Testing

Section 8.2 - 8.9 content text (only) Appendix C as A SCROLLING DOCUMENT!!!

Mention training courses

Soil Characterization Testing

The soil component of an LID BMP contributes substantially to its stormwater treatment performance and overall function. If the soil is overly compacted or very finely textured, it may drain too slowly. If the soil is highly organic or contains excessive amounts of chemical fertilizer it may contribute to nutrient loads to receiving waters rather than reduce them. If the soil is too shallow it may not provide adequate treatment of contaminated stormwater or may not support healthy vegetation. Whether it be the engineered filter media of bioretention cells, the growing media of green roofs or the topsoil of enhanced swales, vegetated filter strips and soil amendment areas, it is important that the soil provide a healthy growing environment for plantings while being within design specifications for key parameters specific to the type of BMP.

It is most important to sample and test soil characteristics as a part of Construction and Assumption inspections, to confirm the BMP has been constructed with materials that meet design specifications and that installation of the soil component is acceptable. Testing to confirm that the material meets quality specifications (i.e., particle-size distribution, organic matter, pH, cationic exchange capacity, nutrients and soluble salts) needs to be completed prior to it being delivered to the construction site. Testing to confirm that installation of the soil component is acceptable (i.e., depth and compaction) should be performed after the installed material has been allowed to settle for at least two (2) weeks, and prior to planting.

Sampling and testing is also recommended as a part of Verification inspections, to determine if the BMP is being adequately maintained and if soil characteristics are still within acceptable ranges. It may also be done as part of Forensic inspection and Testing (FIT) work to help diagnose the cause of poor vegetation cover, drainage or treatment performance and decide on corrective actions.

Critical soil characteristics, acceptance criteria and tests by LID BMP type

LID BMP Type	Soil Characteristic	Acceptance Criteria*	Test
Bioretention / Bioswales / Dry swale
	Texture**	Loamy Sand or Sandy Loam; 70 to 88% sand-sized particles; 12 to 30% silt- and clay-sized particles; <20% clay-sized particles.	Particle-Size Distribution (PSD), or % Sand/Silt/Clay (i.e., Soil Texture) plus Sand Fraction
	Organic Matter (OM)	3 to 10% by dry weight**	Walkley-Black method when OM <7.5% or Loss On Ignition (LOI) method when OM ≥7.5%***
	Soil pH	6.0 to 7.8	pH of a Saturated Paste***
	Cationic Exchange Capacity (CEC)	>10 meq/100 g	Cationic Exchange Capacity Test
	Phosphorus****	12 to 40 ppm	Extractable Phosphorus
	Soluble Salts*****	≤2.0 mS/cm (0.2 S/m)	Electrical Conductivity of a Soil-Water Slurry (2:1 water to soil ratio by volume)***
	Depth	+/- 10% of design specification	Soil Cores, Test Pits or Cone Penetration Tests
	Compaction	Surface Resistance: ≤110 PSI; Sub-surface Resistance: ≤260 PSI Bulk Density: ≤1.60 g/cm3	Cone Penetration Tests or Bulk Density Tests
	Permeability	i ≥25 mm/h (KS ≥ 1 x 10-5 cm/s); and i ≤203 mm/h (KS ≤ 0.02 cm/s).	Surface Infiltration Rate Tests
Enhanced swale (topsoil)
	Texture	Same soil texture classification as specified in the final design or recorded on the as-built drawing	Particle-Size Distribution (PSD), or % Sand/Silt/Clay (i.e., Soil Texture) plus Sand Fraction
	Organic Matter (OM)**	5 to 10% by dry weight	Walkley-Black method when OM <7.5% or Loss On Ignition (LOI) method when OM ≥7.5%***
	Soil pH	6.0 to 7.8	pH of a Saturated Paste***
	Phosphorus****	12 to 40 ppm	Extractable Phosphorus
	Soluble Salts*****	≤2.0 mS/cm (0.2 S/m)	Electrical Conductivity of a Soil-Water Slurry (2:1 water to soil ratio by volume)***
	Depth	+/- 10% of design specification	Soil Cores, Test Pits
	Compaction	Surface Resistance: ≤110 PSI; Sub-surface Resistance: Use soil texture class and Table 8.3 to determine maximum acceptable value; Bulk Density: Use PSD to interpolate maximum bulk density value from Figure 8.7.	Cone Penetration Tests or Bulk Density Tests
	Permeability	i ≥15 mm/h (KS ≥ 1 x 10-6 cm/s)	Surface Infiltration Rate Tests
Vegetated filter strips and Soil Amendment Areas (topsoil)
	Texture	Same soil texture classification as specified in the final design or recorded on the as-built drawing	Particle-Size Distribution (PSD), or % Sand/Silt/Clay (i.e., Soil Texture) plus Sand Fraction
	Organic Matter (OM)**	5 to 10% by dry weight	Walkley-Black method when OM <7.5% or Loss On Ignition (LOI) method when OM ≥7.5%***
	Soil pH	6.0 to 7.8	pH of a Saturated Paste***
	Phosphorus****	12 to 40 ppm	Extractable Phosphorus
	Soluble Salts*****	≤2.0 mS/cm (0.2 S/m)	Electrical Conductivity of a Soil-Water Slurry (2:1 water to soil ratio by volume)***
	Depth	+/- 10% of design specification	Soil Cores, Test Pits
	Compaction	Surface Resistance: ≤110 PSI; Sub-surface Resistance: Use soil texture class and Table 8.3 to determine maximum acceptable value; Bulk Density: Use PSD to interpolate maximum bulk density value from Figure 8.7.	Cone Penetration Tests or Bulk Density Tests
	Permeability	i ≥15 mm/h (KS ≥ 1 x 10-6 cm/s)	Surface Infiltration Rate Tests
Green roof (growing media)
	Texture	Same soil texture classification as specified in the final design or recorded on the as-built drawing	Particle-Size Distribution (PSD), or % Sand/Silt/Clay (i.e., Soil Texture) plus Sand Fraction
	Organic Matter (OM)**	5 to 10% by dry weight	Walkley-Black method when OM <7.5% or Loss On Ignition (LOI) method when OM ≥7.5%***
	Soil pH	6.0 to 7.8	pH of a Saturated Paste***
	Phosphorus****	12 to 40 ppm	Extractable Phosphorus
	Soluble Salts*****	≤2.0 mS/cm (0.2 S/m)	Electrical Conductivity of a Soil-Water Slurry (2:1 water to soil ratio by volume)***
	Depth	+/- 10% of design specification	Soil Cores, Test Pits
	Compaction	Surface Resistance: ≤110 PSI; Sub-surface Resistance: Use soil texture class and Table 8.3 to determine maximum acceptable value; Bulk Density: Use PSD to interpolate maximum bulk density value from Figure 8.7.	Cone Penetration Tests or Bulk Density Tests
	Permeability	i ≥15 mm/h (KS ≥ 1 x 10-6 cm/s)	Surface Infiltration Rate Tests

