Technical Description:
- Vortechs® Hydrodynamic Separator
The Challenge
With no expansion possibilities at their current site, Bayer Federal Credit Union found it necessary to move its
corporate offices to a new location. After looking at several parcels within the city, the credit union selected a
three-acre site overlooking the Elkhart River Dam in Riverwalk Commons.
When Bob Weaver of Wagner Construction and a life-long resident of Elkhart, began planning for the new
four-story facility, he knew that stormwater treatment would be important, as runoff from the site would flow
directly into the river. The Elkhart River is a tributary of the St. Joseph River, which ultimately flows into Lake
Michigan.
The Solution
Stormwater regulations in Elkhart are based on National Pollution Discharge Elimination System standards.
However, forward thinking Bayer Federal Credit Union and Wagner Construction wanted to go beyond
the current requirements. “The credit union wanted to be a good citizen and do the right thing by the
community,” stated Dallas Bergl, President of Bayer Federal Credit Union. “We felt the right thing to do was to
install a stormwater treatment system to protect the Elkhart River from pollutants.” Bob Weaver added “After
researching several products, we chose the Contech Vortechs System,”. their third-party test results assured me
that their system works, and it was not prohibitively expensive.”
The fully assembled Vortechs model 2000 was installed in roughly one hour. All runoff from the parking lot is
now directed to the Vortechs where sediment, floatable debris and oil and grease are separated before flow is
discharged directly into the Elkhart River. The customized system will treat flow rates of 2.8 cfs. Unobstructed
access to stored pollutants through the manhole will make maintenance of the unit easy.
The Result
“We got great support from Contech. They delivered the unit when they said they would,” stated Weaver. “The
crane was set up and ready to go when we needed it.” Dallas Bergl added, “The system is working beautifully as
specified.”
Technical Description:
- Vortechs® Hydrodynamic Separator