Decade of Research in Review at the Auburn University Stormwater Research Facility

Abstract

Sediment remains one of the most commonly occurring pollutants affecting the U.S.’s water bodies, as identified by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) ( 1). Construction activities largely accelerate soil erosion and subsequent sediment deposition. The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Construction General Permit requires construction operators to implement erosion and sediment control (E&SC) plans to minimize downstream implications from sediment-laden discharge. However, E&SC practices are often designed from “rules of thumb” and lack scientific, performance-based evidence in their design and implementation. The Auburn University Stormwater Research Facility (AU-SRF), previously the Auburn University Erosion and Sediment Control Testing Facility (AU-ESCTF), is an outdoor research center dedicated to evaluating E&SC practices and products commonly used on highway construction projects. Large-scale test apparatuses and methods at AU-SRF are designed to mimic construction site conditions, including rainfall, flow rates, topography, and soil characteristics, to evaluate existing and novel E&SC practices. Since its inception in 2008, AU-SRF has provided small-, medium-, and large-scale testing evaluations for numerous Departments of Transportation and product manufacturers. Findings from controlled testing have continued to inform the selection, design, implementation, and maintenance of E&SC practices used on construction sites and protect downstream waters and infrastructure. In the first decade, AU-SRF has directed 13 research projects and produced more than 30 peer-reviewed publications and 100 professional presentations. As AU-SRF grows into its second decade and efforts reach outside of the southeastern region, the mission to advance knowledge through E&SC research and development, product evaluation, and training remains constant. This review synthesizes the research produced from large-scale testing at AU-SRF to date and presents ongoing projects.

An Analysis of Soil Erosion on Construction Sites in Megacities Using Analytic Hierarchy Process

“…The low awareness and level of soil conservation management is the biggest risk source of soil loss in CSM, which is consistent with the research results of Houser [21]. In addition, this is also supported by another perspective, propounding that it is necessary for Auburn University [22] to train construction personnel in soil conservation. The construction unit should follow the rules and regulations, and implement the soil conservation measures for the construction site.…”

“…The difference in the management level will affect the effect of soil conservation measures. Improving the management awareness of soil conservation for construction project management per-sonnel can play a considerable role in controlling soil erosion in construction projects [22]. According to the identity of the main management personnel in the CSM, the management measures are divided into three factors: construction unit management (CU), supervision unit management (SU) and government management (GM).…”

“…Houser [21] evaluated sediment samples from rivers near construction projects with different levels of Best Management Practices (BMPs) and found that projects without effective controls had a 10-fold greater impact on the river than natural conditions; meanwhile, projects with reasonable measures had no significant difference in impact from natural conditions. Auburn University has also begun to try to guide construction and management personnel to pay attention to the drainage quality of construction projects through training courses, so as to achieve better control of water loss in CSM [22]. Some studies also mentioned that a better public perception and knowledge of land degradation increases the individual and collective responsibility in land use and land management [23,24].…”

Efficacy of Undisturbed Vegetated Buffers in Capturing Suspended Sediment

“…Because of the guidelines used by several states in sediment barrier design, a maximum drainage area of 0.5 acres (0.20 ha) per 100 linear ft (31 m), an unprotected upstream drainage area of 218 ft (66 m) in length, which is the length of a 0.5 acre (0.20 ha) area with a width of 100 ft (30 m), was used and kept constant through all modeling ( 30 ). This representative drainage area was also used in large-scale laboratory testing at the Auburn University Stormwater Research Facility and allows modeling results to be compared with past sediment barrier testing results ( 31 , 32 ). The length of the vegetated buffer was kept constant at 50 ft (15 m) to investigate and generate data on how much sediment was removed by a 50-ft (15-m) vegetated buffer.…”

Optimum Dosage and Product Selection Guidance for Flocculant Usage in Construction Stormwater Treatment

“…Researchers have been investigating the use of flocculants in construction stormwater treatment for filling the existing gap in knowledge through laboratory and field testing. For instance, the use of flocculants in sediment basin applications was investigated in several studies and showed substantial turbidity reduction in construction stormwater runoff ( 17–19 , 37 , 38 ). Wood et al ( 39 ) evaluated the feasibility of stormwater treatment by conventional and lamellar settling with and without flocculant injection and obtained up to 83% TSS removal with flocculant usage.…”