Watershed | Assignment 2

Dr. Park | LARC 4302

Surinder Aulakh
Miguel Dobbs
Milad Fereshtehzhad

Watershed | Flint Avenue

Introduction
Watershed is a process in which the ground surface is saturated to a point where
water overflows the capacity of the cavity and produces runoff. Due to gravity, water is
forced to travel downward which produces a natural filtration system meaning the
sedimentary masses are extracted from the water's flow based on material construct,
size and density. The movement of the water which is polluted with contaminates,
sediments and various other element causes an erosive effect along its autonomously
created path. Lubbock is a resultant of the stitching Urban, Sub-urban and Rural
fabric where water is utilized for crop production, residential and urban sustainability.
The quality of water, within a society, is directly related to the amount of contaminants
removed from the surface and recovered at designated purification sites. In Lubbock,
Playa Lakes are responsible for retrieving water for various purposes and are also the
recipients of majority of the contaminants. The run-off collected will recharge the
water table by infiltrating the sediment at the bottom. The water reclamation process
utilized methods known as catchments and flow depletion devices in the built
environment. Slowing water's velocity allows for the efficient retention of rainwater
and slowly releases the water into the nearest channel. Catchments are formed
utilizing one of two methods; Basins and Terraces. Basin hold water and inhibit the
process of water seeping into the ground while terraces are created to slow or deflect
the flow of water towards a storage area for use. Flow depletion methods allows the for
slowing of storm water, over an area, through grading the land, enhancement of
ground infiltration and increasing the use of vegetation. There are many pollutant
sources found in Lubbock as well as other cities. These sources are summarized by
three major factions; Atmospheric disposition, Steel and fertilizer production, Urban/
agricultural waste water treatment plants. Atmospheric disposition is the resultant of

Watershed | Assignment 2
Dr. Park | LARC 4302
Surinder Aulakh
Miguel Dobbs
Milad Fereshtehzhad

natural and man-made processes which produce air-borne particles. The particles
which are dispersed in an area due to various factors such as blowing winds, fires,
vegetation growth and fertilizer use. Lead is the most prominent air-borne
contaminant because in the United States it the largest source of air pollution from
excavation to utilization from your vehicle. Producing steel and fertilizers/refining
petroleum utilizes heavy metals to complete these processes. The industrial waste is
seldom disposed of properly which, in turn, fabricates negative impacts on the
environmental ecology. Waste water effects the amount of pollutants in the run-off in
an area. Sewer sludge is understood to have high concentrations of Copper, Lead Zinc,
Cadmium, and Silver. All of these elements are known to have adverse effects on the
human body and the environment around them. Point sources are a direct exposure of
contamination to the environmental ecology. Street pavement, litter, anti- skid
compounds, and construction sites are point sources that are detrimental to the
environment because run-off is the only method of retrieving these elements from the
environment. The elements found in Lubbock's playa lakes due to the run-off are
Arsenic, Cadmium, Chromium, Copper, Lead, Mercury, Selenium, and Zinc. Though
the concentrations are minute these metals are known for having unfavorable/harmful
effects on humans and wildlife, specifically the aquatic wildlife. The densification of an
area creates side effects on humans involving gastro-intestinal issues, kidney damage,
muscular weakness, and neurological function depletion. Wildlife is required to react,
or adapt, to the growth of an area and all the destructive debris which is produced by
it. The amount of poisonous metals found in the water has stricken wildlife with
diseases, mutations, and a higher mortality rate. Reduction of algae growth and the
ability to photosynthesize resulted in a reduction of the fish and invertebrate's
developmental process. It is apparent that design approaches and tactics must be
discussed to ameliorate the environmental ecology. Nature's cycle is disrupted because
of our interjection and methods to re-establish a healthy environment is crucial.

Watershed | Assignment 2
Dr. Park | LARC 4302
Surinder Aulakh
Miguel Dobbs
Milad Fereshtehzhad

Study Site
Through the analysis of our site, it was discovered that water accumulates on the
northwest corner of 19th and Flint avenue and the southeast corner of 18th and Flint
avenue. The amount of rain in Lubbock is averaging 17 inches a year and most
rainstorms drop approximately 1 to 1.5 inches. The frequency of the rain is not
proportionate to the intensity. The largest contributor of run-off to the street is the
Flint Avenue Parking Facility. Being completely open and more receptive to water
collection creates a more crucial and challenging condition to filter effectively. Water is
released along Flint avenue which is graded to travel south towards 19th Street. on the
west19th Street is the location which suffers the most from the parking facilities
building. On the west side of 18th and Flint avenue is not graded properly to carry the
water south towards 19th. The west side of Flint avenue is the Weymouth Dormitory
and it's parking area. There is an elevation change, highest point being the center,
causing the water to run off into 19th street more drastically on the north and south
ends then the middle. The Bruno House sculpture, in front of the Architecture
building, captures significant percentage of water due to the landscaping and its
filtration layers.

