Increased urbanization causes pervious greenfields to be converted to impervious areas increasing stormwater runoff. Most of the urban floods occur because existing drainage systems are unable to handle peak flows during rainfall events. During a storm event, flood runoff will carry contaminants to receiving waters such as rivers and creeks. Engineers and scientists have combined their knowledge to introduce innovative thinking to manage the quality of urban runoff and harvest stormwater for productive purposes. The introduction of pervious pavements addresses all the principles in Water Sensitive Urban Design. A pervious pavement is a load bearing pavement structure that is permeable to water. The pervious layer sits on the top of a reservoir storage layer. Pervious pavements reduce the flood peak as well as improve the quality of stormwater at source before it is transported to receiving waters or reused productively. To be accepted as a viable solution, understanding of the influence of design parameters on the infiltration rate (both from the bedding and the sub-base) as well as strength of the pavement requires to be established. The design of a particular pavement will need to be customized for different properties of sub layer materials present in different sites. In addition, the designs will have to meet local government stormwater discharge standards. The design of drainage systems underneath pervious pavements will need to be based on the permeability of the whole pervious system. The objectives of the research project are to: • Understand the factors influencing infiltration capacities and percolation rates through the pervious surface as well as the whole pavement structure including the bedding and the sub-base using a laboratory experimental setup. • Obtain relationships between rainfall intensity, infiltration rate and runoff quantity based on the sub-grade material using a computational model to assist the design of pervious pavements. A laboratory scale pavement was constructed to develop relationships between the surface runoff and the infiltration volume from a pervious pavement with an Eco-Pavement surface. 2 to 5mm crushed gravel and 5 to 20mm open graded gravel were chosen as the bedding and sub-base material. Initial tests such as dry and wet density, crushing values, hydraulic conductivity, California Bearing Ratio tests for aggregate material were conducted before designing and constructing the pavement model. A rainfall simulator with evenly spaced 24 sprays was set up above the pervious pavement surface. The thesis presents design aspects of the laboratory scale pavement and the tests carried out in designing the pavement and the experimental procedure. The Green and Ampt model parameters to calculate infiltration were obtained from the laboratory test results from aggregate properties. Runoff results obtained from rainfall simulator tests were compared with the Green and Ampt infiltration model results to demonstrate that the Green and Ampt parameters could be successfully calculated from aggregate properties. The final infiltration rate and the cumulative infiltration volume of water were independent of the rainfall intensity once the surface is saturated. The model parameters were shown to be insensitive to the final infiltration capacity and to the total amount of infiltrated water. The Green and Ampt infiltration parameters are the most important parameters in designing pervious pavements using the PCSWMMPP model. The PCSWMMPP model is a Canadian model built specially for designing pervious pavements. This is independent of the type of sub-grade (sand or clay) determining whether the water is diverted to the urban drainage system (clay sub-grade) or deep percolation into the groundwater system (sand sub-grade). The percolation parameter in Darcy's law is important only if the infiltrated water recharges the groundwater. However, this parameter is also insensitive to the final discharge through the subgrade to the groundwater. The study concludes by presenting the design characteristics influencing runoff from a pervious pavement depending on the rainfall intensity, pavement structure and sub-grade material and a step-by step actions to follow in the design.

Mature trees help to offset urban area problems caused by impervious pavement. Trees in paved areas remain unhealthy due to a poor root zone environment. The objective of this experiment was to test if soil under pervious concrete, with greater water and gas infiltration, would be more beneficial to existing mature trees during urban development. Root activity, root growth and soil chemistry of American sweetgum under standard concrete, pervious concrete and no concrete were measured. Soil CO2 efflux rates and soil CO2 concentrations were extremely high under both concrete treatments. Soil under standard concrete had lower oxygen concentrations than soil under pervious concrete and control treatments, particularly under wet conditions. There was no pavement effect on soil water content or soil chemistry. Under control treatment standing live root length was greater than under both concrete treatments. There were no major differences in soil conditions between impervious and pervious concrete treatments. The soil under the plots, a Ships clay, with very low permeability may have prevented soil water infiltration. Likely this overrode any potential treatment effects due to porosity of the concrete. To obtain root zone benefits out of pervious concrete, a different base soil with a higher permeability would be a better alternative.

