Manufacturing America’s Infrastructure™

This Pipe Blog article explores how effective drainage systems play a critical role in reducing hydroplaning potential, highlighting the importance of proper surface design and sheet flow interception. The article focuses on the benefits of Slotted Drain systems for capturing rainwater runoff across wide, flat airport surfaces such as runways, taxiways, and maintenance areas. Backed by decades of proven performance and extensive hydraulic testing, Slotted Drain provides continuous surface drainage, high structural strength for heavy aircraft loading, and long-term durability with multiple coating options designed to withstand harsh airport environments, including areas exposed to de-icing chemicals.

One of the largest concerns municipalities have when sliplining an existing pipe structure is if the liner pipe will fit inside the host pipe. There are a myriad of potential host pipe problems which determine liner pipe clearance.

Stormwater BMP design usually starts with two basic questions: can the BMP treat the required flow or volume, and can it physically fit on the site? Those questions are important, but they are not enough as a BMP is not fully designed until someone can inspect it, clean it, and understand who is responsible for maintaining it. Maintenance should not be treated as a post-construction problem. It is a design decision.

Effective stormwater management requires looking beyond initial installation costs. While many stormwater treatment systems have similar regulatory performance standards, their long-term operation and maintenance requirements can vary significantly depending on the system’s design, footprint, and technology. This is especially true when comparing traditional bioretention with proprietary high-rate biofiltration systems such as Contech’s Filterra Bioretention System and similar systems.