The expansion of urban and suburban areas is a world-wide phenomena. One product of this development is a dramatic increase in impermeable surfaces and a consequent increase in stormwater runoff. Bioretention cells are one best management practice frequently used to mitigate the environmental impacts of urban stormwater runoff. To ensure that a bioretention cell will continue to perform adequately in the long term, it is imperative that the environmental conditions it will experience and their effect on its performance through time are considered during its design. Although bioretention cells are frequently used for stormwater management, very few quantitative data exist on how they perform through time and in varied physical environments. In regions with seasonal freeze-thaw cycles, it is important to understand the effects of freeze-thaw cycles on the infiltration rate of bioretention cell soil mixtures so that the integrity of the design will not be compromised by seasonal change. This project uses laboratory tests to investigate the effects of freeze-thaw cycles and sediment input on the infiltration capacity of three different bioretention cell soil mixtures. These results will provide an analog for long-term changes in bioretention cell infiltration rates due to freeze-thaw cycles, providing critical data on which soil mixture would be best implemented in geographic regions susceptible to freeze-thaw activity. Furthermore these results will inform design standards for bioretention cells to ensure their long-term performance.

From the Proceedings of the 1972 Meetings of the Arizona Section - American Water Resources Assn. and the Hydrology Section - Arizona Academy of Science - May 5-6, 1972, Prescott, Arizona / The need for increased control of seepage from both natural and artificial small ponds and lakes has become more apparent with the increased frequency of their construction and use on the farm, ranch, and in recreational urban use. Seepage control methods are also becoming more numerous. Unfortunately, comparisons as to effectiveness, longevity and costs are not readily available. This paper investigates some control techniques being used in this region and evaluated them according to the above criteria. Emphasis was on the use of available physiochemical methods other than rubber membranes and concrete liners. Examples of the types of controls in use include plastic, soil compaction aids, hydrophobic chemicals and monovalent cation applications, such as sodium chloride. Some examples of the use of these methods in Arizona are shown and the results of some field comparison tests conducted using 8 x 8 square foot double -ringed infiltrometers presented. Recommendations are made of additional research that should be undertaken to improve the technology of the control of seepage losses.

From the Proceedings of the 1973 Meetings of the Arizona Section - American Water Resources Assn. and the Hydrology Section - Arizona Academy of Science - May 4-5, 1973, Tucson, Arizona / An infiltration- wetting agent study, using the wetting agent "WATER-IN", was conducted in the ponderosa pine forest type of east central Arizona. An application rate of 10 gallons of wetting agent per acre was used on bare mineral soil and on ponderosa pine litter. The infiltration rate was measured by a modified North Fork infiltrometer. It was found that "WATER-IN" significantly increased water runoff when applied to litter, but, when applied to bare mineral soil, "WATER-IN" caused a significant increase in water infiltration. The wetting agent did not significantly affect antecedent moisture, soil particle distribution, litter water holding capacity, or litter bulk density. It is presently hypothesized that the increase in water infiltration on treated bare mineral soil is due to a decrease in the average bulk density of the surface inch of soil. The increase in runoff when litter is treated is probably due to an interaction, either physical, chemical, or both, between the humus layer and "WATER-IN ", creating a hydrophobic condition where one did not exist before.

From the Proceedings of the 1975 Meetings of the Arizona Section - American Water Resources Assn. and the Hydrology Section - Arizona Academy of Science - April 11-12, 1975, Tempe, Arizona / Space-time variability in the hydrologic characteristics of four major soil series represented in the Silverbell validation site was investigated by sampling the infiltration characteristics, at randomly selected locations, under several vegetative covers within each series. The experimental data was the time distribution of infiltration which, for each sampled location, was fitted by least squares to the Philip's infiltration equation. The parameters of this equation have physical interpretation and therefore were used as measures of the infiltration characteristics. Analysis of variance was used to investigate the spatial variability in the parameters. The mean values of the parameters for selected soil-vegetation combinations were used to simulate runoff due to a rainfall event over a desert catchment "containing" the given combination. Statistical tests show that there is no significant difference among the infiltration parameters of all the soil-vegetation combinations. However, the statistically insignificant variations in the parameters produce significant variations in simulated runoff volumes indicating the sensitivity of the runoff generating process to infiltration characteristics vis-a-vis the hydrologic properties of the soils.

From the Proceedings of the 1977 Meetings of the Arizona Section - American Water Resources Assn. and the Hydrology Section - Arizona Academy of Science - April 15-16, 1977, Las Vegas, Nevada / This study, conducted to determine the interrelationships among nitrogen transformations, infiltration rates, and development of the black layer found in the Santa Cruz River downstream of the Tucson (Arizona) sewage treatment plant, tested these interrelationships by percolating sewage effluent through clear acrylic columns uniformly packed with river sand for the first run, with gravel for the second run. Sewage effluent was continuously applied to three of the columns for 28 and 64 days during the first and second runs respectively. The remaining column was continuously flooded with tap water to serve as a control. Infiltration rates decreased rapidly upon application of the sewage, and within a few days a black layer developed, its thickness inversely related to the infiltration rate but not a cause of reduced flow, which is attributed, rather, to clogging of the surface by suspended solids. There was an average reduction in total nitrogen of 62.9% for the first run, and 15.9% for the second. The mechanisms of removal for run 1 were predominately absorption and denitrification, whereas the predominate removal mechanism in run 2 was filtering of organic nitrogen with adsorption and denitrification also playing an important role.