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David A. Aronson

Publications and source records attributed to David A. Aronson.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS1978

Ponding-test procedure for assessing the infiltration capacity of storm-water basins, Nassau County, New York

A procedure to obtain field data for assessing performance of storm-water basins having high infiltration rates is described. The basin selected is divided into test plots, and treated municipal water from a fire hydrant is ponded to the desired depth so that infiltration rates and flow patterns in the unsaturated zone can be determined by standard methods. The study was made at a storm-water basin excavated in glacial outwash deposits in Nassau County, Long Island, N.Y. in 1971-72. The types of interpretations and evaluations that can be made from test data are described, and applications of the procedure as well as guidelines for developing a similar testing program are given. Observations of special significance were: (1) Infiltration rate of the basin at low water stage is about 1.5 feet per hour but increases with increased water level; (2) flow through the unsaturated zone is essentially vertical; (3) infiltration rate is controlled by a surface stratum --in this case a gravelly, sandy loam; and (4) the position of the water table has little effect on infiltration rate provided it is below the lower boundary of the controlling zone. These observations can be used in evaluating a storm-water basin's suitability for supplemental recharge with treated wastewater, in comparing procedures for increasing a basin's infiltration capacity, or in the design of new storm-water basin systems.

Water Supply Paper↗
USGS1977

Analysis of the recharge potential of storm-water basins on Long Island, New York

Many of the more than 2,200 storm-water basins on Long Island, N.Y., are potential sites for infiltration of large volumes of reclaimed water (highly treated domestic and industrial sewage). By use of a finite-difference method of calculation, changes in basin storage during idealized high-intensity storms were determined for the North Massapequa basin, a typical basin on Long Island. Calculations for a 100- year storm, in which a runoff coefficient of 20 percent was used but in which infiltration rate, storm intensity, storm duration, and return period were varied, indicate that this test basin would not overflow even if the infiltration rate declined from its present 1.5 feet per hour (0.46 meter per hour) to about 0.03 ft/h (0.009 m/h). The large reserve capacity of the test basin and similar basins on Long Island demonstrates the feasibility of using storm-water basins for infiltration of a supplemental water supply (supplemental recharge). If reclaimed water were ponded to a depth of 4 ft (1.2 m) in the test basin and if water application were alternated for equal periods between the test basin and a nearby basin with similar characteristics, the volume of infiltration would be slightly more than two million gallons per day (0.09 cubic meters per second) at an infiltration rate of 1.5 ft/h (0.46 m/h). With supplemental recharge, 60 percent of available storage capacity would be used during a 10-yr storm, and 80 percent would be used during a 100-yr storm, using a runoff coefficient of 20 percent.

New York↗