Soccer Enthusiasts Head to Newly Constructed Fields
Centrally located in the heart of southern California, Ontario enjoys more than 300 days of sunshine with an average temperature in the low 80s. It is close to all California has to offer, from mountains and sandy desert, to miles of beautiful beaches. This “Model Colony,” given its name because of its perfect balance between agriculture and urban comforts, is home to southern California’s Ontario Mills Mall, which hosts shopping, gourmet restaurants, and top entertainment, as well as a “green” convention center, an international airport, and its own California Motor Speedway.
A few years ago, the city began planning for a 20-acre facility consisting of seven soccer fields, two full-size synthetic turf fields, one full-size grass field, two midsize turf fields, and two small grass fields. The artificial turf looks and feels like grass, but does not require the large amounts of water, fertilizer, and maintenance that grass does. The facility also includes picnic tables, a concession stand, restrooms, landscaped pathways, field lighting to accommodate night play, and almost 400 parking spaces. The location is just north of SR 60 between Vineyard Avenue and Archibald Avenue on Philadelphia Street.
The projected cost of this project was close to $15 million, but came in just under $11 million. Planning began in 2006, but ground wasn’t broken for the project until early 2008. For the city to comply with stringent stormwater regulations and lead the county in innovative environmental solutions, it partnered up with Modular Wetlands.
The Challenge
Ontario has been very proactive in improving water quality for the city and surrounding areas. Constructing this field was no exception. The city wanted to use a nonproprietary natural treatment system such as a bioswale, but after careful examination realized the limitations of such a system. Space constraints were only one hindering factor.
Implementing a bioswale for this size project would require several hundred linear feet—feet that weren’t available. Drainage from the property flowed to the backside of the lot, which is adjacent to the freeway. This area is also where a large majority of the parking spaces would be located. With so many fields, the city knew that an abundance of parking would be necessary.
Another factor for concern was the heavy pollutant load the site would generate. With seven soccer fields, a concession stand, picnic areas, and nearly 400 parking spaces, the complex would become a very high traffic area. Under Phase II of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, all of the pollutants generated by normal activity on the site would need to be addressed.
These common pollutants include bacteria, heavy metals, nutrients, oil and grease from the parking lot, pesticides from the lawns and pathways, and carelessly discarded trash such as cigarette butts, candy wrappers, and bottles and cans from picnic areas. The city questioned whether a bioswale would be able to handle such a heavy pollutant load. This type of design wasn’t going to provide the heightened treatment that Steve Wilson, the city’s environmental water/wastewater engineer, wanted.
The Solution
A total of eight Modular Wetland Systems–Linear were used to treat this facility. A combination of both the curb and grate type were used around the perimeter of the parking lot to treat polluted runoff. The installation took place in September 2008, but it wasn’t until the late spring of 2009 that the landscape was finished and the plants were added to the systems.
The original plans called for eight regular curb-type catch basins and a hydrodynamic separator at the end of the line, which discharges into the channel. Because of more stringent regulations, this type of treatment wasn’t the best option. Wilson contacted Zach Kent, a design engineer with Modular Wetlands, to brainstorm other possible solutions.
“This was an easy fix,” says Kent. “We could use the eight existing catch basins and replace them with the Modular Wetlands System [MWS]. The MWS has an internal high-flow bypass, which would eliminate the need for a second catch basin to collect or capture the high flows.” Some of the other similar filtration systems on the market don’t provide the internal high-flow bypass, which means a second catch basin would need to be installed downstream, leading to higher costs.
Another advantage of the MWS is the way in which the system collects flows coming in either direction. Some other systems can collect flows coming only in one direction because of the high-flow bypass catch basin located on the opposite side.
The Result
“The Modular Wetlands stormwater treatment system was selected for the city of Ontario’s new Soccer Complex project due to its ability to provide standalone, full-spectrum treatment of all parking lot pollutants, including suspended solids, oil and grease, litter and trash, nutrients, pesticides, bacteria, and dissolved and particulate metals in storms up to the 85th percentile event,” says Wilson.
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Using the Modular Wetlands System provided not only heightened treatment, but also a cost advantage over other similar treatment devices. The city saved more than $50,000 because no additional catch basins were needed.
“The customer support staff at Modular Wetlands were very friendly, helpful, knowledgeable, and experienced in design, installation, and maintenance of their product,” says Wilson.
