Detention facilities shall be permitted only where the geology
of the tract being developed precludes the use of infiltration volume
control and only to the extent that geology precludes infiltration,
or as may be allowed by the Township only where unique physical circumstances
of the development property exist. Permission to use detention facilities
shall not be granted for economic reasons. Where the Township allows
detention facilities, such detention facilities shall be designed
in accordance with the following requirements:
A. The detention facilities shall be designed to retard stormwater runoff
rates after development to the peak runoff rate established by this
chapter.
B. Detention facility spillways shall be protected from erosion.
C. Detention facility pipe outlet arrangements shall provide complete
outletting of all detained water, unless provisions for permanent
ponding have been approved by the Township Council. Basin forebay
infiltration areas may be allowed on a case-by-case basis if it is
deemed the most suitable BMP applicable to the site.
D. Detention pond lining and carbonate geology requirements.
(1) A detention facility, if utilized, shall be lined with an impervious
lining in areas of carbonate geology. This liner shall be constructed
to meet the following minimum requirements:
(a)
The minimum liner required is 30 mil PVC and must be UV-resistant.
Actual individual liner specifications shall be provided by the manufacturer
for each individual facility.
(b)
The liner must be placed on a layer of fine-grained soil that
has been rolled with a smooth drum roller in both directions to produce
a smooth level base for the liner. The soil may not contain sharp
angular rock or other debris that could puncture the liner, and must
meet all manufacturers' specifications for a liner bedding. All vegetation,
roots and grass must be removed and any cracks or voids shall be filled.
(c)
If rock is encountered in the bedding area, this rock must be
excavated to a depth of six inches below the liner and backfilled
with a fine-grained soil. This area should then be covered with geotextile
fabric extending three feet beyond the limits of the rock outcrop
before placing the facility liner.
(d)
Installation of the liner may only take place when the ambient
temperature is within the manufacturer's specifications. The number
of field seams shall be minimized by requiring factory fabrication
of large panels. Any field seams performed must be in accordance with
the manufacturer's specifications.
(e)
All structures (i.e., headwalls, pipes, outlet structures) which
come in contact with the liner must have a waterproof seal installed
to prevent leaks around the structure. These seals shall be installed
per manufacturer's recommendations.
(f)
A minimum of 12 inches of earth cover shall be placed over the
lining. Soil containing sharp jagged rocks, roots, debris or any other
material that may puncture the liner shall not be used as cover material.
(g)
The liner must be installed to a minimum height of the 100-year
floodwater elevation in the facility.
(2) If a detention facility is proposed without lining, the developer's
engineer/surveyor must sign and seal the following note which shall
be attached to all drainage plans, subdivision plans, and land development
plans: "I, [name], certify that the proposed facility(ies) is/are
not underlain by carbonate geology."
(3) Basins shall not be placed where prohibited by the carbonate geology area requirements of Chapter
180, Zoning, of the Code of the Township of Lower Saucon.
E. The minimum circular orifice diameter for controlling discharge rates
from detention facilities shall be three inches. Designs where a lesser
size orifice would be required to fully meet release rates shall be
acceptable with a three-inch orifice, provided that as much of the
site runoff as practical is directed to the detention facilities.
F. The detention facility shall be planted with wet-tolerant wildflower
or low-maintenance grass satisfactory to the Township. Detention basins
shall be planted with ground cover in accordance with Township standards.
G. An access ramp of 10 to 1, 10 feet wide, shall be provided to allow
maintenance equipment to reach the basin floor.
H. Where allowed by waiver of Council, fencing for detention basins
shall provide a suitable barrier, at least four feet in height, of
material approved by the Township, such as 0.4 retention pressure
treated wooden post-and-rail fence (three-rail) with black vinyl-coated
metal hardware fabric. Access to the basin shall be provided by a
locking gate or gates, having a total opening of at least 10 feet,
at such a location as to provide ready access to the detention basin
by maintenance forces with maintenance equipment or suitable equivalent
approved by the Township during the plan review. The fence shall be
at least three feet from the inside edge of the berm (or top of slope)
or five feet from the outside top of the berm.
I. Landscaping, subject to approval of the Township, shall be provided
adjacent to the detention facility so as to provide a buffer between
the facility and the adjacent development. If a fence is required,
the detention basin fence shall be screened in accordance with improvements
construction standards, as outlined in SALDO.
J. Where no fence is included, detention basin berms shall have a minimum
width of six feet.
K. In all cases, the outside slope of a berm shall not be steeper than
a ratio of 3:1, horizontal to vertical.
L. To minimize the visual impact of detention basins, basins shall be
designed to avoid the need for safety fencing. To meet this requirement,
basins shall be designed to the following specifications:
(1) The maximum depth of detained runoff shall be 24 inches for a two-year
or ten-year storm event.
(2) The maximum depth of detained runoff shall be 36 inches for a 100-year
storm event.
(3) Interior slopes shall not be steeper then a ratio of 5 to 1 horizontal
to vertical.
(4) The basin shall never exceed a depth of 24 inches for more than four
hours.
(5) Basins shall drain completely within eight hours of the end of the
rainfall.
(6) These depths and slopes may be exceeded by permission of the Township
on a case-by-case basis for detention basin areas having a natural
slope greater than 5% and/or having substantial woodland ground cover.
In such a case, fence and landscape screens will be required. These
requirements shall not be waived for economic reasons.
M. If fencing is allowed by waiver of Council, and a basin is proposed
to be dedicated to the Township, the basin design shall provide a
level area (2% slope), 12 feet in width, on both the inside and outside
of the fence, along the entire length of the fence for proper access
by Township maintenance equipment. The total width of this generally
level area shall be at least 24 feet.
N. The minimum slope of the bottom of a detention facility shall be
1% toward the outlet structure, except for approved BMP areas.
O. All stormwater detention facilities shall provide a minimum 1.0 foot
freeboard above the maximum pool elevation associated with the two-year
through twenty-five-year runoff events. A 0.5-foot freeboard shall
be provided above the maximum pool elevation of the 100-year runoff
event. The freeboard shall be measured from the maximum pool elevation
to the elevation of the emergency spillway. The two-year through 100-year
storm events shall be controlled by the primary outlet structure.
An emergency spillway for each basin shall be designed to pass the
100-year return frequency storm peak basin inflow rate, as if the
basin were full prior to the storm, with a minimum 0.5-foot freeboard
measured to the top of basin. The freeboard criteria shall be met
considering any off-site areas tributary to the basin as developed,
as applicable. If this detention facility is considered to be a dam
as per DEP Chapter 105, the design of the facility must be consistent with the
Chapter 105 regulations, and may be required to pass a storm greater
than the 100-year event.
P. The detention basin 100-year water storage surface elevation perimeter
shall be shown on all plans. Principal residential structures shall
be set back 100 feet from any detention basin 100-year water storage
surface elevation perimeter. Where this setback is more restrictive
than the zoning setback, the new setback line shall be shown on the
plan with a dimension to the 100-year water storage surface elevation
perimeter provided. Accessory residential structures and all nonresidential
structures shall be set back 25 feet from any detention basin 100-year
water storage surface elevation perimeter.
Q. Soils used for the construction of basins shall have low-erodability
factors ("K" factors).
R. All detention facility outflows, including emergency spillways, shall comply with §§
137-11F,
137-19D and
137-23K.
S. The top of slope or toe of outside slope of any detention or retention
basin shall be no closer than 50 feet from any property line, or ultimate
right-of-way line.