Abstract

Bioretention devices are becoming increasing popular stormwater management controls. However, there are many soil processes that affect their performance, and knowledge of these processes and soil characteristics are necessary in order to determine the expected performance of these devices under various conditions. This chapter stresses evapotranspiration (ET) and how it affects the water balance. Other processes discussed in this chapter include clogging from the capture of sediment on the bioretention facility device, cation exchange capacity (CEC) which is one measure of dissolved pollutant retention to protect groundwater, and sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) which can help identify adverse infiltration rate effects due to destabilized clay fractions in the soil. The steps for these analyses outlined here are being integrated into the Source Loading and Management Model (WinSLAMM) (Pitt 1997; Pitt and Voorhees 2002).

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