When I think about field monitoring, I often think about baseball. More specifically, I think about the knuckleball pitch. Since the knuckleball pitch has little to no spin, the ball moves in a completely unpredictable fashion. Unlike a fastball or a curveball, there are no pitching mechanics to indicate where the ball will likely wind up after

High-flow bioretention systems target the removal of suspended solids, total and dissolved nutrients and metals, oil and grease, trash, and debris. Components typically include plants, mulch and specially designed filter media mixtures often contained in a concrete container. The mulch layer and filter media capture and immobilize pollutants during

High rate biofiltration continues to gain acceptance within the regulatory and engineering community as an acceptable alternative to traditional bioretention. These systems provide high treatment levels in a compact size making bioretention feasible on sites where traditional bioretention is not possible. They have earned numerous agency approvals

ASTM International (ASTM) has been a recognized leader in consensus standard development by many different industries for more than 100 years now.  ASTM’s newest technical committee, E64, is devoted specifically to developing standards applicable to the broad class of stormwater management practices known as stormwater control measures (SCMs). 

Oil changes. Gutter cleaning. Annual doctor appointments. These are all forms of maintenance that most people would likely agree are necessary to keep our vehicles, our homes, and our bodies in good working order. We may not like spending the time, money, and effort on these tasks, but we do them anyway.If you happen to own a stormwater best

Many manufactured stormwater filtration systems use media-filled cartridges. During a storm, runoff passes through the filtration media, which absorbs and retains pollutants from stormwater runoff, including total suspended solids, hydrocarbons, nutrients, metals and other common pollutants. The structures that house the filter cartridges can be

Perhaps stigma is too strong a word, but for those that have been around storm water management circles a while, it’s hard to ignore the fact that manufactured storm water treatment devices (MTDs) continue to live in the shadows despite more than two decades of innovation, performance data and contributions to the storm water management sector at

In the part one of this blog series, we looked at Factors That Drive MTD Maintenance Costs. These include time and equipment, disposal costs, and consumables.  Next, we explore the three factors that are most important to consider when designing MTD’s with maintenance in mind include access, location, and onsite logistics.AccessWhen talking about

Many say that if it looks and quacks like a duck, then it’s probably a duck. When you visualize a biofilter, you might envision bioretention cells, rain gardens, constructed wetlands, bioswales, or vegetated filter strips. What is a visual commonality among these practices? Plants. Following the duck test, if it contains plants and engineered,

An appropriately designed and manufactured high performance biofiltration system combines the benefits of natural biofiltration with the reliable and predictable performance of an engineered system. Each high performance biofiltration system utilizes a multifaceted approach including physical, chemical and biological processes to capture,

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.

For this issue of the Stormwater Blog, I thought it would be beneficial to include a short video to better visually illustrate the durability and general advantages of Aluminized Type 2 (ALT2) corrugated steel pipe (CSP) detention/infiltration systems.The protective coating of aluminized type 2 corrugated steel pipes is composed of a free aluminum

Over the last 20 years of site-civil design, it has been interesting to see stormwater trends come and go.  Some design methodologies have disappeared, only to return later or in a nearby geography as the “new” approach.  Agency directives can shift based on new leadership or the prevalent regional concerns at the time.  As the construction

Plants provide fresh oxygen to breathe and beautiful aesthetics that can take our breath away, but many people don’t think about the role plants can play in stormwater treatment. The principal notion of Low Impact Development (LID) is founded upon mimicking pre-development conditions. Part of mimicking pre-development conditions includes not just

Current stormwater design guidance typically recommends starting with preservation of the natural landscape and hydrology wherever feasible. But, even with preservation, new stormwater management facilities are likely to be required to capture and clean runoff from pollution generating surfaces. These new stormwater facilities are likely to include

As mentioned in Part One of this blog post series, a successful bioretention media installation must have a framework in place as guidance for managing media from inception to installation. The framework should not only include Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) or how to source, qualify, verify, produce, store, and handle media, but also include

Engineered media is the heart of bioretention system performance. Therefore, preserving media integrity is of the utmost importance. A successful bioretention installation involves oversight not just onsite, but having a framework in place for transferring raw materials to a blended, commercially installed product. This framework should encompass

Bioretention Part Three: Lessons Being Learned – Siting Issues and Inlet DesignNot done with siting issues yet, maybe this becomes five parts?   One issue on siting and design is the hydraulic grade lines.  Recall from your road drainage days the equations that were used to space catch pits and throat openings?  The equations allowed for you to

As a volume based stormwater control measure, bioretention systems are providing beneficial use in that they reduce runoff volumes and peak flows. In areas where combined sewers are an issue, bioretention can reduce CSO frequency while increasing evapotranspiration and helping with groundwater recharge via infiltration processes. Common design

As bioretention becomes more popular, many types of designs are being deployed throughout the U.S.  Though relatively simple in concept, many are finding that the devil is in the details with respect to maintenance and performance.  These issues are driving newer designs and improving criteria for use. Over my next few posts, I will be sharing some

Bioretention and green roofs have become the centerpieces of Low Impact Development (LID) initiatives throughout North America. The well-publicized benefits of these two types of stormwater management practices focus on runoff reduction, stormwater quality treatment, and landscape aesthetics. Promotional literature provided by various regulatory

Perhaps the most recognized Low Impact Development technique, bioretention, incorporates landscaped features to slowly percolate stormwater runoff through plants and engineered soil prior to infiltrating that water into native soils. Where feasible, these systems can be a low cost, high efficiency stormwater management practice that can also

Preserving large trees as runoff interceptors is an integral part of low impact development as well as incorporating trees and vegetation in filtration beds, rain gardens, and bioretention systems. These systems are extremely beneficial and provide essential functions of the natural landscape: infiltration, evaporation, transpiration, interception,

As the need for effective stormwater treatment and volume control grows, so does the number of available stormwater control measures (SCMs) such as filtration systems, hydrodynamic separators, bio-retention  systems, green roofs and pervious pavement. As part of their due diligence, engineers go through an evaluation process to determine if the

Inspection and maintenance are key factors for making sure that your biofiltration box is performing as designed and achieving the required water quality standards.  Here are a few things to keep in mind...1. Protection from Construction DebrisBioretention box soil must be protected from compaction by heavy equipment traffic during construction.