I-Corps: Storm Water Redistribution Device

这个i-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是允许业主充分开发他们的土地以获得经济利益，同时满足监管要求，同时保护我们赖以供水、环境效益和娱乐的水资源。目前，土地所有者使用可开发土地来管理暴雨。这个项目将考虑如何最好地利用整个场地的土壤来管理雨水，并腾出更多的场地用于开发。当我们建造建筑物、道路和停车场时，径流通过扩散自然集中的径流，可以将更多的水渗透到地下。有了这种渗透，从陆地表面吸收的污染物可以被土壤清除，而不是直接流向溪流。渗透到地下的水进入溪流，提供野生动物所需的源源不断的溪流。将径流分配到建筑物和人行道周围的土壤中，还可以帮助防止径流从许多老社区的雨水和卫生下水道中消失，使老化的基础设施继续运行，并减少合并的下水道溢出。这个i-Corps项目将产生一个新的解决方案，改变雨水径流的管理方式；改善水质，保持野生动物所需的溪流基流，同时降低成本，并需要更少的空间来满足许可要求。该解决方案包括专门建造的设备，以减缓水流并将其重新定向，使其能够渗入周围的土壤。核心技术基于一个公认的原则，即材料的大小、混合和排列方式决定了液体的流动方式。该解决方案的专利已经颁发，因为这种新的创新方法构建和部署了这些简单的材料(即，将沙子和砾石放置在环境美化中经常使用的土工织物的管子中)，使水可以从三维方向引导。集中径流，例如停车场外加速流动的水，被该设备拦截，首先被减慢，然后被引导到土壤中，或者被向左或向右移动到下一个设备段。

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.