these delineations are shown in Figure 3-1. The
delineation of the SC Lot was not done for initial volume runoff calculations, since the parking lot
is the only surface considered therefore the curve number is the same. A future consideration
for the delineation of the SC Lot area will be determining what surrounding areas contribute to
the stormwater system in that area.
Figure 4: KE SCS Soils Map
Table 1: KE Soil Map Legend
Map Unit Symbol
Hydrologic Soil Rating
Acres in AOI
18B
Glynwood loam, 2 to 6 percent slopes
Map Unit Name
D
0.4
18C
Glynwood loam, 6 to 12 percent slopes
D
3.4
45B
Perrinton loam, 2 to 6 percent slopes
C
4.9
C
13.5
75
Udorthents, loamy
78
Urban land
82B
0.2
Urban land-Perrinton complex, 0 to 8
percent slopes
7
1.9
Figure 5: SC Lot SCS Soils Map
Table 2: SC Lot Soil Map Legend
Map Unit Symbol
Map Unit Name
Hydrologic Soil Rating
Acres in AOI
18B
Glynwood loam, 2 to 6 percent slopes
D
6.2
18C
Glynwood loam, 6 to 12 percent slopes
D
0.4
78
Urban land
82B
2.5
Urban land-Perrinton complex, 0 to 8 percent slopes
D
27.7
After the sites are delineated, the team had to determine runoff curve numbers to calculate the surface
runoff volume. The first step was to determine the hydraulic soil type for each sub-basin. The hydraulic
soil type for most of the area around KE apartments was type C, a moderately well drained soil. A small
portion of the KE apartments was type D, which is a poorly drained soil, the SCS Soil Map for KE is
shown in Figure 3-2 and the corresponding soil legend is in Table 3-1. The hydraulic soil type for the SC
8
Lot was type D, the SCS Soil Map for SC Lot is shown in Figure 3-3 and the corresponding soil legend is
in Table 3-2. The next step is determining the land usage of each area. The KE apartments land usage
consists of woods in poor conditions, meadows, and impervious land. The SC Lot is mostly impervious
surface and some meadow land. Using the information of the land usage and soil types, the team
determined the runoff curve numbers, the breakdown of the Curve Number for the Subbasins in the KE
apartments is shown in Table 3-3. The Curve Method was used to determining the runoff volume for
specific rain events.
Figure 6: KE Sub basin Delineation
Table 3: Areas and Runoff curve numbers for KE Apartments
Sub Basin Area
RCN
Sq ft
units
16666
96.63
1
32252
87.96
2
27164
97.07
3
132216
80.48
4
37100
80.65
5
54741
84.77
6
6705
98
7
23290
78.35
8
35147
75.49
9
25751
73.41
10
14242
98
11
6058
98
12
7655
93.89
13
16146
83.06
14
3485
78.93
15
24047
95.23
16
27448
93.92
17
15546
93.86
18
12225
74.01
19
9
The same thing applies for SC Lot, which has a curve number of 98 with an area of 287,487. Then the
team used the ungauged watershed document to determine an initial runoff volume. The runoff volumes
for a 1 year, 2 year, 25 year, and 100 year 24 hour storm are shown for the Commuter Lot and the entire
KE area as well as the basin area, where the team plans on placing the storage unit, in Table 3-4. The final
modelling will be done in EPA SWMM which requires the subbasins to be rectangular area with a set
channel in the middle of it. The channel drains into a drain at the end of the sub basin and the slope is a
constant value.
3.2. Stormwater System
The project is dealing with an existing stormwater pipe network that transports the water towards a central
outflow for each section (there are some variations in our project, which will be discussed in the sections
discussing the area where the variations occur). The team will be using the existing stormwater system as
a means of conveyance for each of the subbasins into the storage and retention areas that will be designed.
Since this system is important to the design of the project, the stormwater system must be modelled with
the subbasins and this modelling requirement makes EPA SWMM as the better modeling system that
could be used.
