Drainage

IF YOU PAY ATTENTION TO ONLY ONE MESSAGE ON THIS SITE, THIS IS IT.
There are two types of water that need to be addressed around any track and field facility. They are bulk storm-water, and subsurface water the latter of which can come from a variety of sources, planned and unplanned.

Storm-water Drainage
In some renovation cases, changes to the bulk storm water are unnecessary. The existing ditches, precast drain channels, catch basins and outfall piping system may be just fine. However, it is always a good practice to do a survey of these features to determine that they are working properly and have a projected life that is at least as long as the expected life of the renovation work. If there are problems with erosion or standing water around the site, now is the time to correct them. Contours should allow the water from the clouds to fall on the track. All other water falling onto adjacent fields, hillsides, bleachers and walkways should be routed into collection systems and should NEVER be sheet-flowed across a track.

Subsurface Drainage
One of the most common additions that we install during renovations is a French drain to lower the water table around both running tracks and the field events. If your existing track surface is delaminating from the asphalt (it will be bubbled or have a hollow sound, or both), there is a subsurface moisture problem that requires an engineered correction. Subsurface water accumulation can come from numerous known and unknown sources. Follow this rule and and you will redesign a facility that will render many additional years of service. Plan as if water will find its way under your track and event pavements. Water will flow across the plane of the sub-grade until it either hits an impervious impediment like a concrete curb or the footing surrounding a curb drain.A good design integrates an under drain feature that will allow water to flow underground and into the outfall system ditch. This subsurface feature can be accomplished with coarse stone wrapped in a geotextile filter cloth, or with an engineered material substitute. Regardless of which you choose, this under drain needs to flow into the storm water outfall system. A simple way of doing this is to embed your outfall piping in a ditch that is essentially built as a French drain.