Infiltration rates observed in Minnesota
Infiltration rates observed in Minnesota.
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| Source of data | Range of infiltration rates (in/hr) | Number of monitoring sites | Brief description of site | Year construction | Monitoring dates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Washington Watershed District | 0.02 to 3.021 | 1 | Infiltration trench located in regional basin CD-P85. These trenches are an average of 13 feet deep. Underlying material is sand and gravelly sand. | 2004 | 1999 to 2005 |
| Rice Creek Watershed District | 0.03 to 0.59 | 4 | Monitoring data collected at 3 rain gardens and an infiltration island located at Hugo City Hall. Soils in the basin consist of silty fine sand with a shallow depth to the water table. Trench receives significant pretreatment of stormwater prior to infiltration. | 2002 | 2002 to 2003 |
| Brown's Creek Watershed District | 0.01 to 0.20 | 2 | Monitoring data collected at 2 infiltration basins. Soils in the basins consist of silty sand and silt clay interspersed with clayey sandy silt. | 2000 to 2005 | |
| Field's of St. Croix, Lake Elmo, MN. | 0.02 to 0.14 | 3 | Monitoring data collected at 3 infiltration basins located in a residential development. Soils in the basins consist of sandy loam and silt loam (HSG B). | 2001 to 2003 | |
| Bradshaw Development, Stillwater, MN | 0.26 to 0.28 | 1 | Monitoring data collected in 1 infiltration basin located in a commercial develolment. Soils in the basin consist of a silty sand. | 2005 | 2005 |
| Gortner Ave. Rain Water Gardens, University of Minnesota, tested by St. Anthony Falls Laboratory, Water, Air, Soil Pollution, 2013: Assessment of the Hydraulic and Toxic Metal Capacities of Bioretention Cells After 2 to 8 Years of Service | 0.104 to 5.76 | 1 | Assessment of 40 locations within one bioretention basin. Testing was conducted 2 years after installation. The Raingarden receives runoff from adjunct grassed areas and a street. The underlying soils consist of sandy loam and silt loam over sand. | 2004 | 2006 and 2010 |
| St. Anthony Falls Laboratory, Minnesota Local Road Research Board, Minnesota Department of Transportation | 0.29 to 1.55 | 5 | Five highway ditches studied, with up to 20 measurements taken at each highway ditch segment, for a total of 96 measurements. | 2011-2012 | |
| JAWA, 2009: Performance Assessment of Rain Gardens | 1.29 | 1 | Stillwater Infiltration Basin, 65 measurements | 2012 | |
| JAWA, 2009: Performance Assessment of Rain Gardens Water, Air, Soil Pollution, 2013: Assessment of the Hydraulic and Toxic Metal Capacities of Bioretention Cells After 2 to 8 Years of Service | 2.66 | 1 | Burnsville Rain Garden is 28 square meters and was constructed in 2003 in a residential neighborhood. Underlying soils are sandy loam over sand. In 2006, 23 infiltration measurements were taken in a single rain garden in the third year of operation. | 2003 | 2006 |
| JAWA, 2009: Performance Assessment of Rain Gardens Water, Air, Soil Pollution, 2013: Assessment of the Hydraulic and Toxic Metal Capacities of Bioretention Cells After 2 to 8 Years of Service | 6.30 | 1 | Cottage Grove Rain Garden is 70 square meters in area, constructed in 2002 to receive runoff from a parking lot. Underlying soils are sands and gravels. In 2006 in the fourth year of operation, 20 measurements were taken in the single rain garden. | 2002 | 2006 |
| JAWA, 2009: Performance Assessment of Rain Gardens Water, Air, Soil Pollution, 2013: Assessment of the Hydraulic and Toxic Metal Capacities of Bioretention Cells After 2 to 8 Years of Service | 0.63 | 3 | Ramsey-Metro Watershed District Rain Gardens range from 29 to 147 square meters. These were constructed in 2006 and receive runoff from commercial buildings and city streets. Underlying soils are sandy loam layers over sand. A total of 32 measurements were taken in the three rain gardens. | 2006 | 2006 and 2010 |
| JAWA, 2009: Performance Assessment of Rain Gardens | 0.64 | 1 | Thompson Lake Rain Garden is 278 square meters, and was constructed in 2003 to receive runoff from a parking lot. Underlying soils are loamy sands over sands and silt loams. A total of 30 measurements were taken in the single rain garden in the third year of operation. | 2003 | 2006 |
| JAWA, 2009: Performance Assessment of Rain Gardens | 0.66 | 1 | University of Minnesota Duluth Rain Garden is 1,350 square meters in area and was constructed in 2005 to receive runoff from a parking lot. Underlying soils consist of sandy loam over clay. A total of 33 measurements were taken in the second year of operation. | 2005 | 2006 |
| St. Anthony Falls Laboratory | 0.46 | 1 | Albertville Swale, 9 | 2012 | |
| Journal of Environmental Management, 2013: Remediation to improve infiltration into compact soils | 0.94 | 1 | French Regional Park was included in a study that tested the initial infiltration rates of highly traveled, compacted turf areas to assess whether modification of the soils would improve the infiltration capacity. The site is near a beach, in an area that previously had been a single family residential area. The results shown represent initial infiltration at 18 monitoring locations prior to soil modification. Soils are highly disturbed, consisting primarily of loam overlaying a clay loam. | 2009 | |
| Journal of Environmental Management, 2013: Remediation to improve infiltration into compact soils | 1.07 | 1 | Maple Lake Park was included in a study that tested the initial infiltration rates of highly traveled, compacted turf areas to assess whether modification of the soils would improve the infiltration capacity. The site was a newly developed residential area that previously had been a sand/gravel excavation area. The results shown represent initial infiltration at 31 monitoring locations prior to soil modification. Soils at the time of testing were unknown. | 2009 | |
| Journal of Environmental Management, 2013: Remediation to improve infiltration into compact soils | 0.84 | 1 | Lake Minnetonka Regional Park was included in a study that tested the initial infiltration rates of highly traveled, compacted turf areas to assess whether modification of the soils would improve the infiltration capacity. The site selected was assumed to be highly compacted due to the relatively small growth of the trees in addition to areas of bare soils and/or dying turf. The results shown represent initial infiltration at 14 monitoring locations prior to soil modification. Soils consisted of a loam layer over clay loams. | 2009 | |
| St. Anthony Falls Laboratory | 0.28 | 16 | Woodland Cove, Minnetrista, 138 measurements | Planned development | 2010 |
1The high end of this range (3.1 inches per hour) is not representative of typical rates for similar soil types. This facility is periodically subject to 25 foot depths of water, is underlain by more than 100 feet of pure sand and gravel without any confining beds and the depth to the water table is greater than 50 feet below the land surface. In addition, two infiltration enhancement projects have been constructed in the bottom of the facility to promote infiltration: five dry wells and two infiltration trenches have been operating in CD-P85 at various periods of the monitoring program. 2