Watershed | Assignment 2
Dr. Park | LARC 4302
Surinder Aulakh
Miguel Dobbs
Milad Fereshtehzhad

Watershed | Assignment 2
Dr. Park | LARC 4302
Surinder Aulakh
Miguel Dobbs
Milad Fereshtehzhad

Site Analysis

Watershed | Assignment 2
Dr. Park | LARC 4302
Surinder Aulakh
Miguel Dobbs
Milad Fereshtehzhad

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Dr. Charles Kleins proposal for a bioswale on the west side of Flint avenue

Watershed | Assignment 2
Dr. Park | LARC 4302
Surinder Aulakh
Miguel Dobbs
Milad Fereshtehzhad

Proposal: Bioswale
Bioswale design is a method which can be useful in most urban conditions to
capitalize on rainwater filtration. According to Paul M. Loechl, Bioswales are
landscape elements designed to remove silt and pollution from surface runoff water.
They consist of a swaled1 drainage course with gently sloped sides (less than %6) and
filled with vegetation, compost, and/or riprap.

!
Two bioswales for a housing development. The foreground one is under construction
while the background one is established
Bioswales are relatively easier and cheaper to maintain than conventional methods.
They are created by digging to the bottom of a swale and adding gravel, sand/ top soil,
which is required for Lubbock's clay soils. Planting appropriate/native plants is crucial
1

According to Sustainable Horticulture, Aswaleis a low tract of land, that usually exists in a moist or

marshy situation and can be a natural landscape feature or one specifically built for environmental
reasons. The later is often an open drain system is that manages water runoff.

Watershed | Assignment 2
Dr. Park | LARC 4302
Surinder Aulakh
Miguel Dobbs
Milad Fereshtehzhad

because the watering source is primarily run-off. Also the implementation of a newly
developed permeable concrete will efficiently drain water into the bioswale.

Precedent Study
Two early examples of scientifically designed bioswales for large scale applications are
found in the western United States.
In 1996 for Willamette River Park inPortland, Oregon a total of 2330 lineal feet of
bioswale was designed and installed to capture and prevent pollutant runoff from
entering theWillamette River. Intermittent check damswere installed to further abet
silt capture, with the outcome of reducing 50 percent of all suspended solids entering
the river system.2

France, Robert L. (2002).Handbook of Water Sensitive Planning and Design. Boca Raton, FL: CRC

Press.

Watershed | Assignment 2
Dr. Park | LARC 4302
Surinder Aulakh
Miguel Dobbs
Milad Fereshtehzhad

Watershed | Assignment 2
Dr. Park | LARC 4302
Surinder Aulakh
Miguel Dobbs
Milad Fereshtehzhad

!
South Lot swale in 2004

Watershed | Assignment 2
Dr. Park | LARC 4302
Surinder Aulakh
Miguel Dobbs
Milad Fereshtehzhad

!
North Lot swale in 1998, two years after completion 3
A second example of a large scale designed bioswale is at the Carneros Business
Park, Sonoma County, California. Starting in 1997 the project design team worked
with theCalifornia Department of Fish and Gameand County of Sonoma to produce
a detailed design to channel surface runoff at the perimeter of a large parking
area.Surface runoff consists of building roof runoff, parking lot runoff and overland
flow from properties to the north of the project site. A total of two lineal miles of
bioswale was designed into the project. The purpose of the bioswale was to minimize
runoff contaminants from enteringSonoma Creek. The designed bioswale channel is

Photos courtesy of article 78489 retrieved on Nov 10, 2015 from www.portlandoregon.gov

Watershed | Assignment 2
Dr. Park | LARC 4302
Surinder Aulakh
Miguel Dobbs
Milad Fereshtehzhad

grass-lined, but almost linear in form. Downslope gradient is approximately four

percent and cross-slope gradient is approximately six percent.4

Lumina Technologies (1998).Hydrology and biology studies for Carneros Business Park, prepared for

the William A. Saks Company pursuant to requirements of the County of Sonoma. In addition,
approximately 2000 bioswales are projected to be installed all across New York City to protect the city's
combined sewer system.