I-Corps: Storm Water Redistribution Device

University Of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia MO

Investigators

Abstract

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is in allowing property owners to fully develop their land for economic benefit, while satisfying regulatory requirements and, at the same time, protecting the water resources that we rely on for water supply, environmental benefits and recreation. Currently, land owners use developable land to manage storm water. This project will consider how to best use the soil throughout the site to manage the storm water and free up more of the site for development. By spreading out runoff that naturally concentrates when we construct buildings, roads and parking lots more water can soak into the ground. With this infiltration, pollutants picked up on the land surface can be removed by the soil rather than flowing directly to a stream. Infiltrated water moves underground to streams and provides the continuous stream flow needed by wildlife. Distributing runoff to the soil surrounding our buildings and pavement can also help keep runoff out of the combined storm and sanitary sewers found in many older communities, allowing the aging infrastructure to continue to function and reducing the combined sewer overflows. This I-Corps project will result in a new solution, transforming the way storm water runoff is managed; improving water quality and maintaining stream baseflow required by wildlife, while decreasing costs and requiring less space to meet permitting requirements. The solution consists of devices that are specially constructed to slow down the flow of water and redirect it in a way that allows it to seep into the surrounding soil. The core technology is based upon the well-established principle that the size, mix and way materials are arranged determines the way liquids flow. A patent for the solution has been issued because of the new, innovative way of constructing and deploying these simple materials (i.e., sand and gravel placed in tubes of the geotextile fabric often used in landscaping), allowing water to be directed in three dimensions. Concentrated runoff, for example the accelerated flow of water off a parking lot, that is intercepted by the device, is first slowed and then directed down into the soil or is moved left or right to the next device segment.