Infiltration chambers

Overview

As their name suggests infiltration chambers work exclusively to infiltrate stormwater. They are an underground facility and are often used beneath parking lots or playing fields to treat flow routed from other areas.

Infiltration chambers are an ideal technology for:

• Installing below any type of surface or landscape
• Receiving and infiltrating large volumes of water

The fundamental components of an infiltration chamber system are:

• Structurally reinforced chambers, vaults, crates, perforated pipes or other void-forming structures;
• Coarse aggregate to embed the void-forming structures and temporarily store water;
• Pipe to convey water into and out of the practice; and
• Geotextiles to maintain separation between the storage reservoir and surrounding native soil.

System type	Pipe	Vaults	Arched chambers	Crates
Materials	Plastic	Concrete	Plastic/concrete	Plastic
Footprint	Medium	Small	Large	Small
Stackable	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Void ratio	60-65%	75-85%	50-65%	95%
Maintenance access	Moderate	Excellent	Moderate	Difficult
Standard strength	H-20	H-25	H-20	H-20 to H-25

Planning Considerations

Both modular systems require a bedding of angular clear stone to permit infiltration, and provide a foundation for the installation:

• Plastic modules usually have a parabolic shape to resist the load above. The spaces between the rows of modules are filled with clear stone to support the overlying infrastructure.
• Concrete modules are often box shaped and can, in some circumstances, be employed without any additional cover. However, a minimum of 20 cm cover is recommended for most applications. Where this cover is planting soil this can support turf grass. Greater planting soil depths are required to support more deeply rooting plants like perennials and shrubs (45 to 60 cm) and trees (85 to 100 cm).

Design

Sizing

Infiltration: Sizing and modeling

Materials

Chambers

Plastic chambers

Chambers should be compliant with:

• CSA B184-17 "Polymeric subsurface stormwater management structures".
• ASTM F2418-16a “Standard Specification for Polypropylene (PP) Corrugated Wall Stormwater Collection Chambers”.

Allowable loads for the chambers must be determined in accordance with ASTM F2787-13 “Standard Practice for Structural Design of Thermoplastic Corrugated Wall Stormwater Collection Chambers”.

Concrete vaults

Concrete vault-type systems should be compliant with:

• CSA A23.3-14 "Design of concrete structures",
• CSA A23.1-09/A23.2-09 (R2014) "Concrete materials and methods of concrete construction/Test methods and standard practices for concrete", and
• ASTM C858 - 10e1 "Standard Specification for Underground Precast Concrete Utility Structures".

Aggregates

Note the uniform size and angularity of this clear stone sample. Note also that the fragments all appear to have a film of fine particles adhering; this material would be improved by being washed prior to use.

This article gives recommendations for aggregate to be used to store water for infiltration. This is usually called 'clear stone' at aggregate yards.

To see an analysis of Ontario Standard Specifications for granular materials, see OPSS aggregates.

For advice on decorative surface aggregates see Stone

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Gravel used for underdrains in bioretention, infiltration trenches and chambers, and exfiltration trenches should be 20 or 50 mm, uniformly-graded, clean (maximum wash loss of 0.5%), crushed angular stone that has a porosity of 0.4.

The clean wash to prevent rapid accumulation of fines from the aggregate particles in the base of the reservoir. The uniform grading and the angularity are important to maintain pore throats and clear voids between particles. (i.e. achieve the porosity). Porosity and permeability are directly influenced by the size, gradation and angularity of the particles . See jar test for on-site verification testing protocols.

Gravel with structural requirements should also meet the following criteria:

• Minimum durability index of 35
• Maximum abrasion of 10% for 100 revolutions and maximum of 50% for 500 revolutions

Standard specifications for the gradation of aggregates are maintained by ASTM D2940

• 

  The highest porosity is found in uniformly graded aggregate, as there are no smaller particles to occupy the inter-particle pores.

• 

  Higher permeability is found in larger, angular, uniformly graded aggregate. This is due to larger pore sizes and lower tortuosity.

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Other

• Geotextiles
• Pipes

Construction

Construction

Gallery

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  Infiltration chambers being installed.

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  Chamber systems can be very large, both in terms of depth and footprint...

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  ...or very small as this residential soakaway/dry well.

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  Parking lot stormwater detention system, partially installed. Photo credit: Arbitrarily0

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  Contractors construct an underground soakaway on the runway extension of Taxiway Alpha as shown here Oct. 5, 2012, at RAF Mildenhall, England. Photo credit: Karen Abeyasekere

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  Infiltration chambers being installed.

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  Example of "crate style" Infiltration chambers being installed in East Gwillimbury. Photo credit: Make-Way Environmental Technologies Inc.

External links

In our effort to make this guide as functional as possible, we have decided to include proprietary systems and links to manufacturers websites.
Inclusion of such links does not constitute endorsement by the Sustainable Technologies Evaluation Program.
Lists are ordered alphabetically; link updates are welcomed using the form below.

Plastic chambers

• ADS chambers design tool
• Armtec
• Echelon
• Cultec
• Nilex
• Triton

Concrete chambers

• Stormtrap

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Surface runoff from at-grade surfaces, resulting from rain or snowmelt events.

An underlying bed filled with aggregate or other void-forming fill material that temporarily stores stormwater before infiltrating into the native soil or being conveyed by an underdrain pipe.

The natural ground material characteristic of or existing by virtue of geographic origin.

The void ratio (e) of a mixture is the ratio of the volume of void-space to the volume of solids. It is closely related to the concept of porosity (n) where porosity is the ratio of the volume of void-space to the total or bulk volume of the mixture. e = Volume of voids/Volume of solids = n/(1-n)

The slow movement of water into or through a soil or drainage system.

Penetration of water through the ground surface.

A broad category of particulate material used in construction, including sand, gravel, crushed stone, slag, recycled concrete and geosynthetic aggregates, and available in various particulate size gradations.

A broad category of particulate material used in construction, including sand, gravel, crushed stone, slag, recycled concrete and geosynthetic aggregates, and available in various particulate size gradations.

Gravel, or crushed stone of various size gradations (i.e., diameter), used in construction; void forming material used as bedding and runoff storage reservoirs and underdrains in stormwater infiltration practices.

A broad category of particulate material used in construction, including sand, gravel, crushed stone, slag, recycled concrete and geosynthetic aggregates, and available in various particulate size gradations.

The porosity (n) of a mixture is the ratio of the volume of void-space to the total or bulk volume of the mixture. It is closely related to the concept of void ratio (e) where void ratio is the ratio of the volume of void-space to the volume of solids. n = Volume of voids/Total volume of mixture = e/(1+e)

Soil particles with a diameter less than 0.050 mm.

The porosity (n) of a mixture is the ratio of the volume of void-space to the total or bulk volume of the mixture. It is closely related to the concept of void ratio (e) where void ratio is the ratio of the volume of void-space to the volume of solids. n = Volume of voids/Total volume of mixture = e/(1+e)

An underground water storage reservoir into which stormwater is directed and allowed to percolate into the underlying native subsoil.

An excavated area lined with geotextile filter cloth and filled with clean granular stone or other void forming material, that receives runoff and allow it to infiltrate into the native soil; can also be referred to as infiltration galleries, French drains, dry wells or soakaway pits.

The temporary storage of stormwater to control discharge rates, and allow for sedimentation.