Use of pervious concrete pavement as a method of stormwater management has shown great promise in previous studies. Reduction in runoff, water quality improvements, and long-term economic benefits are but a few of its many advantages. Regulatory agencies such as the St. Johns River Water Management District require further research into the performance of pervious concrete pavement before granting credits for its use as a best management practice in controlling stormwater. As a part of a larger series of studies by UCF's Stormwater Management Academy, this thesis studies the hydrologic mass balance of pervious concrete pavement in sandy soil common in Florida. In order to conduct this study, a field experiment was constructed at the UCF Stormwater Field Lab. The experiment consisted of three 4-foot tall cylindrical polyethylene tanks with 30-inch diameters. All three tanks were placed into the side of a small embankment and fitted with outlet piping and piezometers. The test tanks were assembled by laying a 6-inch layer of gravel into the bottom of each tank, followed by a layer of Mirafi geofabric, followed by several feet of fine sand into which soil moisture probes were laid at varying depths. Two of the tanks were surfaced with 6-inch layers of portland cement pervious concrete, while the third tank was left with a bare sand surface. Mass balance was calculated by measuring moisture influx and storage in the soil mass. Data collection was divided into three phases. The first phase ran from August to November 2005. Moisture input consisted of normal outdoor rainfall that was measured by a nearby rain gauge, and storage was calculated by dividing the soil mass into zones governed by soil moisture probes. The second phase ran for two weeks in March 2006. Moisture input consisted of water manually poured onto the top of each tank in controlled volumes, and storage was calculated by using probe readings to create regression trendlines for soil moisture profiles. The third phase followed the procedure identical to the second phase and was conducted in the middle of April 2006. Data tabulation in this study faced several challenges, such as nonfunctional periods of time or complete malfunction of essential measuring equipment, flaws in the method of calculating storage in phase one of the experiment, and want of more data points to construct regression trendlines for soil moisture calculation in phases two and three of the experiment. However, the data in all phases of the experiment show that evaporation volume of the tanks with pervious concrete surfacing was nearly twice that of the tank with no concrete. Subsequent infiltration experiments showed that pervious concrete pavement is capable of retaining a portion of precipitation volume, reducing infiltration into the underlying soil and increasing total evaporation in the system.

Stormwater runoff from urban areas is a major source of pollution to surface water bodies. The discharge of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus is particularly damaging as it results in harmful algal blooms which can limit the beneficial use of a water body. Stormwater best management practices (BMPs) have been developed over the years to help address this issue. While BMPs have been investigated for years, their use has been somewhat limited due to the fact that much of the data collected is for specific applications, in specific regions, and it is unknown how these systems will perform in other regions and for other applications. Additionally, the research was spread across the literature and performance data was not easily accessible or organized in a convenient way. Recently, local governments and the USEPA have begun to collect this data in BMP manuals to help designers implement this technology. That being said, many times a single BMP is insufficient to meet water quality and flood control needs in urban areas. A treatment train approach is required in these regions. In this dissertation, the development of methodologies to evaluate the performance of two BMPs, namely green roofs and pervious pavements is presented. Additionally, based on an extensive review of the literature, a model was developed to assist in the evaluation of site stormwater plans using a treatment train approach for the removal of nutrients due to the use of BMPs. This model is called the Best Management Practices Treatment for Removal on an Annual basis Involving Nutrients in Stormwater (BMPTRAINS) model. The first part of this research examined a previously developed method for designing green roofs for hydrologic efficiency. The model had not been tested for different designs and assumed that evapotranspiration was readily available for all regions. This work tested this methodology against different designs, both lab scale and full scale. Additionally, the use of the Blaney-Criddle equation was examined as a simple way to determine the ET for regions where data was not readily available. It was shown that the methods developed for determination of green roof efficiency had good agreement with collected data. Additionally, the use of the Blaney-Criddle equation for estimation of ET had good agreement with collected and measured data. The next part of this research examined a method to design pervious pavements. The water storage potential is essential to the successful design of these BMPs. This work examined the total and effective porosities under clean, sediment clogged, and rejuvenated conditions. Additionally, a new type of porosity was defined called operating porosity. This new porosity was defined as the average of the clean effective porosity and the sediment clogged effective porosity. This porosity term was created due to the fact that these systems exist in the exposed environment and subject to sediment loading due to site erosion, vehicle tracking, and spills. Due to this, using the clean effective porosity for design purposes would result in system failure for design type storm events towards the end of its service life. While rejuvenation techniques were found to be somewhat effective, it was also observed that often sediment would travel deep into the pavement system past the effective reach of vacuum sweeping. This was highly dependent on the pore structure of the pavement surface layer. Based on this examination, suggested values for operating porosity were presented which could be used to calculate the storage potential of these systems and subsequent curve number for design purposes. The final part of this work was the development of a site evaluation model using treatment train techniques. The BMPTRAINS model relied on an extensive literature review to gather data on performance of 15 different BMPs, including the two examined as part of this work. This model has 29 different land uses programmed into it and a user defined option, allowing for wide applicability. Additionally, this model allows a watershed to be split into up to four different catchments, each able to have their own distinct pre- and post-development conditions. Based on the pre- and post-development conditions specified by the user, event mean concentrations (EMCs) are assigned. These EMCs can also be overridden by the user. Each catchment can also contain up to three BMPs in series. If BMPs are to be in parallel, they must be in a separate catchment. The catchments can be configured in up to 15 different configurations, including series, parallel, and mixed. Again, this allows for wide applicability of site designs. The evaluation of cost is also available in this model, either in terms of capital cost or net present worth. The model allows for up to 25 different scenarios to be run comparing cost, presenting results in overall capital cost, overall net present worth, or cost per kg of nitrogen and phosphorus. The wide array of BMPs provided and the flexibility provided to the user makes this model a powerful tool for designers and regulators to help protect surface waters.

