The DeepRoot team has developed a set of Stormwater Schematics (look under the Standard Details, Specifications, & Schematics section) to help designers envision how to get stormwater into and out of the Silva Cell system.  While there are limitless possibilities for how to design stormwater management techniques on your site, these Schematics give designers a first glimpse at the possibilities.

These basic examples can be mixed and matched and modified to fit specific site constraints and goals. The design options highlighted in the Stormwater Schematics include Silva Cells adjacent to a Raingarden, along with using Silva Cells in conjunction with a Rainleader, Catch Basin or Curb Cut to bring water into the system.

If you can dream up a way to get water into the site, the Silva Cell system can help store and treat it. There are a few rules of thumb to keep in mind.

• Stormwater is dirty. Designing in pre-treatment allows the Silva Cell soils to do their pollutant filtering without dealing with excess sediment entering the system.
• What size? Every watershed on every site is different, and each governing agency has its own set of rules for the amount of water you need to store or treat. There’s no “one size fits all” solution. Design specifically for your site.
• The location of the overflow (or underdrain) in your design ultimately determines if you are using the Silva Cell system for water storage or for water treatment/filtration.
• Storage vs. treatment. The Silva Cell system, when used for stormwater management, houses bioretention soil. The void space in the soil is what creates storage space for water. The biological characteristics of the soil treats the water that flows through it.
• €How much water? A conservative estimate of the void space in bioretention soil is 20%. Each Silva Cell holds 10 ft3 (0.28m3) of soil, and so each can also “store” 20% of that in water, or 2 ft3 (0.056m3). Check out the stormwater estimating worksheet to do some quick and dirty volume calculations.

These schematics are to start the conversation about how you can use the Silva Cell system for stormwater management. We are always happy to review your innovative designs to see how the Silva Cell system can work for your site.

Photo of stormwater curb extension: Green Playbook
All other images: Deep Root Partners, L.P.