Tag Archives: engineering

Restoration of Tributary 26 to Butternut Creek (LaFayette, NY) Nearing Completion

On June 30-July 1, 2017 an extreme rainfall event caused the lateral migration of the of Tributary 26 to Butternut Creek located south of Colton Road in LaFayette, New York.  The migration of the stream channel caused undercutting and erosion of the stream bank to the east and deposition of new point breaks downstream.

Tributary 26 looking southerly. Eroded streambank visible on left (east).

In collaboration with Dr. Ted Endreny from SUNY ESF and the Onondaga County Soil and Water Conservation District, NSE developed a design plan for the restoration of this stretch of Tributary 26 and was intended to reclaim riparian area east of the creek for the landowner and implementing conservation and restoration techniques intended to prevent future lateral migration of the creek and preserving it’s natural function.  The design followed Rosgen stream restoration principles and consisted of:

  • reestablishment of the creek channel to the west
  • bendway weirs to deflect and dissipate energy away from the eroding east stream bank
  • rock riffles and large stones to dissipate energy within the newly reestablished stream channel
  • dogwood plantings in the reclaimed floodbank and fascines to protect the edge of bank.

Design plan for Tributary 26 Restoration

Construction was initiated per the design plan by the selected contractor J&J Landscaping the week of November 27, 2017 and earthwork completed on December 8.  Plantings to follow in mid-December.

Reestablished creek looking southerly from Colton Road.

Assuming continuing adaptive management measures to be informed by the landowner, the reestablished creek and energy dissipation measures will provide for a stable planform, yet able to pass extreme events via a connected functioning floodplain.

Porous asphalt vehicle display lot completed for Crest Acura!

With funding under Onondaga County’s award-winning Save the Rain program, Crest Acura’s porous asphalt lot was completed this summer.  The project was designed by Natural Systems Engineering and constructed by Lan-Co Construction (East Syracuse, New York).  The porous asphalt was designed to capture runoff from the 10,000 sq ft porous surface and the 9950 sq ft impervious asphalt lot located to the northeast.  Roughly 1000 sq ft of greenspace was added to replace asphalt in the right-of-way of the City of Syracuse.

The project will manage a minimum of 400,000 gal of strormwater per year, removing that flow from Syracuse’s combined sewer system.

 

 

NSE’s Urban Residential Geothermal Retrofit project named a NY-GE0 2017 Top Job Finalist!

Natural Systems Engineering’s Urban Residential Geothermal Retrofit project has been named a Top Job Finalist for the NY-GEO 2017 Conference!  The conference will be held on April 19-20, 2017 at the Albany Radisson Hotel.  The Top Job competition is at 1:30 PM on April 20th.

Looking forward to sharing the challenges and experiences on this job and hearing ideas from others.

Front Yard Geothermal Drilling – Tipperary Hill, Syracuse

 

Final 2016 “Save the Rain” Green Infrastructure Project Complete!

In November 2016, construction was substantially completed for the Gear Factory Porous Asphalt lot serving the northern 200 block of South Geddes Street.  The project involved conversion of impervious alleys and a parking lot associated with the Gear Factory building and the building housing City Hardware into a porous asphalt lot and infiltration basin, which will manage runoff from the 19,000 sq ft of impervious hardscape and almost 15,000 sq ft of rooftop.  The project will manage roughly 630,000 gal of runoff annually preventing that volume of runoff from entering the City of Syracuse’s combined sewer system and mitigating combined sewer overflows from that system.

Gear Factory Alley Porous Asphalt

Urban Geothermal Retrofit Update!

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Photograph 1: Grouting of geothermal wells

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Photograph 2: GeoStar 4-ton Combination Heat Pump

In the late summer and early fall, the urban retrofit geothermal project located at 248 Bryant Avenue in Syracuse, New York was completed.  Pipes were fused and run into the basement and pressure tested.  The wells were then grouted with a flowable cementitious grout (See Photograph 1).
Following completion of the site work, the mechanical contractor, Renaissance HVAC (Verona, New York), completed the installation of the 4-ton GeoStar Cypress Combination heat pump see Photograph 2).  Wells were completed by purging and filling with a 20% ethylene glycol solution for freeze protection.  The combination heat pump system allows the heating of the house both with air and radiant hot water and air conditioning in the summer.  The geothermal heat pump will be powered by the grid-connected 6.4 kW solar array mounted on the home’s rooftop.

Piping and the heat pump system were provided by Phoenix Energy Supply who, along with Renaissance HVAC, also provided tremendous support on this challenging project!  The next steps on the path to net-zero are to connect domestic hot water to a heat pump and switchout the natural gas fueled stove and oven!

Recent Save the Rain Project Featured on Channel 9!

The Ra-Lin “Save the Rain” project designed by Natural Systems Engineering was featured on WSYR News Channel 9 on September 30, 2016.  The project involved construction of approximately 16, 000 sq ft of porous asphalt and a bioretention area to manage stormwater runoff from the 1.5 acres of impervious areas at the discount appliance store located on Burnet Avenue in Syracuse.  The project will result in the management of over 1.2 million gallons of stormwater annually, preventing that volume from entering the storm sewer system and contributing to combined sewer overflows to Onondaga Lake.  The story on Channel 9 shows how the porous asphalt allows infiltration of rainwater through the porous surface.

Swallow’s Tavern Green Infrastructure Project Closes out 2015

Construction of green infrastructure was completed in late 2015 consisting of a dry well to management roof runoff and a porous asphalt system to manage parking lot runoff.  Green infrastructure was designed by Natural Systems Engineering and construction was performed by the Rich and Gardner Construction Company (Syracuse, New York).  The project was funded by Onondaga County’s award winning Save the Rain program.

Swallow's Porous Asphalt Placement

Swallow’s Porous Asphalt Placement

Green Infrastructure, porous asphalt parking lot completed at Tucker Missionary Baptist Church!

 

In October 2015 construction was completed on the porous asphalt installation at Tucker Missionary Baptist Church, 515 Oakwood Avenue, Syracuse, New York designed by Natural Systems Engineering.  The project involved construction of 12,000 sq ft of porous asphalt surface to manage runoff from approximately 70,000 sq ft of impervious lot and rooftop.  The project was funded by Onondaga County’s award-winning “Save the Rain” program and will remove over 1.5 milion gal of stormwater per year from the City’s combined sewer system!  The contractor was Ruston Paving Company (DeWitt, New York).   Construction (20)

Patent Issued – “Retrofit Catch Basin for Use in Stormwater Management Practice”!

On September 8, 2015 patent number 9.127,488 was issued by the USPTO for “Retrofit Catch Basin for Use in Stormwater Management Practice.”  The device allows a conventional stormwater catch basin to be retrofitted to divert runoff to an alternative practice (such as green infrastructure) while allowing the catch basin to continue to serve as an overflow for the alternative practice.  Now looking for a partner with whom to commercialize this!

Catch Basin Retrofit Schematic

Birds Eye View of New Green Roof at Zip Networks!

As seen from a passing drone, shown is the new vegetated roof at Zip Networks, 100 Wilkinson Street, Syracuse.  The green roof is an extensive green roof planted with sedum.  Construction was performed by Shaffer Building Services (Syracuse, New York) based on the design of Natural Systems Engineering.   The roof looks brown due to the erosion control mat, but will be green by the end of the season!  The project was funded by Onondaga County’s award-winning Save the Rain program.

Birds Eye View of Zip Networks Vegetated Roof.

Birds Eye View of Zip Networks Vegetated Roof.