BMP maintenance

Installation and Maintenance of Stormwater Treatment BMPs Workshop, November 2013

Stormwater BMP MaintenanceImportance

• Maintain the function of the BMP• Maintain environmental and habitat

benefits• Maintain appearance-public acceptance• Prevent costly future repairs


Developing a Maintenance StrategyFacility Inventory

• Obtain maintenance plan and design documents

• Visit the site to review conditions, access

• Contact the local governmental jurisdiction

• Several communities in JOCO now require an establishment and maintenance plan to be recorded with the county


Developing a Maintenance Strategy Work Plan

• Review facility inventory• Review maintenance guides• Create a list of activities,

equipment needed and cost• Review plan with owner and local

governmental officials• Modify or create checklist and

record keeping procedures• Assign and educate personnel• Implementation and evaluation


InspectionsFrequency and Type

• Construction process• BMP age• BMP type• BMP condition

• BMP design• Plant type and species• Upstream conditions


Regular InspectionsFrequency

• Weekly during establishment period• Weekly/monthly after establishment period• Complete when doing regular site maintenance• Some inspections should occur during rainfall• Some inspections should occur 24 hours after rainfall

Weeds and invasive species a few months after planting

Immediately after planting

During rain eventAfter establishment period


Regular InspectionsLocation

• Upstream Parking Lots & Paved Areas• Upstream Unpaved Areas• Forebays• Main Treatment Area• Storm Sewer Pipes and Structures


Regular InspectionsVisual Assessment

• Trash and debris• Sediment accumulation• Bare soil and erosion• Plant coverage• Plant health

Trash and debris

Sediment accumulation

Plant coverage

Erosion

Plant Health


Regular InspectionsVisual Assessment

• Soil moisture and percolation• Weeds and invasive species• Animal and insect damage• Mulch condition

Weeds and invasive species

2 months after planting

Soil percolation

Animal damage Mulch


Periodic InspectionsFrequency

• Annually or as needed• Increase frequency to monitor

identified potential problems• During drought• During storm events


Periodic InspectionsVisual Assessment

• Storm sewer pipe and structure condition

• Dam, embankment, overflow weir condition

• Stormwater Flow


Periodic InspectionsTesting and Surveys

• Soil testing• Soil profile• Stormwater flow• Detention volume• Water testing


Regular Maintenance ProceduresSoil Stabilization

• Establishment Period• Management Period• Repairs


Regular Maintenance ProceduresClean Up – Trash and Debris

• Location• Equipment• Frequency• Disposal


Regular Maintenance ProceduresClean Up – Sediment Removal

• Location (Upstream, Forebay, Structures, Ponding & Treatment Area)

• Equipment• Method (Avoid heavy equipment

of select soils)• Frequency• Disposal• Amount (All or partial)


Regular Maintenance ProceduresPlant Density

• Facility age• Plant loss• Season• Plant spacing

Year 1 Year 2

Year 4


Regular Maintenance ProceduresInvasive Species Removal –General

• Importance• Frequency• Environmentally sensitive practices• Plant identification-use photo guides


Regular Maintenance ProceduresInvasive Species Removal –By Hand

• Method• Frequency• Weed species knowledge• Clean Up (removal of Biomass)


Regular Maintenance ProceduresInvasive Species Removal –Mowing

• Equipment• Method• Height• Frequency• Edging• Clean Up (removal of Biomass)


Regular Maintenance ProceduresInvasive Species Removal –Edging & Trimming

• Purpose• Equipment• Method• Frequency• Clean Up (removal of

Biomass)


Regular Maintenance ProceduresInvasive Species Removal –Burning

• Benefits• Local regulations• Method (Spot and Large Area)• Frequency


Regular Maintenance ProceduresInvasive Species Removal –Chemical

• Integrated Chemical Management• Product Selection• Timing• Method/Application


Regular Maintenance ProceduresInvasive Aquatic Species Removal

• Cattails• Reed Canary Grass• Algae

Installation and Maintenance of Stormwater Treatment BMPs Workshop, December 2011

Regular Maintenance ProceduresInvasive Woody Species Removal

• Location• Equipment• Method• Frequency


Regular Maintenance ProceduresPlant Maintenance

• Aesthetic Goals• Frequency• Plant Characteristics• Watering• Replacements• Disease


Regular Maintenance ProceduresSoil Amendments

• Type (Organic vs Inorganic• Composition• Frequency• Application Rate• Adjacent Areas


Regular Maintenance ProceduresPest Management

• Animal damage• Insects


Stormwater BMP MaintenanceResources

• APWA MARC Maunal of Best Management Practices for Stormwater Quality, Mid America Regional Council, August 2009

• “Maintaining Stormwater Systems: A Guidebook for Private Owners and Operators”, Northern Virginia Regional Commission, January 2007

• “Practically Easy Landscape Maintenance: A Care Manual for Natural Drainage Systems”, Seattle Public Utilities, 2005

• “Landscape Guide for Stormwater Best Management Practice Design”, Metropolitan St Louis Sewer District, 2009

• “A Citizen’s Guide to Maintaining Stormwater Best Management Practices”, Lake County Stormwater Management Commission, October 2004

• “Stormwater Wet Pond and Wetlands Management Guidebook”, EPA 833-B-09-001 February 2009

• Stormwater BMPs Selection, Maintenance & Monitoring, Gordon England and Stuart Stein, July 2007


Stormwater BMP MaintenanceQuestions?

