Applied Hydrology: Hydrological Design of Detention/Retention Basins

Applied Hydrology
Hydrological Design of
Detention/Retention Basins
Professor Ke-Sheng Cheng
Dept. of Bioenvironmental Systems Engineering
National Taiwan University
Lab for Remote Sensing Hydrology

and Spatial Modeling 1
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The NPDES Program
Water pollution degrades surface waters
making them unsafe for drinking, fishing,
swimming, and other activities.
As authorized by the Clean Water Act, the
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination
System (NPDES) permit program controls
water pollution by regulating point sources
that discharge pollutants into waters of the
United States.
and Spatial Modeling
2
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Since its introduction in 1972, the NPDES
permit program is responsible for
significant improvements to water quality.
As the runoff flows over the land or
impervious surfaces (paved streets, parking
lots, and building rooftops), it accumulates
debris, chemicals, sediment or other
pollutants that could adversely affect water
quality if the runoff is discharged untreated.
3
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 The primary method to control stormwater discha
rges is the use of best management practices (BMPs)
.
 Most stormwater discharges are considered point s
ources, and operators of these sources may be requ
ired to receive an NPDES permit before they can di
scharge.
 This permitting mechanism is designed to prevent
stormwater runoff from washing harmful pollutan
ts into local surface waters such as streams, rivers,
lakes or coastal waters.

4
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The National Pollutant Discharge Eliminatio
n System (NPDES) Stormwater Program regu
lates stormwater discharges from three pote
ntial sources:
municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4s)
,
construction activities, and
industrial activities.

5
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MS4s
An MS4 is a conveyance or system of convey
ances that is:
Owned by a state, city, town, village, or other p
ublic entity that discharges to waters of the U.S.;
Designed or used to collect or convey stormwate
r (including storm drains, pipes, ditches, etc.);
Not a combined sewer; and
Not part of a Publicly Owned Treatment Works
(sewage treatment plant).

6
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Construction activities
Stormwater runoff from construction activit
ies can have a significant impact on water q
uality.
As stormwater flows over a construction site
, it can pick up pollutants like sediment, deb
ris, and chemicals and transport these to a n
earby storm sewer system or directly to a riv
er, lake, or coastal water.

7
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Polluted stormwater runoff can harm or kill
fish and other wildlife. Sedimentation can de
stroy aquatic habitat, and high volumes of r
unoff can cause stream bank erosion. Debris
can clog waterways and potentially reach th
e ocean where it can kill marine wildlife and
impact habitat.

8
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Operators of construction sites that are one
acre or larger (including smaller sites that a
re part of a larger common plan of develop
ment) may be required to obtain authorizati
on to discharge stormwater under an NPDE
S construction stormwater permit.

9
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Industrial activities
 Activities that take place at industrial facilities, such as mat
erial handling and storage, are often exposed to the weather
. As runoff from rain or snowmelt comes into contact with t
hese activities, it can pick up pollutants and transport them
to a nearby storm sewer system or directly to a river, lake,
or coastal water.
 To minimize the impact of stormwater discharges from ind
ustrial facilities, the NPDES program includes an industrial
stormwater permitting component that covers 10 categories
of industrial activity that require authorization under an N
PDES industrial stormwater permit for stormwater dischar
ges.

10
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 Facilities subject to federal stormwater effluent discharge standards in 40
CFR Parts 405-471
 Heavy manufacturing (for example, paper mills, chemical plants, pretroleu
m refineries, and steel mills and foundries)
 Coal and mineral mining and oil and gas exploration and processing
 Hazardous waste treatment, storage, or disposal facilities
 Landfills, land application sites, and open dumps with industrial wastes
 Metal scrapyards, salvage yards, automobile junkyards, and battery reclai
mers
 Steam electric power generating plants
 Transportation facilities that have vehicle maintenance, equipment cleanin
g, or airport deicing operations
 Treatment works treating domestic sewage with a design flow of 1 million g
allons a day or more
 Light manufacturing (food processing, printing and publishing, electronic a
nd other electrical equipment manufacturing, and public warehousing and
storage).
11
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Classification of ponds for stormwater
management
Retention ponds
Detention ponds
Dry detention pond
Wet detention pond
Extended detention pond

12
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 Retention ponds are supposed to be dry until a signi
ficant storm event occurs.
 Stormwater gradually leaves the retention pond by i
nfiltration into the soils and by evaporation.
 Retention ponds are used in locations where the hig
h ground water table elevation during the wet seaso
n—seasonal high water table (SHWT)—is below the
bottom of the pond, and the soils allow infiltration o
f the required volume within the allotted time.

