Combined Stormwater BMPs Creates the Perfect Solution

PROBLEM

Solving drainage problems in Southeast Louisiana is very challenging, a high groundwater table and zero lot lines in urbanized areas are just a few of the challenges. This was the case for the new Woman’s New Life Medical Center in Uptown New Orleans near Napoleon Avenue. The civil engineers at Morphy Makofsky Inc. was tasked with managing and treating 1,000 cubic feet of stormwater runoff within a 1,200 square foot area, most of which is a parking surface.

SOLUTION

The civil engineer used a Low Impact Development (LID) / Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) approach, managing stormwater runoff at the source by integrating Green Infrastructure and sub-surface detention. The runoff from the rooftop was routed to a sub-surface R-Tank detention system, located below the parking area adjacent to the building. The 95% storage volume in the modular tanks maximized storage within a limited footprint. The parking surface consisted of open joint concrete pavers that infiltrate at more than 1,000 in/hr, while trapping sediment and vegetation debris within the open joints.

VALUE

Construction EcoServices (CES) partnered with the civil engineer to provide design assistance for the R-Tank and PaveDrain systems. CES was subcontracted out by the General Contractor to provide a turnkey installation of the stormwater management system. In order to ensure the system was performing as it was designed, a post-construction infiltration test was conducted by CES. This test provides assurance to the engineer and owner that the open joint pavers meet the specified infiltration rate of 1,500 in/hr. In addition to a performance test, CES provides a 3-year maintenance warranty on the open joint pavers and ACF Environmental provides a 10-year warranty on the R-Tank system.