March-April 2010
Soccer Enthusiasts Head to Newly Constructed Fields
Photo: © iStockphoto.com/Majoros Laszlo
Centrally located in the heart of southern California, Ontario enjoys more than 300 days of sunshine with an average temperature in the low 80s. It is close to all California has to offer, from mountains and sandy desert, to miles of beautiful beaches. This “Model Colony,” given its name because of its perfect balance between agriculture and urban comforts, is home to southern California’s Ontario Mills Mall, which hosts shopping, gourmet restaurants, and top entertainment, as well as a “green” convention center, an international airport, and its own California Motor Speedway.
A few years ago, the city began planning for a 20-acre facility consisting of seven soccer fields, two full-size synthetic turf fields, one full-size grass field, two midsize turf fields, and two small grass fields. The artificial turf looks and feels like grass, but does not require the large amounts of water, fertilizer, and maintenance that grass does. The facility also includes picnic tables, a concession stand, restrooms, landscaped pathways, field lighting to accommodate night play, and almost 400 parking spaces. The location is just north of SR 60 between Vineyard Avenue and Archibald Avenue on Philadelphia Street.
The projected cost of this project was close to $15 million, but came in just under $11 million. Planning began in 2006, but ground wasn’t broken for the project until early 2008. For the city to comply with stringent stormwater regulations and lead the county in innovative environmental solutions, it partnered up with Modular Wetlands.
The Challenge
Ontario has been very proactive in improving water quality for the city and surrounding areas. Constructing this field was no exception. The city wanted to use a nonproprietary natural treatment system such as a bioswale, but after careful examination realized the limitations of such a system. Space constraints were only one hindering factor.
Implementing a bioswale for this size project would require several hundred linear feet—feet that weren’t available. Drainage from the property flowed to the backside of the lot, which is adjacent to the freeway. This area is also where a large majority of the parking spaces would be located. With so many fields, the city knew that an abundance of parking would be necessary.
Another factor for concern was the heavy pollutant load the site would generate. With seven soccer fields, a concession stand, picnic areas, and nearly 400 parking spaces, the complex would become a very high traffic area. Under Phase II of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, all of the pollutants generated by normal activity on the site would need to be addressed.
These common pollutants include bacteria, heavy metals, nutrients, oil and grease from the parking lot, pesticides from the lawns and pathways, and carelessly discarded trash such as cigarette butts, candy wrappers, and bottles and cans from picnic areas. The city questioned whether a bioswale would be able to handle such a heavy pollutant load. This type of design wasn’t going to provide the heightened treatment that Steve Wilson, the city’s environmental water/wastewater engineer, wanted.
The Solution
A total of eight Modular Wetland Systems–Linear were used to treat this facility. A combination of both the curb and grate type were used around the perimeter of the parking lot to treat polluted runoff. The installation took place in September 2008, but it wasn’t until the late spring of 2009 that the landscape was finished and the plants were added to the systems.
The original plans called for eight regular curb-type catch basins and a hydrodynamic separator at the end of the line, which discharges into the channel. Because of more stringent regulations, this type of treatment wasn’t the best option. Wilson contacted Zach Kent, a design engineer with Modular Wetlands, to brainstorm other possible solutions.
“This was an easy fix,” says Kent. “We could use the eight existing catch basins and replace them with the Modular Wetlands System [MWS]. The MWS has an internal high-flow bypass, which would eliminate the need for a second catch basin to collect or capture the high flows.” Some of the other similar filtration systems on the market don’t provide the internal high-flow bypass, which means a second catch basin would need to be installed downstream, leading to higher costs.
Another advantage of the MWS is the way in which the system collects flows coming in either direction. Some other systems can collect flows coming only in one direction because of the high-flow bypass catch basin located on the opposite side.
The Result
“The Modular Wetlands stormwater treatment system was selected for the city of Ontario’s new Soccer Complex project due to its ability to provide standalone, full-spectrum treatment of all parking lot pollutants, including suspended solids, oil and grease, litter and trash, nutrients, pesticides, bacteria, and dissolved and particulate metals in storms up to the 85th percentile event,” says Wilson.
Using the Modular Wetlands System provided not only heightened treatment, but also a cost advantage over other similar treatment devices. The city saved more than $50,000 because no additional catch basins were needed.
“The customer support staff at Modular Wetlands were very friendly, helpful, knowledgeable, and experienced in design, installation, and maintenance of their product,” says Wilson.