The Stormwater Blog

Hydrodynamic Separators (HDS) have been a staple in stormwater management for over twenty years. Choosing the right HDS unit for your project can be challenging, but understanding key design considerations can help guide you through the process. This blog post reviews several important factors to consider when sizing your HDS unit.

In stormwater management, manufactured treatment devices (MTDs) are often recognized as innovative solutions for controlling runoff and enhancing water quality. Yet, despite their growing adoption, several misconceptions about these devices persist, leading to confusion and misinformed decisions. This blog will tackle some of the most prevalent myths surrounding MTDs, shedding light on their true capabilities and effectiveness.

Proprietary stormwater treatment systems, or stormwater control measures (SCMs), offer several unique benefits compared to traditional land-based SCMs. Perhaps best known for their space-efficient design, making them well-suited and essential tools when managing stormwater runoff in ultra-urban environments, proprietary SCMs have several additional benefits discussed in this blog post.

Hydrodynamic separators are primarily designed to treat stormwater runoff by removing pollutants such as sediment, debris, oil, and grease. But what happens when tailwater conditions obstruct the flow?

Stormwater management is a critical aspect of sustainable urban development, and hydrodynamic separators (HDS) play a vital role in this process. In this blog post, we delve into the intricacies of HDS devices, looking at the different components, each serving a specific purpose in removing and retaining stormwater pollutants while adhering to hydraulic requirements.

As stormwater quality regulations become increasingly stringent, civil engineers are turning to stormwater filtration Best Management Practices (BMPs) to meet the demand for higher pollutant removal efficiency. In this blog post, we will explore the fundamentals of stormwater filtration, focusing on pollutant removal mechanisms, sizing methods, filtration mediums, and the advantages of proprietary systems.

Some media-based stormwater filtration system manufacturers offer different types of media, allowing engineers to design systems for site-specific pollutant removal.

Phosphorus is the second-most-regulated pollutant in stormwater runoff after total suspended solids. However, engineers and regulators are still learning how to remove phosphorus from stormwater to promote healthy waterways and meet agency requirements.

As we return to work after the Christmas break, we can’t help but look forward to 2023 and what the future holds for stormwater management. We reached out to several Contech associates to get their insight. Here is what they had to say.

It’s that time of year again - temperatures have dropped below freezing, and the wintery weather has blown in. Departments of Transportation, state, local and city road crews are being kept on their toes, applying roadway treatments and safe passage for all of us. It is estimated that the US spends approximately $2.3 billion annually to keep highways free of snow and ice, and roughly 20% of transportation department budgets goes toward winter road maintenance.