Hingham High School, located in Hingham, Mass., recently constructed and replaced its traditional grass fields with synthetic turf. Part of the project included the design of a new subsurface storm water management system. Engineers at Gale Associates collaborated with contractors from R.A.D. Sports to design and install a subsurface system that would effectively provide drainage for the site.
During the initial planning phase, engineers were faced with a couple of challenges. A seasonal high-water table was an initial design constraint. In Massachusetts, sites without proper clearance from the water table require additional storage to provide detention, and infiltration cannot be included as part of a model during a larger storm event.
“When designing the system, we had to be mindful of the high water table, as well as a 100-year flood elevation area, which is situated just outside the site,” said Peter Spanos, engineer for Gale Associates.
Cultec’s Contactor 100HD storm water chambers were chosen for the job, as they provided enough storage capacity while maintaining a low profile. The chambers feature a patented side portal to allow for internal lateral manifolding of the system. Use of this feature eliminated the need for an external
custom pipe and fitting header system.
The new system consists of almost 950 Cultec Contactor 100HD chambers and is located beneath the fields and parking lot. The system also utilizes Cultec’s Separator Row and deep sump catch basins, which flow into the Separator Row. The row prevents suspended solids from intruding into the chamber bed and stone. It captures any silt or fine particles prior to runoff overflowing into the rest of the basin and sump.
Students have been using the new turf fields since the start of the fall 2013 school year.
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