science BRIEF
BUILDING A SCIENTIFIC FOUNDATION FOR SOUND ENVIRONMENTAL DECISIONS
www.epa.gov
National Risk Management
Research Laboratory
www.epa.gov/nrmrl/
Water Quality Research Program
Urban Watershed Research Facility, Edison, NJ
Providing Research Solutions to Manage Water Quality
Introduction
In an undeveloped and undisturbed
environment, rainfall is naturally filtered
and absorbed. In an urban setting, with
development and lots of impervious surfaces,
storm water transports pollutants through
city streets to receiving water, resulting in
many water quality issues. Scientists at the
Urban Watershed Management Research
Facility in Edison, New Jersey, investigate
technical approaches to managing this wet-
weather flow and runoff generated from
rainfall in an urban setting.
The facility occupies 205 acres on the
former Raritan Arsenal property, a
suburban location about 30 miles southwest
of New York City. The many buildings
and trailers are in an isolated 20-acre open
space established to develop and evaluate
the performance of common and innovative
storm water management practices. The
laboratory building is configured to conduct
bench-scale analyses of environmental
samples. The facility includes:
• Greenhouses that allow all-season
operation
• Analytical laboratories for on-site
analysis of common chemical and
microbial stressors
• A high-bay engineering development
and support area
• Automated electronic monitoring and
automatic sampling equipment
• Office space and storage
Researchers routinely monitor and record
climatic data. On-site storage tanks,
and mixing, transfer, and distribution
equipment provide storm water collected
from an adjacent, highly impervious
drainage area. Other outdoor resources
include pilot-scale swales, wet ponds,
and wetlands to allow for evaluation of
common control practices under varying
loading and design conditions. Sewage
can be accessed from a local treatment
authority for research efforts that require
sanitary waste. The Edison facility
provides a safe location for collecting
engineering data needed for design
and evaluation.
Research
Wet-weather flow includes storm water,
sanitary sewer overflow, and combined
sewer overflow. Untreated releases of wet-
weather flow can harm receiving water,
which can lead to unsafe drinking water.
The majority of the U.S. population lives
in urban settings, where there are greater
risks associated with water quality. But
hydrologic-hydraulic improvements can be
made. Scientists in the Urban Watershed
Research Branch of the National Risk
Management Research Laboratory
(NRMRL) study the structural integrity
of drainage and treatment systems, the
control and treatment of discharge, and the
effects of the discharge on receiving water.
One storm water control system under
evaluation by NRMRL at the Edison
facility is green roofs. The Green Roof
Research Project centers on storm water
absorbency. Green roofs are vegetative
covers applied to building roofs to slow
or totally absorb rainfall runoff during
storms. While the concept of over-planted
roofs is ancient, the goal of modern
green roof technology is to replace the
absorptive capacity of the land on which
the building was erected.
Research at Edison supports the activities
of various EPA organizations, including
the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency
Response's Environmental Response
Branch, the Office of Research and
Development's Release Control Branch,
the Regional Environmental Science
and Assessment Division, the Regional
Enforcement and Compliance Assistance
Division's Pesticides and Toxic Substances
Program, and the Regional Emergency and
Remedial Response Division's Emergency
Preparedness Program.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Research and Development, National Risk Management Research Laboratory
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Features
The Edison facility features a pipeline test
apparatus, which is capable of supporting
controlled-condition experiments on
infrastructure conveyance and storage
systems. Four representative pipelines
support research on pipelines that simulate
those in use at operational facilities. The
test pipelines enable convenient study of:
• Different pipe and backfill materials
• Equipment designed to monitor for
leaks and corrosion, and prevent
backflow and contamination
• Remote-control instrumentation and
inspection technologies
Five buried experimental pipelines include
four 500-foot loops and one 100-foot
loop. A test pit provides the flexibility to
change leak rates and backfill materials,
and control backfill moisture content.
The area surrounding the test pit enables
replacement of 20-foot spool sections
without the need to excavate.
In August 2005, EPA renewed its
commitment to support green power by
entering into a three-year contract to
purchase 6 million kilowatt hours (kWh)
of green power annually for the Edison
facility in the form of renewable energy
certificates. This contract supports the
generation of renewable energy from wind
farms in South Dakota, North Dakota, and
Wyoming, and will offset 100 percent of
the electricity consumption at the facility.
Three solar water-heating systems are
the primary source of hot water. All three
systems consist of a preheat tank (between
66 and 120 gallons) and various numbers
of roof-mounted, single-glazed, liquid-
evacuated tube collectors. Because the
building relies on the electrical systems
only for auxiliary water heating when
necessary, the solar heaters allow the
facility to conserve electricity and fossil
fuel. So far, Edison's solar technology
has registered energy savings results
significantly higher than expected.
Scientists at the Edison facility continue to
develop and demonstrate new technologies
and methods to manage the risks to public
health, property, and the environment from
wet-weather flow.
CONTACT
John Beier
(732)321-4382
beier.iohne(q),epa.gov
Recycled/Recyclable
Printed with vegetable-based ink on
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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Research and Development, National Risk Management Research Laboratory
EPA/600/F-08/005
July 2008
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