Table 4: Run-off volumes for Commuter Lot
Commuter Lot
Storm year
Yr
1
2
25
100
Precipitation
in
2.22
2.57
4.7
6.34
Volume
cubic ft
47,737
56,068
106,937
146,175
Volume
Gallon
357,095
419,419
799,946
1,093,468
Table 5: Run-off volumes for KE
Storm year
yr
1
2
25
100
Storm year
yr
1
2
25
100
KE Area Total
Precipitation Volume
in
cubic ft
2.22
44,593
2.56
55,849
4.7 134,682
6.33 199,378
KE Area Basin
Precipitation Volume
in
cubic ft
2.22
32,624
2.56
41,265
4.7 102,660
6.33 153,525
10
Volume
Gallon
333,581
417,781
1,007,491
1,491,453
Volume
Gallon
244,042
308,682
767,949
1,148,448
4. Design
4.1. Design Norms
For the design criteria, we had a few considerations that we are focusing on for this project. One thing
that the team is focusing on is reducing runoff water for Calvin College’s campus.
The team’s goals for the project this semester was to analyze the current capacity of Calvin’s stormwater
systems, determine soil and ground surface types around campus, determine drain regions around campus,
take a look at possible addition of buildings in the future and how they might affect runoff.
The team focused on three different design norms while designing this project: sustainability, caring and
transparency.
Sustainability is the quality of not being harmful to the environment or depleting natural resources. The
team’s project is looking to be sustainable by not being harmful to the environment or ecosystem that is in
place at Calvin. The team is looking to keep the water that flows at Calvin stay at Calvin. This is keeping
the watershed sustainable and able to be the same throughout the project.
Another design norm that the team is focusing on for the project is caring. Caring is important to the
project because the project should care for Calvin’s campus and the people who are on the campus. The
project will care for the campus by helping use the water that is on the campus, and not transport it to
other areas. The project is also focusing on caring by helping to meet the needs of the current irrigation
system, and improving the system. The new design system still has to fulfil the needs of the current
irrigation system, and it is important to care for the project and focus on it.
Our third design norm that the team focused on was transparency. The team wants to be as transparent as
possible in the making of this project, whether it is with the EPA, DEQ or Calvin, the team wants to be as
transparent as possible and be able to show the progress that the team is making, as well as making sure
that the data that is needed is available to be used.
4.2. Design Solutions
4.2.1. South Commuter Lot
The south commuter lot on campus contains parking lots 1-5. Currently the parking lot discharges runoff
water directly into the city of Grand Rapids stormwater system. Another issue is the uneven parking lot
surface that promotes standing water after rainfall events and snow melt. A project objective is to
redesign the parking lot to eliminate runoff water entering the Grand Rapids stormwater system for a 2year 24 hour storm event and minimize standing water.
4.2.1.1. Design Criteria
The goals of redesigning the south commuter lot is to increase parking capacity, reduce stormwater
outflow to the city of Grand Rapids stormwater system and prevent standing water. To prevent standing
water and increase parking capacity a reconstruction of the parking lot must be done. The standing water
is caused by poor initial grading of the parking lot. This means the team must redefine the parameters of
the parking lot and design a more efficient parking solution. To reduce the runoff stormwater entering the
Grand Rapids stormwater system the team must determine a solution to either reduce, reuse or reallocate
runoff stormwater.
11
4.2.1.2. Design Alternatives
The design alternatives for the commuter lot consist of methods to reduce, reuse or reallocate the
stormwater runoff. Currently the team is considering porous asphalt, infiltration chambers, bioswales and
porous pipes as methods to reduce the stormwater runoff, underdrain to reallocate the stormwater runoff
and irrigation to reuse the stormwater runoff.
Porous Asphalt
Porous asphalt would cover the entire parking lot, allowing a large surface for infiltration to occur. One
drawback for porous asphalt is upkeep; it’s typically recommend to be vacuumed anywhere from twice a
year to biannually. Porous asphalt also has a risk factor because the long term durability is unproven. The
major drawback to this solution is the loamy clay underneath the parking lot will severely limit
infiltration rates. The loamy clay underneath the parking lot turns this into a collection system rather than
an infiltration system.
Figure 7: Porous Pavement Example
Infiltration Chambers
Collecting water in these chambers allows for a few points throughout the parking to collect all of the
runoff water. The benefits being the limited space and resources this requires. The water head created
during storm events increases infiltration rates. The drawback to this solution being the percolation may
decrease over time. Over time as fine silt sediments enter the loamy clay the soil mixture will become less
permeable.
Figure 8: Model of Infiltration Chamber
12
Bioswales
Creating bioswales around the parking lot will remove silt and pollutants from the surface stormwater
runoff before infiltrating the water. The benefit to this solution is the prevention of silt from entering the
loamy clay, which if mixed will lower percolation rates over time. The need for increased parking
capacity makes the main drawback the space required for the bioswales.
