Excerpt taken from the article “Stormwater Management at an Iconic Boston Property” written by Terence Sheridan for Land and Water Magazine. November/December 2012
“Sitting on 120 rolling acres of classic New England ledge, this large, prime parcel in the Boston metropolis was a rare stone waiting to be cut into a gem. And cutting was priority number one, as a mountain of bedrock had to be blasted to grade the site for retail stores and offices in one of New England’s largest commercial developments. Rich O’Connell, of R J O’Connell & Associates, developed the master plan. Given the size, location and topography of the site, stormwater management was always an important component of the design process. Infiltration basins were located in the lower tiers of the site. Upstream, underground stormwater retention and infiltration was required in an accessible underground system. Inlet pipes were as deep as 27 feet below final grade and space was limited. Rock was plentiful and, needless to say, cost was major consideration.
Early on Rich O’Connell engaged the developer and regulatory agencies, MADEP and the Cambridge Water Department, in the stormwater management plan. The site was part of Charles River watershed and drained to the Cambridge Reservoir. As one would expect on a major infill development, there were many concerned parties and a great deal of scrutiny. The site was designed to recharge the local water table and manage a 100 year storm event. Structural stability, accessibility and sustainability were features of the geosynthetic based underground detention system that met with wide approval. “The economic and technical merits of the GeoStorage Underground Stormwater Detention Systems were evident when we put together our initial plan and the accessibility of the large open chamber was an important component for the regulators” said Rich O’Connell. “ continue reading this article written by Terence Sheridan visit www.Landandwater.com access previous issues and choose Buyers Guide 2013 or view a PDF of the article.