13
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Detention ponds gradually release stormwat
er through an outlet structure to adjacent su
rface waters rather than through infiltration
into the soils.
Detention ponds can be designed as wet or d
ry. Wet detention ponds are constructed so t
hat the pond bottom is below the SHWT elev
ation. Dry detention ponds set the pond bott
om above the SHWT.
14
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Typical Dry Basin

15
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An extended detention basin has an outlet st
ructure that detains and attenuates runoff in
flows and promotes the settlement of polluta
nts.
An extended detention basin is normally des
igned as a multistage facility that provides r
unoff storage and attenuation for both stor
mwater quality and quantity management.

16
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In order to provide storage, a pond must “rec
over” a required volume of stormwater withi
n an allotted period of time to make room for
runoff from the next storm.
Recovery of a detention pond is typically achi
eved by the design of a discharge orifice, whic
h is sized to release a required volume within
an allotted time.
Recovery of a retention pond, however, depen
ds on the soil and aquifer characteristics at th
e pond location.
17
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Soil characteristics of concern include available
pore space within the soils and rate of water flow
through the unsaturated soil. The characteristics of
the soils directly below the pond bottom are of
particular importance because soil characteristics
usually change with depth.
Aquifer characteristics of concern are SHWT
elevation, rate of water flow through the saturated
soils, and depth to an impermeable layer.

18
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 As a retention pond recovers, the stored water
flows vertically through the unsaturated soils until
the voids in the soils below the pond fill up, at
which time saturated horizontal flow becomes the
primary mode of recovery.
 The water leaving the pond temporarily mounds
up in the soils under the pond. In cases where the
SHWT is far below the pond bottom, the
groundwater mound does not reach the pond
bottom and the entire volume stored recovers by
vertical infiltration.
19
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 However, some retention ponds are located where t
he SHWT is closer to the pond bottom; the ground
water mound intersects the pond bottom so that ve
rtical infiltration is negligible, and recovery is by s
aturated horizontal flow.
 The time required for recovery of a retention pond
can vary significantly based on these factors. Unde
rstanding the factors that influence the function of
a stormwater pond is critical to the successful desig
n of these stormwater management systems.

20
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Constructed stormwater detention basin that has a permanent pool (or
micropool). Runoff from each rain event is detained and treated in the
pool primarily through settling and biological uptake mechanisms.

21
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When properly designed, significant
reductions are possible in the total
suspended sediment load and of constituents
associated with these sediments. Typically
these basins are less effective in removing
soluble solids.

22
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Design and Performance Criteria
(SJRWMD, Florida)
 Basin Side Slopes
Normally dry basins designed to impound more than two
feet of water or permanently wet basins must contain side
slopes that are no steeper than 4H:1V out to a depth of two
feet below the control elevation. As an alternative, the
basins can be fenced or otherwise restricted from public
access if the slopes must be deeper due to space or other
constraints.
 Control Structures
Control structures that are designed to contain more than
two feet of water within the structure under the design
storm and have openings of greater than one foot minimum
dimension must be restricted from public access.
23
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 Basin Side Slope Stabilization
All stormwater basin side slopes shall be stabilized by either
vegetation or other material to minimize erosion of the basin.
 Tailwater
"Tailwater" refers to the water elevation at the final discharge
part of the stormwater management system.
The regulation of stormwater management systems rule requi
res that stormwater management systems must provide a grav
ity or pumped discharge that effectively operates under one o
f the following tailwater conditions:
 Maximum stage in the receiving water resulting from the mean a
nnual 24-hour storm.
 Mean annual high tide for tidal areas.
 Mean annual seasonal high water elevation.
24
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Peak Discharge Attenuation
Selection of design storm
Historically, the District only regulated the peak
discharge from large storm events (i.e., 25-year, 24-
hour storm) for larger systems requiring an
environmental resource permit under chapter 40C-4,
F.A.C.
The peak discharge rate from highly impervious
projects must be controlled for the mean annual, 24-
hour storm event (approximately 2.5-year return
period).