Figure 9: Example of Bioswale
Porous Pipes
The porous pipes will run underneath the parking lot. These pipes contain a large storage area for runoff
water along with a large surface area that allows for infiltration. To construct these underneath the
parking lot the site must be excavated several feet deep to create a boundary layer between the asphalt and
pipes as well as sand soil around the pipes. Making the main drawback for this solution the cost of
excavating the entire parking lot.
Figure 10: Diagram of Porous Pipes
Underdrain
This design solution is meant to reallocate the storm water. The stormwater catch basins would be
connected to underdrain that extends to the north pond on campus. During rainfall events the pollutants
from the parking lot surfaces would be sent directly into the north pond. The benefit being this is a simple
solution, but with the drawback of not actually eliminating the issue, only reallocating the issue.
Irrigation
The final solution is to find a way to reuse the stormwater runoff. This solution would require underdrain
connecting catch basins to a storage tank. After rainfall events, collected water could be used for
irrigation. This solution would increase the irrigation systems capacity. The drawback for this solution is
the pollutants from the parking lot surface being used as irrigation and preventing the runoff water in the
irrigation system from having a direct connection to the wells used for irrigation.
13
4.2.2. Knollcrest East Apartments
The KE Apartments are apartments that are owned and operated by the campus and are located on the east
side of the East Beltline. The land consists of several parking lots, pathways, and apartment buildings as
well as open grassland. Currently the stormwater system drains into the City of Grand Rapids stormwater
system. The main objective in dealing with the KE Apartments is to reduce the stormwater and to reuse
the stormwater for irrigation with the minimum design storm of a 2 year 24-hour rain storm.
4.2.2.2. Design Criteria
Since the main objective for the KE apartments is to reuse the stormwater running off of the KE
Apartments most of the design alternatives are storage based, though reduction based methods were
considered as well. Another major design criteria for this area is space because there is not a lot of free
open area certain design alternatives are less feasible than others. The final major design criteria is safety,
since the KE Apartments is home to seminary students and undergraduate students, the former having the
potential of having kids. The existence of children in this area means that very little water can be stored
above ground in areas accessible to children.
4.2.2.3. Design Alternatives
Some design alternatives considered for the KE apartments were detention ponds, underground storage,
and irrigation.
Detention pond
This design method would work as an effective means of storing the stormwater in the KE Apartments
while not taking up a large amount of space and still allowing for some drainage.
Underground Storage
This design method involves an underground tank system either in the form of tanks or stormwater
chambers that can hold a large volume of water without requiring a large amount of aboveground space.
The major downside is ease of maintenance, which would be relatively difficult and relatively infrequent
if filters were applied before the water went underground. This solution would be an ideal method to
apply in the KE apartments.
Irrigation
This method will take some of the storm water stored in the detention pond or in the underground storage
and reuse if for irrigation, which is the primary objective of the project in this section.
4.2.3. Covenant Fine Arts Center
4.2.3.1. Design Criteria
In order to allow for particles to settle in the seminary pond properly in water being discharged into the
pond must be slowed. Currently when a large storms occurs the amount of runoff that accumulates from
the Covenant Fine Arts Center (CFAC) parking lot and surrounding roads flow through the bioswales is
too large and does not allow for water to be retained in the bioswales to allow for the proper settlement of
particles once the water reaches the pond. Figure X shows the flow of water to the seminary pond.
The water then flows through the pond into Whiskey Creek without the proper settlement of particles. To
slow down the flow of water it is necessary to redesign the area where the two bioswales are located.
14
4.2.3.2. Design Alternatives
There are many possible solutions to slow down the velocity of water through the bioswales. The
following design options for BMPs have to capability to slow down the flow of water and allow for the
proper settlement of particles.
Weirs
A weir is a barrier across a moving water feature designed to alter the flow characteristics of the water. In
most cases a weir causes the water upstream to rise and regulates the flow of water, as a result of this
regulated follow there will be an adequate amount of time for particles to settle. Figure x displays a weir.
Figure 11: Example of Weirs
Detention Basins
A detention basin is a stormwater storage area that fills and holds water to reduce downstream flow.
There are various types of detention basins such as dry ponds, wet ponds, and constructed wetlands. The
main purpose of a detention basin is to reduce runoff peaks during storm events. Figure x displays a
detention basin.
