California Installs Large Storm Water Detention Systems

Oldcastle Precast worked with owner LS-OC Portola LLC, general contractor Landsea Holding Corp., and engineer Hunsaker & Associates to design and manufacture several of the largest and deepest StormCapture storm water detention systems installed to date.

StormCapture is an underground precast concrete storm water management system. StormCapture’s pre-engineered components allow for site-specific configurations, while providing large storage capacity in a small footprint.

Portola Center is a 195-acre community development divided by Glenn Ranch Road into the "Portola North" and "Portola South" in Lake Forest, Calif. The 95.5-acre Portola Center South community features new single-family homes and mixed-use buildings with senior affordable units and townhomes. The community also features a 10,000-sq-ft ground floor commercial space, as well as a five-acre public community park and perimeter trails. 

The magnitude of this project and its increased impermeable areas made managing hydromodification (storm water runoff) a top priority. Storm water is managed throughout the project through ten separate “basins,” providing a total detention storage volume of 820,886 cu ft (18.85 acre-ft). Basin No. 5, the first StormCapture detention system installed at Portola Center South, was designed to store 198,152 cu ft (4.55 acre-ft) of storm water, which detains up to a 10-year storm event with an internal orifice discharging the water quality volume to a downstream bio-filtration system.

The Basin No. 5 StormCapture system, manufactured at the Oldcastle Precast plant in Perris, Calif., has an inside height of 14 ft and was designed to withstand 16 ft of backfill over the entire system. The system was fully encased with a geotextile and impermeable liner.

“The success of this project is due in large part to the collaborative efforts and cooperation among Oldcastle Precast –Southern California, Oldcastle Stormwater Solutions, Landsea Holding Corp.,” said Oldcastle Precast Salesperson and Project Manager Mary Scott.

Along with the StormCapture detention systems, Oldcastle Precast plants in Southern California also manufactured and delivered large bio-filtration units to address the water quality requirements for the project.

“Oldcastle Precast is the perfect design partner for all storm water needs, big and small. Our team of storm water experts, design engineers and national manufacturing capabilities make Oldcastle Precast the clear choice for developing custom solutions to meet the specific regulatory needs for projects. Unlike other companies that only design systems and then use third party manufacturing, Oldcastle Precast maintains control and ensures quality throughout the design, manufacturing, installation and life of the project,” said Shelby Hull, director of Oldcastle Stormwater Solutions for the Southwest Region. 

Source: Oldcastle Precast