Understanding the Surface Water Management Cycle for Sustainable Development
Where surface water management and water protection begins
Surface water management begins with an assessment of the hydrological demands of the project landscape. The rainfall and topography determine the surface water solution devised. ACO provides expertise in both the assessment and provision of product solutions to collect surface water across the site.
In hard surfaced areas, the extensive range and capacity of ACO trench drainage products offer a high capture performance along the total length of the trench run, thereby reducing the occurrence of ponding or unwanted runoff.
The safety and convenience of people, buildings and traffic is assured with ACO trench drainage products and surface water is managed on to its next stage in the water management process.
Achieving the right water quality
Water quality is an important factor when designing a surface water management solution. Surface water run-off is at greater risk of contamination from increased urbanisation and transportation demands on the environment. Government policy and planning guidelines require water quality to be taken into account to prevent contamination of surface and groundwater. If untreated water is discharged into the natural surroundings, it could endanger plant and wildlife, therefore preventative methods should be put in place.
Contaminations come in many forms, such as siltation containing suspended hydrocarbons and heavy metals, tyre wear, brake dust, soot and sediments, as well as de-icing products used during winter months in alpine regions.
ACO offers a number of treatment units to deal with water quality including heavy metal and suspended solids separators, and gas/oil interceptors. These can be combined with swales, so clean water can nourish an onsite wildlife area and allow wildlife and biodiversity to flourish.
Reducing surface runoff to a natural level
With increasing urbanisation, larger areas of landscape are being covered with impermeable surfacing. This increases the risk of flooding. The natural water cycle of infiltration, evaporation and evapotranspiration is hindered. Solutions such as ACO StormBrixx® can be used to store and slow down the surface water runoff rate to natural levels. These geocellular systems can be used for retention, detention and infiltration as well as contributing to Water-Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD).
ACO StormBrixx® can help support the stormwater network by providing capacity to meet these high risk flooding scenarios. They can also be used to protect surrounding water networks and inhabited areas through a controlled discharge into the groundwater that mimics natural infiltration.
Control discharge rate to the required level
To meet the limiting capacity requirements of stormwater networks and natural waterways, water discharge rates are controlled on site by either an orifice plate or vortex flow controllers.
ACO has solutions for both environments with units sized to match legislated run-off rates or the runoff rate from a greenfield equivalent to ensure that the infrastructure and environment are not put under strain.