Plant Maintenance for BMPsJason Dremsa- Applied Ecological Services


Overview

• Updates to the BMP Manual Maintenance Tables

• First Year establishment Priorities• Second & Third Year Establishment Priorities• Continuing Maintenance Issues• Resources for Maintenance (BMP Manual)


BMP Manual Maintenance Updates

Tables – Section 8

Typical Maintenance Activities:• Rain Garden (8.1)• Bioretention Cell (8.4.6)• Extended Dry Detention Basin (8.12.6)


Activity FrequencyEstablishment (1-3yrs)

Watering plants(seeded areas up to 8 weeks, plugs and container plants in drought)

1” per week as needed

Weed control(flail mow, string-trim, selective/preemerg herbicides, mechanical removal , foliar herbicide)

Monthly

Remove litter and debris (trash, leaves, sand, mower discharge)

Monthly

Monitor & repair erosion(stabilize soil, replace plants, secure edging)

Monthly

Check for standing water(longer than design, any puddles, saturated soil)

Monthly

Add mulch(moisture & weed control with plugs/containers, 3” or less)

Annually

Inspect drainage area (parking lot sweeping, open dumpsters, etc)

Annually

Replace dead plants(use design species/size: overseed, install deep cell plugs, maintain density)

Annually, as needed


Activity FrequencyEstablishment (3yrs+)

Vegetation cleanup (string-trim, spot spray, prescribed burn, prune)

Annually, spring or fall

Evaluate plant composition(woody invasion, grass/flower ratio, “right plant right place”)

Annually

Sediment removal, erosion control(pretreatment structures: forebay, check dams, swale)

Annually

Address animal damage (beaver dams, muskrat burrows, deer rubs)

Annually

Verify structural component function(v-notch weir, check dams, outlet protection, area inlet, valve or gate lube, underdrain, inflows)

Annually

Installation and Maintenance of Stormwater Treatment BMPs Workshop, December 2011

Activity FrequencyNative Vegetation Swale

String trim vegetation to minimize disturbance Annually

Inspect for erosion in flow lines and slopes Annually

Bioretention cell

Evaluate soils for nutrients, physical make-up Annually

Fortify edging material/adjacent landscape beds Annually

Typical maintenance activities are outlined to provide a basis for scheduling and planning work but should not be considered wholly comprehensive or definitive. Activities and frequencies will vary depending on site conditions and expectations related to adjacent land use. Some activities shown may continue through the establishment and maintenance phases. It’s important to use adaptive management based on the goals of the practice and to integrate evaluation and assessment into a long-term maintenance plan.


First Year/Establishment Priorities:

Erosion Control: • Rills• GulliesSheet Flow or Concentrated?

Annual Weeds: ID, removal, examples…



Annual weeds – Definition: • Annual plants complete their life cycle in one

year.• A weed is a plant out of place.



Removing Annual weeds• Annual weeds should be cut or broken off at

the base to limit soil disturbance; disturbance after planting can lead to erosion and more weeds.


First Year/Establishment Priorities:Common Annual Weeds (in Johnson County/Kansas City)

List:•ANNUAL BROAD LEAF WEEDS :•common sunflower•mares tail•giant ragweed•common ragweed•cocklebur•lambs quarter•prickly lettuce•pigweed•velvet leaf•hedge parsely

•ANNUAL GRASS WEEDS:•fox tail (green, yellow, & giant)


Annual Broad Leaf Weed Control :common sunflower Helianthus annuus


•Found in cultivated land, pastures, and BMPs

•2 to 10 feet tall


Annual Broad Leaf Weed Control :mares tail Conyza canadensis


•1 to 6 feet tall

•Found in pastures, roadsides, and BMPs


Annual Broad Leaf Weed Control :giant ragweed Ambrosia trifida


•12 to 18 feet tall on fertile, moist soils; 4 to 8 feet in less fertile, drier areas•Found mostly on fertile, moist soils, especially bottomlands


