Virginia State University Employs SorbtiveFILTER Technology to Protect River

In developing its new Howard Quad Complex, a $20 million, 458-bed residence hall, Virginia State University (VSU) relied on Imbrium Systems' SorbtiveFILTER technology to treat storm water runoff from adjacent parking lots. The Quad Phase I is the first of two projects consisting of four L-shaped residence halls that eventually will cover the area now occupied by Howard Hall. The university is situated in Chesterfield County at Ettrick on a bluff across the Appomattox River from the city of Petersburg. Founded in 1882, Virginia State University (VSU) is the nation's first fully state-assisted four-year, historically black college or university.

The original engineering site plans called for three small parking lots, each designed with a sand filter to treat storm water runoff. A re-examination of the plans by ACF Environmental offered a solution to achieve a better water quality for the storm water runoff and save Virginia State University on construction costs. "Once we reviewed the site plan with the engineering and constructions firms, we understood the challenge was to find a more innovative storm water technology that produced a better water quality and reduced project costs," said Corey Simonpietri, market development manager at ACF Environmental in Richmond, Va.

"The solution involving the Sorbtive technology was truly a win-win situation for all parties," said Taso Iraclidis, regional manager for Imbrium Systems. "VSU is adjacent to the Appomattox River in a sub-basin of the James River, which ultimately empties into the lower Chesapeake Bay. The Bay TMDL (Total Maximum Daily Load), which targets both sediment and nutrients like phosphorus, has consequences for upstream communities and land development. The Appomattox River contributes about 1% of the phosphorus load to the Chesapeake Bay. Everyone needs to protect the Chesapeake Bay from storm water runoff that contains sediment and nutrients and VSU takes this obligation seriously.”

By substituting the three SorbtiveFILTER systems with accompanying RainTank systems for the original sand filters, the project installation moved forward quickly and material costs were reduced.

Source: PR Newswire