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.

Maximum allowable bulk density values by soil texture class (Sustainable Sites Initiative, 2009). Click to enlarge.

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

LID BMP Type	Soil Characteristic	Acceptance Criteriai	Test
Bioretention / Bioswales / Dry swale
	Textureii	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 weightii	Walkley-Black method when OM <7.5% or Loss On Ignition (LOI) method when OM ≥7.5%iii
	Soil pH	6.0 to 7.8	pH of a Saturated Pasteiii
	Cationic Exchange Capacity (CEC)	>10 meq/100 g	Cationic Exchange Capacity Test
	Phosphorusiv	12 to 40 ppm	Extractable Phosphorus
	Soluble Saltsv	≤2.0 mS/cm (0.2 S/m)	Electrical Conductivity of a Soil-Water Slurry (2:1 water to soil ratio by volume)iii
	Depth	+/- 10% of design specification	Soil Cores, Test Pits or Cone Penetration Tests
	Compactionvi	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)ii	5 to 10% by dry weight	Walkley-Black method when OM <7.5% or Loss On Ignition (LOI) method when OM ≥7.5%iii
	Soil pH	6.0 to 7.8	pH of a Saturated Pasteiii
	Phosphorusiv	12 to 40 ppm	Extractable Phosphorus
	Soluble Saltsv	≤2.0 mS/cm (0.2 S/m)	Electrical Conductivity of a Soil-Water Slurry (2:1 water to soil ratio by volume)iii
	Depth	+/- 10% of design specification	Soil Cores, Test Pits
	Compaction	Surface Resistance: ≤110 PSI; Sub-surface Resistance: Use soil texture class and "Soil & Texture Class Table" (below) to determine maximum acceptable value; Bulk Density: Use PSD to interpolate maximum bulk density value from bulk density figure beside this table.	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)ii	5 to 10% by dry weight	Walkley-Black method when OM <7.5% or Loss On Ignition (LOI) method when OM ≥7.5%iii
	Soil pH	6.0 to 7.8	pH of a Saturated Pasteiii
	Phosphorusiv	12 to 40 ppm	Extractable Phosphorus
	Soluble Saltsv	≤2.0 mS/cm (0.2 S/m)	Electrical Conductivity of a Soil-Water Slurry (2:1 water to soil ratio by volume)iii
	Compaction	Surface Resistance: ≤110 PSI; Sub-surface Resistance: Use soil texture class and "Soil & Texture Class Table" (below) to determine maximum acceptable value; Bulk Density: Use PSD to interpolate maximum bulk density value from bulk density figure beside this table.	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	See product vendor or BMP designer for specifications	Particle-Size Distribution (PSD), or % Sand/Silt/Clay (i.e., Soil Texture) plus Sand Fraction
	Maximum Media Density	See product vendor or BMP designer for specification	Maximum Media Density Test (ASTM E2399/E2399M-15)
	Water Storage Capacityvii	Extensive: ≥35% by volume / Intensive: ≥45% by volume	Both part of Maximum Media Density Test (ASTM E2399/E2399M-15)
	Air-Filled Porosityvii	≥10% by volume	Part of Maximum Media Density Test (ASTM E2399/E2399M-15)
	Permeability, Saturated Media	See product vendor or BMP designer for specification	Part of Maximum Media Density Test (ASTM E2399/E2399M-15)
	Organic Matter	See product vendor or BMP designer for specification	Walkley-Black method when OM <7.5% or Loss On Ignition (LOI) method when OM ≥7.5%iii
	Soil pHviii	6.5 to 7.8	pH of a Saturated Paste
	Soluble Saltsviii	≤0.85 mS/cm (0.085 S/m)	Electrical Conductivity of a Saturated Media Extract (SME)solution
	Phosphorusix	2.2 to 40 ppm	Electrical Conductivity of a Saturated Media Extract (SME)solution

Notes
i Values represent acceptable ranges for established BMPs (i.e., in operation for 3 years or more). For Construction and Assumption inspections, final design and soil or media product specifications and permissible tolerance ranges should be used as the acceptance criteria, which may be smaller ranges than the values in this table.
ii Suggested range for diagnosing suspected problems with drainage function, vegetation cover or vegetation condition for established BMPs constructed with filter media that meets recommended guidelines (CVC & TRCA, 2010). For proprietary filter media products, different ranges may be acceptable. Product specifications should be provided by the media supplier. Test results should be compared to the media supplier’s specifications and permissible tolerance ranges
iii Based on Ontario Ministry of Food and Rural Affairs’ Soil Fertility Handbook guidance on soil fertility testing for crop production (OMAFRA, 2006).
iv Based on Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA, 2015) for minimum to sustain plant growth and Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA, 2014) for a maximum to avoid unnecessary fertilization that would have low or no effect on plant health.
v Based on the threshold for non-saline soils (Whitney, 2012).
vi Interpolated value from bulk density figure beside this table. based on a sandy loam soil containing at least 70% sand-sized particles.
vii Based on German green roof standards (FLL 2008). Specifications will vary depending on the green roof growing media product. Product specifications should be provided by the media supplier. Test results should be compared to the media supplier’s specifications and permissible tolerance ranges.
viii Based on Penn State University Center for Green Roof Research (Berghage et al. 2008).
ix Based on Penn State University Center for Green Roof Research (Berghage et al. 2008) for the minimum to sustain plant growth and Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA, 2014) for the maximum to avoid unnecessary fertilization that would have low or no effect on plant health.

Acceptable Soil Cone Penetrometer Readings (Soil & Texture Class)

Surface Resistancei	'Sub-surface Resistancei
All Soil Textures	Sandy (includes loamy sand, sandy loam, sandy clay loam and sandy clay)	Silty (includes loam, silty loam, silty clay loam, and silty clay)	Clayey (includes clay loam and clay)
≤ 110 PSIii	≤ 260 PSI	≤ 260 PSI	≤ 225 PSI
≤ 7.7 kg/cm2	≤ 18.3 kg/cm2 iii	≤ 18.3 kg/cm2	≤ 15.8 kg/cm2
≤ 758 kPaiv	≤ 1793 kPa	≤ 1793 kPa	≤ 1551 kPa

Notes
i Adapted from Gugino et al. (2009)
ii PSI = pounds per square inch (lb/in2)
iii kg/cm2 = kilogram per square centimetre.
iv kPa = kilopascals

For further information regarding soil characteristics, acceptance criteria per LID BMP type and associated testing tools and protocols scroll down to the embedded 2016 guide below.

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).

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)

A thin layer of vegetation and growing medium installed on top of a conventional flat or sloped roof, also referred to as living roofs or rooftop gardens.

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.

Credit Valley Conservation

Toronto and Region Conservation Authority

Low impact development is a stormwater management and land development strategy applied at the parcel and subdivision scale that emphasizes conservation and use of on-site natural features integrated with engineered, small scale hydrologic controls to more closely mimic pre-development hydrologic functions.

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.