25
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Applicants who must obtain both an environme
ntal resource permit and an environmental reso
urce stormwater permit under the provisions of
chapter 40C-4 and 40C-42, F.A.C., respectively,
for a project must design the system to meet the
peak discharge requirements of both.
This can be accomplished by designing a multi-s
taged outlet structure to attenuate both the 25-y
ear and mean annual storm events.

26
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Peak Discharge Criteria for Stormwater Management S
ystems
 The post-development peak discharge rate must not exceed pre
development rates for the mean annual 24-hour storm for syste
ms serving both of the following:
• New construction area greater than 50% impervious (excluding w
ater bodies)
• Projects for the construction of new developments as described in
section 3.3.
As an alternative to the above peak discharge criteria, a
pplicants may propose to utilize applicable storm event,
duration, or criteria specified by a local government, sta
te agency, or stormwater utility with jurisdiction over th
e project.
27
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Dry Detention Design and Performance
Criteria
Dry detention systems are normally dry
storage areas which are designed to store a
defined quantity of runoff and slowly release
the collected runoff through an outlet
structure to adjacent surface waters.
After drawdown of the stored runoff is
completed, the storage basin does not hold
any water, thus the system is normally
"dry."
28
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Dry detention basins are similar to retention
systems in that the basins are normally dry.
However, the main difference between the
two systems is that retention systems are
designed to percolate the stored runoff into
the ground while dry detention systems are
designed to discharge the runoff through an
outlet structure to adjacent surface waters.

29
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Sedimentation is the primary pollutant
removal process which occurs in dry
detention systems. Unfortunately, only
pollutants which are primarily in particulate
form are removed by sedimentation.
Therefore, the pollutant removal efficiency
of dry detention systems is not as great as
systems such as retention and wet detention
which remove both dissolved and particulate
pollutants.

30
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 Because of the limited pollutant removal efficiency
of dry detention, this BMP must only be utilized w
here no other general permit BMP is feasible. For e
xample, use of dry detention must be restricted to t
he following situations:
Where high ground water table or soil conditions limit t
he feasibility of other BMPs such as retention, and
Small drainage basins (less than 5 acres). For larger pro
jects (greater than 5 acres) other BMPs like wet detentio
n should be utilized instead of dry detention.

31
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A typical dry detention system

32
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Treatment Volume
The first flush of runoff should be detained
in a dry detention basin and slowly released
through the control structure.
Off-line detention must be provided for at
least the first one inch of runoff or 2.5 inches
of runoff from the impervious area,
whichever is greater, of the total amount of
runoff required to be treated.

33
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Recovery Time
The outfall structure should be designed to
drawdown one-half the required treatment
volume specified above between 24 and 30
hours following a storm event.

34
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Outlet Structure
The outlet structure must include a
drawdown device (such as an orifice, "V" or
square notch weir) set to slowly release the
treatment volume.
In addition, the structure must include a
device to prevent the discharge of
accumulated sediment, minimize exit
velocities, and prevent clogging.

35
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Ground Water Table, Basin Floor, and
Control Elevation
 To minimize ground water contributions and
ensure the basin floor is normally dry, the control
elevation and basin floor should be set at least one
foot above the seasonal high ground water table
elevation.
 The basin floor should be level or uniformly sloped
toward the control structure.
 The system should only contain standing water
within 3 days of a storm event. Continuous
standing water in the basin may also reduce the
aesthetic value of the system and may promote
mosquito production.
36
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Basin Stabilization
The dry detention basin should be stabilized
with permanent vegetative cover.

37
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Basin Configuration
The average length to width ratio of the dry
detention basin must be at least 2:1. Under t
hese design conditions, short circuiting is mi
nimized and pollutant removal efficiency is
maximized.

