Updates

April 3rd, 2020

The Lower Meadow was regraded using AutoCAD Civil 3D to remove ponding after storms are completed. There were issues with software compatibility, so this was done after the pipe was sized. The meadow naturally has a relatively flat low zone which radiates 100 feet outward from its lowest point, which is highlighted orange below, creating a sort of "bowl" effect. The edge of the "bowl was reassigned to an elevation of 592.5 feet, above the original 592 feet, with the low point set at 591 feet. A Cut/Fill analysis was completed of the area and it was discovered that about 250 cubic feet of fill is required. The Cut/Fill grid is shown below at 20 foot increments.

March 24th, 2020

In order to alleviate the flooding problem in the Lower Meadow, it was determined in the Fall semester that an outlet pipe would be the most effective and cost effective option. After seeing the exposed rock on the February site visit and the close proximity to the Dining Hall of the original pipe route, the pipe route was moved to the exit from the Northeast side of the meadow.

The meadow collects water from a 19 acre area stretching to the northernmost points of the camp property and on the eastern side of the hill, so the entrance to the pipe was placed towards the northern border of the meadow, as this was where the maximum depth of ponding occurred in the original model. The image of the original model, and 100 year- 24 hour storm, is shown on the left below.

The entrance to the pipe was set at an elevation of 590 feet and the discharge at 580 feet. Glover's Pond's surface elevation is 570 feet, so rip-rap can be placed to ensure the exit point at the lake does not affect the current landscape negatively. The run is 420 feet with a 2.4% grade. This configuration was first modeled with a 6 inch diameter pipe because the camp has a surplus of that size on site. This pipe did not make any impact on the ponding so four 6 inch pipes in parallel was then modeled. About a foot of water still remained all throughout the meadow 8 hours after the storm, so four 6 inch pipes was also deemed unacceptable. The second iteration is equivalent to one 1 foot diameter pipe, so one 2 foot diameter pipe was modeled.

This proved to make a significant impact on the meadow, as the maximum depth experienced dropped about 40% to 3.3 feet. The ponding also vanished nearly completely after 5 hours, as shown in the image on the right. This last bit of ponding is thought to be solved with a regrade of the meadow.

February 27th, 2020

The team met with industry advisor, Robert Korkuch, P.E., P.P., to discuss the latest designs and the soil samples collected during our last camp visit. Regular meetings with all correspondents has helped maintain transparency between all parties involved in the project. Robert provided valuable input from the perspective of an experienced Professional Engineer, Professional Planner, and camp-goer. At his company, ACT Engineers, Robert manages the firms work for religious and non-profit organizations, among other things. A design constraint that was not previously considered was suggested. The proposed constraint considers the constructability of designs with respect to inexperienced volunteers. Because designs are being prepared for a religious, non-profit organization, this will likely be the case and, from now on, will be heavily considered. We are extremely grateful to Robert for meeting with us on TCNJ's campus and for his valuable insight into the project!

February 21st, 2020

The team members took another site visit to meet with camp staff, take soil samples, and make more in-depth observations of the problem areas. A hand auger was used to collect samples near the Recreation Center, in Cedar Meadow, and in Lower Meadow. A layer of clay was found just below ground surface at each location, confirming the teams' findings from Web Soil Survey. Aside from topsoil, no other soil types were observed outside of the clay. Stone was present in the soil starting at about a 2 foot depth at the Recreation Center and Lower Meadow, and at a 3 foot depth in the Cedar Meadow. Following a closer inspection and discussions with camp staff, a trench behind the Rec Center was discovered as part of an old attempt to help with runoff. A broken levee by Mill's Pond was also observed, as well as large amounts of exposed rock in the Lower Meadow which poses another design challenge.

Images

Left: Henry using the hand auger for the soil sample near the Recreation Center.

Middle: The trench behind the Recreation Center runs from the depressed area behind it and is about 150 feet long, 6 feet wide, and 3 feet deep and has since become filled with vegetation.

Right: Exposed rock along the edge of Lower Meadow

November 25th, 2019

The team met with Dr. Horst today to learn how to use HEC-RAS to create more accurate sub-basins for each point of interest and potentially analyze the effects of frequent and infrequent storm events over each area. From the HEC-RAS walkthrough, it was determined that HEC-RAS is capable of simulating the effects of notable storm events using the DEM rasters that we acquired from the NJDEP Bureau of GIS. We have been able to simulate example events over sub-basins that include the Recreational Center and Cedar Meadow. From these sample simulations, our initial observations of flooding can be affirmed for the Recreational Center and Cedar Meadow points of interest. It should also be noted that the cleared farmland to the northwest of the Recreational Center is not contributing to the flooding in either problem area, which was an initial suspicion of the Camp Johnsonburg staff.

