Joseph F Good
ME Candidate
B.S. (Civil and Environmental Eng) University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign
Nationality : From
USA : Chicago, Illinois
Contact Details
Room: 3rd Floor Civil/Mechanical Building, Room E324
Phone: +64 3 364 2987 (internal: 7321)
Fax: +64 3 364 2758
Email: jfg43@uclive.ac.nz
Interests:
Running, fishing, tramping, music, traveling
Supervisor(s)
Aisling O'Sullivan, Tom Cochrane
Research
Hydraulic and water quality treatment efficacy of raingardens in Christchurch, New Zealand
Urbanization causes an increase in stormwater runoff resulting in greater peak flow flood intensities and a concomitant increase in nutrient, sediment, and metal pollutant loads, which impact on local and downstream aquatic ecosystems. Specific chemical constituents, such as heavy metals (Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb, Cr, and Ni); nutrients; organics, such as PAHs, oil and grease; and pathogenic organisms are associated with the diffuse stormwater runoff. While controlling peak flow volumes in storm events and removing or buffering the pollutant stressors have become the main goals of structural stormwater best management practices (BMPs), regulators are now placing more attention on the design and implementation of Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS) incorporating sustainable and cost-effective ecological principles as aligned to local government policies. Rain gardens are one such integrated treatment system.
Aims and Objectives: This research will investigate different media and design criteria, employing a mixture of ecological and inorganic materials, for developing effective stormwater infiltration systems. The research will include measurements of hydraulic and water quality treatment efficiency under varying simulated storm intensities. The primary objectives of the research are to (1) investigate hydraulic throughput and treatment of selected SUDS currently implemented in Christchurch; (2) design and test the effectiveness of new (to be constructed) scale-model SUDS using different filter media under varying storm intensities characteristic of Christchurch; (3) Develop mathematical models to predict the treatment efficacy and longevity of these systems under varying storm events and ; (4) Help optimize design guidelines for best integrated SUDS which demonstrate adequate effectiveness.