Sustainable Built Environments Senior Capstone Project / Porous concrete pavements have been used in the eastern United States to effectively manage storm water when used as an alternative to impervious surfaces. This paper reviewed a wide body of available literature and research to examine their potential to reduce runoff at the University of Arizona. This study found that their unique structural properties enable them to infiltrate and detain large volumes of water in a stone sub-base below the slab, filtering out many street related contaminants without the need to install additional infrastructure. Porous concrete surfaces may support green development in the southwest where water is both a sensitive and valuable resource. However, long-term structural durability, clogging potential due to dust, and maintenance requirements have yet to be fully understood in this region. This paper then summarizes critical factors that affect the performance of porous concrete and proposes a framework for future study to be conducted by the University of Arizona in a way that would reduce runoff to major campus roads, contribute to a better understanding of sustainable storm water management in the southwest, and demonstrate leadership in environmental stewardship.

O emprego de pavimentos permeáveis tem se tornado cada vez mais necessário como medida compensatória para amortecer as vazões de pico e atenuar os impactos gerados pelas chuvas torrenciais em áreas altamente urbanizadas. Dentre os materiais convencionalmente adotados como revestimento permeável no contexto nacional destacam-se os blocos de concreto intertravados (BCI) e o asfalto poroso. No entanto, internacionalmente, existem materiais alternativos que podem apresentar permeabilidade igual ou até mesmo superior. Sob esse prisma, convém destacar o uso dos blocos de concreto articulados (BCA), recentemente adotados nos Estados Unidos e na Coréia do Sul, cuja capacidade de infiltração vem mostrando-se bastante promissora. Diferentemente dos blocos intertravados, os BCA foram projetados para trabalhar em conjunto, já que são interconectados por meio do encaixe das articulações unidirecionais de cada peça, sobrepostas umas às outras, dispensando assim o uso de material de rejunte, o que por sua vez aumenta a permeabilidade do revestimento. Contudo, embora o desempenho hidráulico aparente ser eficaz, questiona-se se o pavimento de blocos de concreto articulados (PBCA) comporta-se de forma igualmente satisfatória em termos estruturais. Nesse sentido, visando avaliar o desempenho estrutural e hidráulico de um pavimento permeável de BCA, foi construída uma pista experimental (20 x 5 m) no Campus da USP, adotando-se dois tipos de base, uma de agregado reciclado (RCD) e outra de agregado natural (brita 1). Na análise estrutural utilizaram-se como parâmetros de avaliação as deflexões máximas obtidas via FWD (Falling Weight Deflectometer), a eficiência de transferência de carga (LTE - Load Transfer Efficiency) e por fim, os módulos de resiliência retroanalisados para cada camada. Ademais, a pesquisa ainda avaliou a influência da presença de fissuras ou trincas nos blocos no desempenho estrutural do pavimento, já que acabaram tornando-se recorrentes em ambas as seções avaliadas. Já na avaliação hidráulica, monitorou-se a taxa de infiltração in situ ao longo de quase vinte meses. Complementarmente, foram realizadas ainda avaliações laboratoriais dos materiais empregados e funcionais do pavimento. A análise estrutural indicou que o sentido articulado do BCA obteve respostas estruturais nitidamente melhores que o sentido não articulado em termos de módulo de resiliência, deflexões máximas e LTE, evidenciando que de fato as articulações conferem intertravamento ao pavimento, próximo ao propiciado pela areia de rejunte no BCI. A base de RCD por apresentar uma distribuição granulométrica mais bem distribuída