Retail Supercenter Installs Netting System to Manage Pollution

Many residents of a small town on the outskirts of St. Louis were upset when they heard a major American retailer was opening a new store in their town. After months of public hearings, the Army Corps of Engineers and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued Section 401 Water Quality Certification for the retailer. This assured residents that the retailer would employ a plan to guarantee water quality standards would not be violated. Part of the plan included StormX, an end-of-pipe netting system that was installed last month.

The predevelopment area was on 36 acres of farmland, and home to two tributaries of Rocky Fork Creek, which feeds directly into the Mississippi River. In order to preserve the abundance of wildlife, it was necessary to treat potential contaminants. The retailer called on local firm Cochran Engineering to develop an ideal storm water plan for the new supercenter.

The most abundant pollutant at retail supercenter locations typically is trash. Because of this, a proven system was required to handle the large amounts of trash accumulated by the store's urban runoff. StormX allows water to flow unimpeded while capturing gross pollutants as small as 5 mm. The installation included three units: an 18-in. unit to filter runoff from the roof, and 36- and 48-in. units to filter runoff from parking lots and unloading areas.

"StormX was chosen because it was the most economical way to keep trash and debris out of the fragile surrounding ecosystem," said Matt Austin of Aspen Environmental. "Maintenance was another consideration when choosing StormX; the strong netting means the unit can withstand a greater mass of trash and debris compared to similar products."

The Illinois EPA requires that trash be removed weekly. "It turns out emptying the nets are fast and easy," said Austin. "Overall, StormX is easy to install, even in a flared end section, durable and very low profile."

The plan to handle pollutants generated from the store's new location involved three main storm water lines, with one being treated by an up-flow filter device. The others are treated with a two-step process, employing StormX to remove gross pollutants before the water enters a bio-retention pond, where the remaining finer contaminants are filtered.

"It's so rare to see these days," said Austin, "but this treatment project is a perfect combination of proprietary and natural products working together to achieve a high standard of water quality."

Source: Storm Water Systems