Figure 12: Example of Detention Basin
Meandering
Meandering water is water that flows in a winding path or course. When a stream or river meanders it
allows particles in the water to be deposited in the inside corners of the stream and increases the time
water flows before it reaches body of water it empties into. Figure 13 displays a meandering river.
15
Figure 13: Meandering River
Rain Gardens
A rain garden is a garden which takes advantage of rainfall and storm water runoff in its design and plant
selection. Usually, it is a small garden which is designed to withstand the extremes of moisture and
concentrations of nutrients, particularly Nitrogen and Phosphorus, which are found in stormwater runoff.
Figure 14: Example of Rain Garden
16
5. Implementation
5.1. Cost Estimate
The cost estimate that has been made so far is in the beginning stage, and has a high yield. The
construction costs include the price of the storage tanks, as well as excavation and other construction
costs. A detailed cost estimate will be made in the spring along with the design specifications.
5.2. Presentation to Board for Master Plan
The group is in the process of looking at the current master plan for Calvin’s campus and looking to how
the group’s design can be implemented into the new master plan.
17
6. Conclusion
The ultimate goal for this project is to reduce runoff water, limit pollution entering Plaster Creek
watershed and increase the irrigation systems capacity. This will be accomplished through responsible
time management, following our design norms, and determining design locations and their design
alternatives
The first semester will be used to collect rainfall data, perform simulations, visit existing sites, research,
and meet with professionals for guidance. While the second semester we will design the system and
request to be approved as part of master campus plan. The structure of the semesters will keep the team
members responsible and knowledge of their responsibilities.
Following our design norms this will keep our team accountable. Sustainability will hold the team
members responsible for developing an effective system that does what we intend. Caring will help
ensure that we develop a system that is safe. Transparency will allow our peers to see and offer
constructive criticism of our project. The design norms create a responsibility for the team that will hold
us to a higher standard.
To meet the project goal the team will focus on the three key zones; Parking lots 1-5, the bioswales near
the Seminary pond, and the KE apartments. The different designs alternatives will be evaluated for each
section. The team has the responsibility of weighing each design alternative and determining a solution
that will best serve the needs of Calvin College.
By following the time management structure, design norms, and weighing the design alternative the team
will decide the best solution and design a system that will reduce runoff water, limit pollution entering
Plaster Creek watershed and increase the irrigation systems capacity. The system once finished will then
be requested to become a part of Calvin’s master campus plan.
18
7. Acknowledgements
Team 06 would like to those who have assisted us in creating our project proposal and feasibility study.
We would like to thank our advisor Professor Masselink for raising valuable question to take into
consideration over the course of the project. His guidance helped deepen our team’s understanding of our
project and ensure the best result can be produced by the end of the year.
Team 06 would also like to thank Travis Vruggink for being the team’s industrial consultant and
critiquing ideas during the development of the project. Travis was able to provide meaningful insight for
improving the weak points of the project.
Finally, thanks to Geoff Van Berkel from Calvin’s Physical Plant for being our client and providing us
with valuable information about how Calvin’s irrigation system operates and where storm water runoff
drains to.
19
8. References
"Rain Garden - Plants." PennState Extension. Ed. Lauri Danko. N.p., Mar. 2005. Web. 15 Nov. 2015.
<http://extension.psu.edu/plants/gardening/eco-friendly/rain-gardens/plants-rain- gardens>.
EPA . Green Parking Lot Resource Guide. N.p.: Environmental Protection Agency, 2008. Print.
HighDRO®-Pure Rainwater Harvesting System:. Highland Tank & Manufacturing Company, Inc., 2015.
Web. 15 Nov. 2015. <http://www.highlandtank.com/rainwater-harvesting-system-how-it-works>.
Kloss, Christopher. "Rainwater Harvesting Policies." Managing Wet Weather with Green
Infrastructure Municipal Handbook(2008). Print.
Rain Garden Design Templates. Low Impact Development Center, 2007. Web. 15 Nov. 2015.
<http://www.lowimpactdevelopment.org/raingarden_design/index.htm>.
STORMCHAMBER. N.p., 2015. Web. 15 Nov. 2015. <http://stormchambers.com/>.
STORMTECH Subsurface Stormwater Management. StormTech International, 2012. Web. 15
Nov. 2015. <http://www.stormtech.com/product/products.html>.
20