Clogging of stormwater gravel infiltration systems and filters: insights from a laboratory study

Stormwater infiltration systems are widely used in the control of polluted urban runoff. They are very effective in reducing the volume of stormwater runoff and improving its quality, but they are known to be prone to clogging. Whilst it is evident that clogging determines the design lifespan of infiltration systems, quantitative understanding of the clogging process is currently very limited. A laboratory study was therefore undertaken to better understand physical clogging processes, with the ultimate aim of developing a clogging model for stormwater infiltration systems. This paper presents findings from one-dimensional (1-D) experiments conducted on a gravel filter column. Physical clogging was studied under both constant and variable water levels, and for different sediment inflow concentrations. It was found that a clogging layer forms at the interface between the filter and underlying soil, irrespective of the inflow regime of both water and sediment. It was also found that clogging is much slower if the water level is kept at a constant level than if it varies within the column, due to formation of a sediment plug that 'shelters' the filter/soil interface. Most importantly it was shown that physical clogging is mainly caused by migration of sediment particles less than 6 microm in diameter. A simple regression model was proposed and tested for the prediction of clogging due to stormwater sediment.