Low Impact Development. A stormwater management strategy that seeks to mitigate the impacts of increased urban runoff and stormwater pollution by managing it as close to its source as possible. It comprises a set of site design approaches and small scale stormwater management practices that promote the use of natural systems for infiltration and evapotranspiration, and rainwater harvesting.

Best management practice. State of the art methods or techniques used to manage the quantity and improve the quality of wet weather flow. BMPs include: source, conveyance and end-of-pipe controls.

Watercourses and Lake Ontario, to which Stormwater and Combined Sewer Overflows discharge.

The engineered soil component of bioretention cell or dry swale designs, typically with a high rate of infiltration and designed to retain contaminants through filtration and adsorption to particles.

A shallow excavated surface depression containing prepared filter media, mulch, and planted with selected vegetation.

A shallow constructed channel, often grass-lined, which is used as an alternative to curb and channel, or as a pretreatment to other measures. Swales are generally characterized by a broad top width to depth ratio and gentle grades.

The practice of adding organic material, such as mulch or compost to topsoil to improve fertility, and tilling of the native soils to reverse compaction and restore its water retaining capacity.

Refers to the conditions in which an organism lives and survives or the conditions in which an organism resides. These conditions can be described as aspects of a “physical”, “social” or an “economic” environment, depending on the perspective perceived by the observer.

FIT work involves the application of a similar set of inspection and testing indicators as those used in Performance Verification inspections, but focuses on diagnosing suspected problems with the following objectives in mind: (1) Confirm whether or not problems with BMP function exist; (2) Identify the causes of confirmed problems; (3) Determine corrective actions needed.

Mineral particles which are smaller than 2 mm, and which are free of appreciable quantities of clay and silt. Coarse sand usually designates sand grains with particle size between 0.2 and 0.02 mm.

Mineral particles which are smaller than 2 mm, and which are free of appreciable quantities of clay and silt. Coarse sand usually designates sand grains with particle size between 0.2 and 0.02 mm.

Soil or media particles smaller than sand and larger than clay (3 to 60 m)

1. A mineral soil separate consisting of particles less than 0.002 millimeter in equivalent diameter. 2. A soil texture class. 3. (Engineering) A fine-grained soil (more than 50 percent passing the No. 200 Sieve) that has a high plasticity index in relation to the liquid limit. (Unified Soil Classification System).

Soil or media particles smaller than sand and larger than clay (3 to 60 m)

1. A mineral soil separate consisting of particles less than 0.002 millimeter in equivalent diameter. 2. A soil texture class. 3. (Engineering) A fine-grained soil (more than 50 percent passing the No. 200 Sieve) that has a high plasticity index in relation to the liquid limit. (Unified Soil Classification System).

Soil, sand and minerals washed from land into water, usually after rain. They pile up in reservoirs, rivers and harbors, destroying fish-nesting areas and holes of water animals and cloud the water so that needed sunlight might not reach aquatic plans. Careless farming, mining and building activities will expose sediment materials, allowing them to be washed off the land after rainfalls.

Human application of water to agricultural or recreational land for watering purposes. City of Toronto Wet Weather Flow Management November 2006 47

Tank used to store rainwater (typically roof runoff) for later use.