38
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Inlet Structures
Inlet structures should be designed to
dissipate the energy of water entering the
basin.

39
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Maintenance
Dry detention systems must include
provisions for removal of sediment and
debris from the basin and mowing and
removal of grass clippings.

40
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Design Criteria and Guidelines for
Retention Systems
Retention system is defined as a storage area
designed to store a defined quantity of runof
f, allowing it to percolate through permeable
soils into the shallow ground water aquifer.
Soil permeability and water table conditions
must be such that the retention system can
percolate the desired runoff volume within a
specified time following a storm event.

41
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 After drawdown has been completed, the basin
does not hold any water, thus the system is
normally "dry." Unlike detention basins, the
treatment volume for retention systems is not
discharged to surface waters.
 Retention systems provide excellent removal of sto
rmwater pollutants. Substantial amounts of suspen
ded solids, oxygen demanding materials, heavy met
als, bacteria, some varieties of pesticides and nutrie
nts such as phosphorus are removed as runoff perc
olates through the vegetation and soil profile.

42
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A typical retention basin

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Treatment Volume
The first flush of runoff should be routed to
the retention basin and percolated into the
ground.
Off-line retention of the first one-half inch of
runoff or 1.25 inches of runoff from the
impervious area, whichever is greater.
On-line retention of an additional one half inch
of runoff from the drainage area over that
volume specified for off-line treatment.

44
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Recovery Time
The retention system must provide the capa
city for the appropriate treatment volume of
stormwater within 72 hours following a stor
m event assuming average antecedent moist
ure conditions.

45
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Basin Stabilization
The retention basin should be stabilized
with pervious material or permanent
vegetative cover.
To provide proper treatment of the runoff
in very permeable soils, permanent
vegetative cover must be utilized.

46
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Wet Detention Design and
Performance Criteria
To meet the objectives of the Stormwater R
ule, the traditional flood attenuation pond w
as modified to maximize water quality treat
ment processes. These modified detention po
nds are identified by the name "wet detentio
n systems." These systems are permanently
wet ponds which are designed to slowly relea
se collected stormwater runoff through an o
utlet structure.
47
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A typical wet detention pond

48
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Wet detention systems provide significant
removal of both dissolved and suspended
pollutants by taking advantage of physical,
chemical, and biological processes within the
pond.
Wet detention systems also provide other
benefits such as flood detention, passive
recreation activities related adjacent to
ponds, storage of runoff for irrigation, and
pleasing aesthetics.
49
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Treatment Volume
For wet detention systems, the design
treatment volume is the greater of the
following:
one inch of runoff over the drainage area
2.5 inches times the impervious area (excluding
water bodies)

50
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Recovery Time
The outfall structure should be designed to
drawdown one-half the required treatment
volume within 24 and 30 hours following a
storm event, but no more than one-half of
this volume will be discharged within the
first 24 hours.

51
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Outlet Structure
The outlet structure generally includes a dra
wdown device (such as an orifice, "V“ or sq
uare notch weir) set to establish a normal w
ater control elevation and slowly release the
treatment volume.
The control elevation should be set at or abo
ve the design tailwater elevation so the pond
can effectively recover the treatment storage
.
52
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Typical wet detention outfall structure

53
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Typical wet detention outfall structure
with V-notch weir

54
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Permanent Pool
A significant component and design
criterion for the wet detention system is the
storage capacity of the permanent pool (i.e.,
section of the pond which holds water at all
times).
The permanent pool should be sized to
provide at least a 14-day residence time
during the wet season (June - October).

