Bioretention media storage

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box plot of nine documented bioretention media

Bioretention filter media may be assumed to have a storage capacity of 0.4.

This has been calculated as the difference between the media porosity and field capacity from a number of studies.

  1. Marine sand: 0.51 - 0.06 = 0.45 [1]
  2. Marine sand with 10 % compost: 0.51 - 0.11 = 0.40 [1]
  3. Marine sand with 20 % compost: 0.53 - 0.12 = 0.41 [1]
  4. Marine sand with 20 % compost & 20 % topsoil: 0.52 - 0.16 = 0.36 [1]
  5. Sand: 0.46 - 0.1 = 0.36 [2]
  6. NC sandy bioretention mix: 0.47 - 0.07 = 0.40 [3]
  7. Bioretention soil I: 0.71 - 0.1 = 0.61 [4]
  8. Bioretention soil II: 0.52 - 0.1 = 0.42 [4]
  9. M minus mean θini: 0.76 - 0.32 = 0.44 [5]:


  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Liu, Ruifen, and Elizabeth Fassman-Beck. “Pore Structure and Unsaturated Hydraulic Conductivity of Engineered Media for Living Roofs and Bioretention Based on Water Retention Data.” Journal of Hydrologic Engineering 23, no. 3 (March 2018): 04017065. doi:10.1061/(ASCE)HE.1943-5584.0001621
  2. ↑ Saxton, K E, and W J Rawls. “Soil Water Characteristic Estimates by Texture and Organic Matter for Hydrologic Solutions.” Soil Science Society of America Journal, 2006. doi:10.2136/sssaj2005.0117.
  3. ↑ Davis, Allen P., Robert G. Traver, William F. Hunt, Ryan Lee, Robert A. Brown, and Jennifer M. Olszewski. “Hydrologic Performance of Bioretention Storm-Water Control Measures.” Journal of Hydrologic Engineering 17, no. 5 (May 2012): 604–14. doi:10.1061/(ASCE)HE.1943-5584.0000467.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Li, Houng, and Allen P. Davis. “Urban Particle Capture in Bioretention Media. I: Laboratory and Field Studies.” Journal of Environmental Engineering 134, no. 6 (June 2008): 409–18. doi:10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9372(2008)134:6(409).
  5. ↑ Roy-Poirier, A., Y. Filion, and P. Champagne. “An Event-Based Hydrologic Simulation Model for Bioretention Systems.” Water Science and Technology 72, no. 9 (November 11, 2015): 1524–33. doi:10.2166/wst.2015.368.

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

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

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.

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)

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.

Decayed organic material used as a plant fertilizer. Compost helps to support healthy plant growth through the slow release of nutrients and the retention of moisture in the soil.

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.

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