do que a brita 1, também obteve melhores resultados. Já a presença de trincas ou fissuras nos blocos não acarretou comprometimento no desempenho estrutural da pista experimental, devido ao baixo grau de severidade da maioria das patologias encontradas, como atestou o levantamento funcional, cuja classificação indicou um pavimento em boas condições de serventia. No que diz respeito ao desempenho hidráulico, o pavimento apresentou um desempenho adequado em termos de capacidade de infiltração. Apesar da perda progressiva estimada em 20% ao ano, as taxas de infiltração in situ mantiveram-se acima de 10-3 m/s em todos os ensaios realizados, sendo, portanto, superior à maioria dos revestimentos permeáveis tradicionalmente utilizados como os blocos intertravados e a camada porosa de atrito, conforme descritos pela literatura. / Pervious pavements have become increasingly fundamental as a compensatory measure to attenuate peak flows and to mitigate the impacts generated by torrential storm water in highly urbanized areas. Among the usual materials applied in permeable surface layers, it is possible to highlight the interlocking concrete blocks (ICB) and the porous asphalt. However, internationally, there are alternative materials that are able to present a higher permeability. In this sense, the use of articulated concrete blocks (ACB) needs to be stressed. Recently adopted in United States of America and South Korea, ACB has presented promising infiltration rates. Unlike the ICB, the ACB was designed to work as an integrated framework due to the presence of articulated joints in one of the block directions, which allows discarding the jointing sand and as result, increases water infiltration. Nevertheless, although the pavement hydraulic performance seems to be successful, there are some doubts about the structural behavior. Thereby, aiming at evaluating the hydraulic and structural performance of an unidirectionally articulated concrete block pavement, a pavement experimental section (20 x 5 meters) was constructed at the University of São Paulo Campus. Two types of different bases were applied, namely recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) and natural aggregate. The structural assessment took into account the maximum deflection measurements, the load transfer efficiency (LTE) and the backcalculated elastic moduli of each layer. In addition, this work also evaluated the structural influence caused by the presence of damaged pavers, since it became a recurring problem. Regarding the hydraulic evaluation, the surface infiltration rate was monitored over twenty months after the pavement construction. Furthermore, functional and laboratorial analyses were carried out in order to check the structure serviceability level. The structural results indicated clearly that the articulated block side had better performance than the non-articulated block side in terms of elastic moduli, maximum deflections measurements and LTE, confirming the interlocking efficiency generated by the block shape, comparable to that one provided by the jointing sand in ICB. As the recycled aggregate was characterized by a more well graded particle size distribution than the natural aggregate, the RCA base also presented better structural responses. The presence of damaged blocks did not compromise the pavement structural performance, since the degree of severity was low, as verified by the functional evaluation, which showed a pavement in good conditions. Finally, concerning the hydraulic results, the pavement presented a high infiltration capacity. Even though an infiltration loss of about 20% per year has been detected, the infiltration rate remained greater than 10-3 m/s for all tests performed, being considerably higher than those found in pavements built with both interlocking concrete blocks and with porous asphalt, as reported in the literature.

