Design, Construction and Modeling of an Experimental Setup for the long term Eco-hydrological behavior of a Live Pole Drain

Abstract

Live Pole Drains (LPDs) are a plant-based drainage system used to drain natural slopes and prevent shallow gully erosion. LPDs are a Nature-based Solution built by placing a live fascine in a shallow ditch or gully along the slope direction, allowing moderate fluxes of surface runoff or seepage to infiltrate and high water fluxes to be conveyed along the fascine without further eroding the slope. Despite their practical implementation, the transient and long-term eco-hydrological behavior of LPDs is not well understood. We aim to better understand the LPD’s water balance, the seasonal and life-span changes in hydrological behavior, as well as the impact of an LPD on surface runoff water quality. To this end, we built and instrumented an artificial slope with full-scale LPDs in an open-air lab (OAL) at TU Delft. The design of the setup and the monitoring plan of the LPDs were developed in collaboration with Glasgow Caledonian University with insights from the construction and monitoring of three LPDs at different growth stages in their OAL on the east coast of Scotland. Herein, the design and possible research experiments that can be performed over the next 5 years are presented, generating a data set to further develop and validate hydrological modeling of LPDs. We expect this long-term demonstrative setup to generate interest and facilitate a more comprehensive understanding of LPD functions, ultimately leading to the incorporation of LPD design and maintenance standards in engineering toolboxes for slope and gully stabilization.