November 22nd, 2019

An analysis of this semester's schedule and the tasks that have been completed so far was done. A breakdown of the amount of time spent on each task per team member was also completed in order to estimate the engineering costs incurred for the project thus far. Each of the design components that will be completed next semester were also given a rough estimate of time that they will be worked on by each team member. The total hours of work for both each team member was multiplied by hourly rates. These salaries were added to find the total estimated wage cost for the project. Additionally, fixed fees and overhead were added to the wage cost and the total estimated cost was rounded from $53,993 to $55,000. The tasks and salary break down can be seen below. This price is the estimated total engineering cost for the entire project.

October 31st, 2019

Each member of the team created a combination of common Stormwater Control Measures (SCM) over the whole camp, coming up with four possible alternative designs. For collecting the water, the team found the use of inlets or infiltration systems to be practical at this site. For rerouting the water, the team found the use of piping systems or natural channels as the most reasonable for this site. Possible solutions considered for stopping the issues faced with the gravel roads were asphalt pavement, strategically placed culverts, GeoPave, and trenches. The alternative combinations are as follows:

Alternative 1: Implement a piping system from behind the Recreation Center to the Cedar Meadow, connecting with an inlet and routing that water to Mill's Pond in a piping system. Implement a large infiltration system under the Lower Meadow to allow water to seep into the ground more easily and stop the formation of mud. Pave over the gravel roads with asphalt.

Alternative 2: Excavate a natural channel from behind the Recreation Center to the Cedar Meadow, connecting with an inlet and routing that water to Mill's Pond in a piping system. Implement an inlet in the Lower Meadow to be piped out to Glover's Pond. Install culverts where the channel will need to cross to the Cedar Meadow and other areas to be identified.

Alternative 3: Excavate a natural channel from behind the Recreation Center to the Cedar Meadow, connecting with an inlet and routing that water to Mill's Pond in a piping system. Implement a large infiltration system under the Lower Meadow and a piping network to Glover's Pond. Install culverts where the channel will need to cross to the Cedar Meadow and other areas to be identified, and implement GeoPave.

Alternative 4: Implement a piping system from behind the Recreation Center to the Cedar Meadow, connecting with an inlet and routing that water to Mill's Pond in a piping system. Implement an inlet in the Lower Meadow to be piped out to Glover's Pond. Trench along existing roadways.

These alternatives were then compared and weighed using out Decision Matrix, which can be seen below, and revealed Alternative Design 4 as the most suitable option.

October 27th, 2019

The team took a visit to Villanova University to speak with professors and graduate students about the various ongoing Stormwater Control Measure (SCM) projects that they have on campus. The purpose of this trip was to investigate some possible design options for the different areas that require SCMs throughout the camp. Some of the projects on campus include rain gardens, infiltration systems, porous asphalt and concrete and stormwater wetlands. These research projects have been studied and maintained by graduate students at Villanova for many years. The team was given a tour of each of the project sites by current students who answered questions and gave insight into the pros and cons of each of the systems.

After the trip, the team was able to come up with possible alternative design options for the entire camp and list a range of constraints that will be considered when deciding on the final design. The constraints that will be taken into consideration are constructability, cost, time for completion, maintenance, safety, environmental impact, and regulatory requirements. Each of these constraints will be assigned a weight which the team plans to use in a decision matrix to evaluate a variety of alternative design options in order to ultimately decide on the final design.

September 27th, 2019

The team took another visit to the camp site. This time our faculty advisor, Dr. Horst, was able to join to take a walk around. We followed the same walking path as we did during our initial visit and we pointed out to Dr. Horst all of the problem areas that we will be focusing on. The team then met to identify design constraints of our project. From our observations, the main design constraints are as follows. In many locations on site, the elevation of bedrock is the same as surface elevation. So, excavating anywhere on site is not cost effective and most construction will need to remain near surface elevation.

September 19th, 2019

In order to identify current problems plaguing Camp Johnsonburg, all of the student team members made a visit to the camp on August 28th, 2019. The team met with camp representatives for a tour of the campus and to discuss the scope of the project. Camp officials informed the team of drainage issues as well as potable water problems throughout the camp.

On September 4th, 2019, the team decided to take on the drainage portion of the project and identified the main areas of focus for their individual designs.

Top Right: Water seeps up from the ground in the music room in the Recreation Center, which needs to be re-carpeted and re-wired each year.

Bottom Left: Gravel on roads around the camp are constantly swept away, as the roads inadvertently act as conduits for water to travel along.

Bottom Middle: Mud typically builds up in the Lower Meadow, which is the camp's main outdoor recreation space.

Bottom Right: The Cedar Meadow actually looks as it was intended to in this picture, as it is typically flooded and resembles a pond after a storm. Large septic tanks are stored in this area.