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Storm / Sanitary Networks

Guide to adding elements to your Storm and Sanitary networks

Written by Allsite Support

Allsite.ai extended data is automatically added to pipes and structures on creation.

Level AI factors in the storm and sanitary networks if "Servicing Enabled" in the run, this will project minimum pipe grades up the roads from existing manholes/pipes and any lift stations / outlets into lots. PUBLIC PARK and PUBLIC DRAINAGE type lots are excluded from this analysis. This sets a 'floor' for the design accounting the minimum pipe clearances under roads/pervious.

Service AI takes the existing connections and designs the catchments and networks as per the subnet (sub network)'s configured.

Network / Part Library

Select the network for storm and sanitary via drop-down - this is where the pipes and structures created by Service AI will be put. This dropdown is mirrored on Allsite.ai.

When structures and pipes are added for in these networks they will get property data automatically assigned indicating whether a storm / sanitary node.

Via the Allsite.ai you can then set the part family to use Storm and Sanitary pipes and various structure types. This informs Service AI the parts to select from. If no part family is selected the family that was used for any existing pipes/structures and/or family with the most part sizes is selected.

Storm/Sanitary Settings

Below are the storm and sanitary settings configurable in your Allsite.ai project, grouped by category.

Network placement

Setting

Description

Network

Network placement

Desired network paths within the road corridor and parcels — offset distance from road centreline, curb, or road extent (the road corridor edge adjacent to residential parcels).

All

Default normal lot pipe connection

Default pipe connection method for NORMAL-category lots (surface single/multiple discharge point [storm], piped front, piped rear, or piped front or rear).

All

Cover & depth

Setting

Description

Network

Road cover (min / max)

Minimum and maximum cover for pipes under roads (from top of pipe); can be overridden per pipe. Also informs Level AI.

All

Other area cover (min / max)

Minimum and maximum cover for pipes under pervious / other areas (from top of pipe). Also informs Level AI.

Min: All · Max: Storm

Preferred cover & depth

Preferred nominal cover and preferred minimum/maximum pipe depth that Service AI targets between the hard limits.

All

Building freeboard

Minimum drop between a building and the pipe (from top of pipe). Also informs Level AI.

All

Maximum network depth

Maximum depth the network can reach (from top of pipe) — increase this if using a deep lift station. Also informs Level AI.

All

Pipes

Setting

Description

Network

Pipe grades / default minimum grade

Table of pipe grade limits by pipe size; the default minimum grade applies to sizes not in the table. Level AI uses the minimum grade for the largest pipe size when assessing serviceability.

All

Grade limits (max + preferred)

Maximum allowable pipe grade, plus the preferred minimum/maximum grades Service AI targets.

All

Pipe length (min / max)

Shortest and longest pipe run allowed between structures — each with an absolute limit and a preferred target.

All

Minimum pipe diameter (private / public)

Smallest diameter allowed for private and public pipes.

All

Minimum catchment area

Minimum catchment area threshold used in sizing.

All

Pipe roughness

Material-specific Colebrook-White wall roughness for capacity/HGL calculations, plus a default roughness for materials not listed. (Manning's n on the Civil 3D pipe is used when the hydraulic method is Manning-based.)

Storm

Structures

Setting

Description

Network

Manhole deflection

How much a pipe run can turn through a manhole: a preferred maximum angle (default 95°, a soft target) and an absolute maximum (default 120°). The preferred angle must be less than the maximum.

Preferred: All · Max: Storm

Minimum manhole wall distance

Minimum distance from a pipe connection to the manhole wall.

All

Manhole benching type

Benching configuration used for manhole hydraulic checks.

All

Capacity assessment

Setting

Description

Network

Design storm sizing

Up to three design storms — Average Recurrence Interval, duration source (fixed duration in hours if applicable), sizing method (HGL or Flow at Grade; depth to HGL if HGL), and whether to include node headloss.

Storm

Load & flow method

Methods used to calculate design loads/flows and to assess pipe hydraulic capacity.

All

Runoff parameters

Manning's n (pervious / impervious), pervious curve number, and SCS D value used in runoff calculations.

Storm

Saddle head loss K

Head-loss coefficient for saddle connections.

Storm

Peaking factors (DWF / WWF)

Dry-weather and wet-weather flow peaking factors.

Sanitary

Network clearances

Setting

Description

Network

Network clearance parameters

Horizontal and vertical clearances between the different networks.

All

Hydrology Settings

Rainfall IDF defines the rainfall intensity, duration, and frequency data used for stormwater design.

An IDF curve tells Service AI how intense a storm is expected to be for different storm durations and return periods. Shorter storms generally have higher rainfall intensity, while rarer storms generally have higher rainfall intensity than more frequent storms of the same duration.

Use project-specific rainfall data where available. For United States projects, this may come from sources such as NOAA Atlas 14.

Term

Meaning

Intensity

How hard it rains, usually expressed as mm/hr or in/hr.

Duration

How long the storm lasts, such as 5 minutes, 15 minutes, 1 hour, or 24 hours.

Frequency

How rare the storm is, often expressed as a return period such as 2-year, 10-year, 25-year, or 100-year storm.

Update hydrology data for the project on the Project Properties -> Hydrology Data tab.

Tip: set up localised hydrology data in your template project for the region that way new projects will all inherit the correct data.

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