Annual Broad Leaf Weed Control :common ragweed Ambrosia artemisiifolia


•Found in old pastures, BMPs, roadsides, and cultivated land

•1 to 4 feet tall


Annual Broad Leaf Weed Control :cocklebur Xanthium strumarium


•2 to 4 feet tall

•Found in cultivated fields, abandoned land, poor pastures, and roadsides


Annual Broad Leaf Weed Control :lambs quarter Chenopodium album


•3 to 4 feet tall

•Found in cultivated crops


Annual Broad Leaf Weed Control :prickly lettuce Lactuca serriola


•2 to 6 feet tall

•Found in roadsides, fence rows, and BMPs


Annual Broad Leaf Weed Control :pigweed Amaranthus retroflexus


•up to 6 feet tall

•Found in cultivated fields, yards, fence rows, and BMPs


Annual Broad Leaf Weed Control :velvet leaf Abutilon theophrasti


•often 6 to 8 feet tall

•Found principally in soybean and corn fields but occasionally in gardens, and along fence rows


Annual Broad Leaf Weed Control :hedge parsely


•1-3 feet tall

•Found in BMPs, edges of woods, and low shady places


Annual Grass Weed Control :fox tail (green, yellow, giant) Setaria spp.


•Typically 1 to 4 feet tall

•Found in cultivated crops, gardens, turf


Second &Third Year/Establishment Priorities:

• Replacement Planting• Inlet, forebay, repair/cleaning• On-going Erosion Problem• Other Issues• Hydrology



Biennial weeds– • A plant out of place that normally requires two

seasons to complete its life cycle, growing usually as a rosette in the first season and producing flowers and fruits and then dying in the second season.

Perennial weeds – • A plant out of place that lives for more than two

years, retuning from their root-stock; rather than seeding themselves as an annual plant does.



• Removing Biennial weeds:Cut stalk before seed production, Pull (with out

disturbing soil) kill Rosette with herbicide. • Removing Perennial weeds:Spray with herbicide or Pull (with out disturbing

soil) and/or burn with prescribed fire (if permitted).



Common Biennial & Perennial Weeds (in Johnson County/Kansas City)

List:•BIENNIAL WEEDS:•Queen Anne’s lace•musk thistle•Sweet clover?

•PERENNIAL WEEDS:•curly dock•red clover•white clover•field bind weed•johnsongrass -photo•sericea lezpedeza - photo•reed canary grass


Biennial Broad Leaf Weed Control :Queen Anne’s lace Daucus carota

Second & Third Year/Establishment Priorities:

•1 to 3 feet tall

•Found in meadows, pastures, and roadsides; not in cultivated fields


Biennial Broad Leaf Weed Control :musk thistle Carduus nutans


•Noxious Weed

•3 to 6 feet tall

•Found in pastures, meadows, and BMPs


Perennial Broad Leaf Weed Control :curley dock Rumex crispus


•1 to 4 feet tall

•Found in pastures, roadsides, new hay fields, and BMPs


Perennial Broad Leaf Weed Control :red clover Trifolium pratense


•1 -3 feet tall

•Found in disturbed sites


Perennial Broad Leaf Weed Control :white clover Trifolium repens


•Up to .5 feet tall

•Found in disturbed sites and lawns


Perennial Broad Leaf Weed Control :field bind weed Convolvulus arvensis


•Noxious Weed

•2 to 7 feet long, twining or spreading over ground

•Able to persist and spread in all noncultivated areas


Perennial Broad Leaf Weed Control :serecia lezpedeza Lespedeza cuneata


•Noxious Weed

•1 to 6 feet tall

•Found in disturbed prairies, pastures, and along road sides


Perennial Grass Weed Control :reed canary grass Phalaris arundinacea


•Noxious weed

•2-6 feet tall•Moderate moisture, moist, to wet; shores, marshes


Perennial Grass Weed Control :johngrass Sorghum holepense


•Noxious weed

•1-1/2 to 6 feet or •more tall

•Found in overflow bottoms and disturbed sites


Resources for Maintenance of Stormwater Management BMPs

• “Maintaining Stormwater Systems: A Guidebook for Private Owners and Operators”, Northern Virginia Regional Commission, January 2007

• “Practically Easy Landscape Maintenance: A Care Manual for Natural Drainage Systems”, Seattle Public Utilities, 2005

• “Landscape Guide for Stormwater Best Management Practice Design”, Metropolitan St Louis Sewer District, 2009

• “Georgia Stormwater Management Manual, Volume 2: Technical Handbook”, August 2001, Appendix E & F

• “Missouri Pond Handbook”, Missouri Dept of Conservation 2008

• “Aquatic Plants and Their Control”, Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service 2005

• “Horticulture Report: Buffalo Grass Lawns” (MF 658), Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extensive Service, Sept 2001

• “Stormwater Treatment: Assessment and Maintenance”, University of Minnesota, St Anthony Falls Laboratory 2010 (http://stormwaterbook.safl.umn.edu/)

• “Stormwater Wet Pond and Wetlands Management Guidebook”, EPA 833-B-09-001 February 2009


http://stormwaterbook.safl.umn.edu/



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BMP maintenance