O emprego de pavimentos permeáveis tem se tornado cada vez mais necessário como medida compensatória para amortecer as vazões de pico e atenuar os impactos gerados pelas chuvas torrenciais em áreas altamente urbanizadas. Dentre os materiais convencionalmente adotados como revestimento permeável no contexto nacional destacam-se os blocos de concreto intertravados (BCI) e o asfalto poroso. No entanto, internacionalmente, existem materiais alternativos que podem apresentar permeabilidade igual ou até mesmo superior. Sob esse prisma, convém destacar o uso dos blocos de concreto articulados (BCA), recentemente adotados nos Estados Unidos e na Coréia do Sul, cuja capacidade de infiltração vem mostrando-se bastante promissora. Diferentemente dos blocos intertravados, os BCA foram projetados para trabalhar em conjunto, já que são interconectados por meio do encaixe das articulações unidirecionais de cada peça, sobrepostas umas às outras, dispensando assim o uso de material de rejunte, o que por sua vez aumenta a permeabilidade do revestimento. Contudo, embora o desempenho hidráulico aparente ser eficaz, questiona-se se o pavimento de blocos de concreto articulados (PBCA) comporta-se de forma igualmente satisfatória em termos estruturais. Nesse sentido, visando avaliar o desempenho estrutural e hidráulico de um pavimento permeável de BCA, foi construída uma pista experimental (20 x 5 m) no Campus da USP, adotando-se dois tipos de base, uma de agregado reciclado (RCD) e outra de agregado natural (brita 1). Na análise estrutural utilizaram-se como parâmetros de avaliação as deflexões máximas obtidas via FWD (Falling Weight Deflectometer), a eficiência de transferência de carga (LTE - Load Transfer Efficiency) e por fim, os módulos de resiliência retroanalisados para cada camada. Ademais, a pesquisa ainda avaliou a influência da presença de fissuras ou trincas nos blocos no desempenho estrutural do pavimento, já que acabaram tornando-se recorrentes em ambas as seções avaliadas. Já na avaliação hidráulica, monitorou-se a taxa de infiltração in situ ao longo de quase vinte meses. Complementarmente, foram realizadas ainda avaliações laboratoriais dos materiais empregados e funcionais do pavimento. A análise estrutural indicou que o sentido articulado do BCA obteve respostas estruturais nitidamente melhores que o sentido não articulado em termos de módulo de resiliência, deflexões máximas e LTE, evidenciando que de fato as articulações conferem intertravamento ao pavimento, próximo ao propiciado pela areia de rejunte no BCI. A base de RCD por apresentar uma distribuição granulométrica mais bem distribuída do que a brita 1, também obteve melhores resultados. Já a presença de trincas ou fissuras nos blocos não acarretou comprometimento no desempenho estrutural da pista experimental, devido ao baixo grau de severidade da maioria das patologias encontradas, como atestou o levantamento funcional, cuja classificação indicou um pavimento em boas condições de serventia. No que diz respeito ao desempenho hidráulico, o pavimento apresentou um desempenho adequado em termos de capacidade de infiltração. Apesar da perda progressiva estimada em 20% ao ano, as taxas de infiltração in situ mantiveram-se acima de 10-3 m/s em todos os ensaios realizados, sendo, portanto, superior à maioria dos revestimentos permeáveis tradicionalmente utilizados como os blocos intertravados e a camada porosa de atrito, conforme descritos pela literatura. / Pervious pavements have become increasingly fundamental as a compensatory measure to attenuate peak flows and to mitigate the impacts generated by torrential storm water in highly urbanized areas. Among the usual materials applied in permeable surface layers, it is possible to highlight the interlocking concrete blocks (ICB) and the porous asphalt. However, internationally, there are alternative materials that are able to present a higher permeability. In this sense, the use of articulated concrete blocks (ACB) needs to be stressed. Recently adopted in United States of America and South Korea, ACB has presented promising infiltration rates. Unlike the ICB, the ACB was designed to work as an integrated framework due to the presence of articulated joints in one of the block directions, which allows discarding the jointing sand and as result, increases water infiltration. Nevertheless, although the pavement hydraulic performance seems to be successful, there are some doubts about the structural behavior. Thereby, aiming at evaluating the hydraulic and structural performance of an unidirectionally articulated concrete block pavement, a pavement experimental section (20 x 5 meters) was constructed at the University of São Paulo Campus. Two types of different bases were applied, namely recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) and natural aggregate. The structural assessment took into account the maximum deflection measurements, the load transfer efficiency (LTE) and the backcalculated elastic moduli of each layer. In addition, this work also evaluated the structural influence caused by the presence of damaged pavers, since it became a recurring problem. Regarding the hydraulic evaluation, the surface infiltration rate was monitored over twenty months after the pavement construction. Furthermore, functional and laboratorial analyses were carried out in order to check the structure serviceability level. The structural results indicated clearly that the articulated block side had better performance than the non-articulated block side in terms of elastic moduli, maximum deflections measurements and LTE, confirming the interlocking efficiency generated by the block shape, comparable to that one provided by the jointing sand in ICB. As the recycled aggregate was characterized by a more well graded particle size distribution than the natural aggregate, the RCA base also presented better structural responses. The presence of damaged blocks did not compromise the pavement structural performance, since the degree of severity was low, as verified by the functional evaluation, which showed a pavement in good conditions. Finally, concerning the hydraulic results, the pavement presented a high infiltration capacity. Even though an infiltration loss of about 20% per year has been detected, the infiltration rate remained greater than 10-3 m/s for all tests performed, being considerably higher than those found in pavements built with both interlocking concrete blocks and with porous asphalt, as reported in the literature.