55
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Important pollutant removal processes which
occur within the permanent pool include:
uptake of nutrients by algae, adsorption of
nutrients and heavy metals onto bottom
sediments, biological oxidation of organic
materials, and sedimentation (CDM 1985).
Uptake by algae is probably the most
important process for the removal of
nutrients. Sedimentation and adsorption onto
bottom sediments is likely the primary means
of removing heavy metals (CDM 1985).
56
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 The storage capacity of the permanent pool must be
large enough to detain the untreated runoff long
enough for the treatment processes described above
to take place.
 Since one of the major biological mechanisms for
pollutant removal in a wet detention basin is
phytoplankton growth, the average hydraulic
residence time of the pond must be long enough to
ensure adequate algal growth (CDM 1985). A
residence time of 2 weeks is considered to be the
minimum duration that ensures adequate
opportunity for algal growth (CDM 1985).
57
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Calculating permanent pool volumes

58
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59
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60
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Littoral Zone
The littoral zone is that portion of a wet
detention pond which is designed to contain
rooted aquatic plants. The littoral area is
usually provided by extending and gently
sloping the sides of the pond down to a
depth of 2-3 feet below the normal water
level or control elevation. Also, the littoral
zone can be provided in other areas of the
pond that have suitable depths (i.e., a
shallow shelf in the middle of the lake).

61
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The littoral zone is established with native a
quatic plants by planting and/or the placeme
nt of wetland soils containing seeds of native
aquatic plants.
A specific vegetation establishment plan mu
st be prepared for the littoral zone. The plan
must consider the hydroperiod of the pond a
nd the type of plants to be established.

62
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 The following is a list of the design criteria for wet
detention littoral zones:
The littoral zone shall be gently sloped (6H:1V or
flatter). At least 30 percent of the wet detention pond
surface area shall consist of a littoral zone. The
percentage of littoral zone is based on the ratio of
vegetated littoral zone to surface area of the pond at the
control elevation.
The treatment volume should not cause the pond level to
rise more than 18 inches above the control elevation
unless the applicant affirmatively demonstrates that the
littoral zone vegetation can survive at greater depths.
63
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Within 24 months of completion of the system, 80
percent coverage of the littoral zone by suitable aquatic
plants is required.
Planting of the littoral zone is recommended to meet the
80% coverage requirement. As an alternative to
planting, portions of the littoral zone may be established
by placement of wetland top soils (at least a four inch
depth) containing a seed source of desirable native
plants. When utilizing this alternative, the littoral zone
must be stabilized by mulching or other means and at
least the portion of the littoral zone within 25 feet of the
inlet and outlet structures must be planted.

64
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Pond Depth
 The rule requires a maximum pond depth of 12 fee
t and a mean depth (pond volume divided by the p
ond area at the control elevation) between 2 and 8 f
eet.
 Many of the nutrients and metals removed from th
e water column accumulate in the top few inches of
the pond bottom sediments (Yousef et al. 1990). If
a pond is deep enough, it will have a tendency to st
ratify, creating the potential for anaerobic conditio
ns developing at the bottom of the pond (CDM 198
5).
65
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 An aerobic environment should be maintained thro
ughout the water column in wet detention ponds in
order to minimize the release of nutrients and meta
ls from the bottom sediments (Yousef et al. 1990).
 The maximum depth criteria minimizes the potenti
al for significant thermal stratification which will h
elp maintain aerobic conditions in the water colum
n that should maximize sediment uptake and mini
mize sediment release of pollutants.

66
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Pond Configuration
The average length to width ratio of the pon
d must be at least 2:1. Yousef et al. (1990) re
ports that it is important to maximize the flo
w path of water from the inlets to the outlet
of the pond to promote good mixing (i.e., no
dead spots).
Under these design conditions, short circuiti
ng is minimized and pollutant removal effici
ency and mixing is maximized.
67
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Ground Water Table
To minimize ground water contributions wh
ich may lower treatment efficiencies, the con
trol elevation should be set at or above the n
ormal on-site ground water table elevation
(Yousef et al. 1990).
This elevation may be determined by calcula
ting the average of the seasonal high and sea
sonal low ground water table elevations.

68
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Pond Side Slopes
The pond must be designed so that the avera
ge pond side slope measured between the co
ntrol elevation and two feet below the contro
l elevation is no steeper than 3:1 (horizontal:
vertical).
Because the pond sediments are an importa
nt component in the wet detention treatment
processes, this criterion will ensure sufficient
pond bottom/side slope area for the appropr
iate processes to occur.
69
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Applied Hydrology

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