Tool developed to calculate runoff infiltration rate for BMPs

SCCWRP has developed an open-source tool for calculating the infiltration rate of runoff as it passes through stormwater BMPs (best management practices) – a resource intended to help stormwater managers take a streamlined, standardized approach to generating this key indicator of BMP performance.

The Infiltration Analysis Calculator, which was published online in July, determines how quickly runoff is processed across a BMP’s soil-water interface. Historically, infiltration rates have been calculated using inconsistent, ad-hoc methods that rely on subjective judgment, limiting reproducibility and comparability across studies.

Infiltration rates provide quantitative insights about BMP performance over time, thus helping to inform when maintenance is needed.

Already, the Southern California Stormwater Monitoring Coalition (SMC) has begun using the Infiltration Analysis Calculator alongside a suite of other SCCWRP-developed BMP tools to analyze data for the SMC’s Regional BMP Monitoring Network.