For the last 60 years, the Fanwood-Scotch Plains YMCA in New Jersey has grown to provide programs and services to more than 10,000 people annually. Five years ago, the organization once again saw the need for expansion, with plans including creation of an additional swimming pool, nursery, children's center and expanded parking. As the plans were being developed for the 8.34-acre site, the engineering firm EKA Associates, Scotch Plains, N.J., considered various systems to manage storm water runoff created by the new impervious surfaces.
Adjacent to wetland areas, the YMCA facility faces seasonal high groundwater elevations. This, coupled with the need for more parking spaces, precluded the engineers from using an above-ground basin. Further, due to safety concerns, an above-ground pond would not have been the best choice for a facility with so many children. Engineers needed a storm water system that could provide a maximum storage capacity without occupying separate surface areas. They found a solution in the CULTEC underground storm water management system, a Clean Water Act-compliant best management practice that successfully addressed land constraint, wetland proximity and high water table issues.
Specific to this application, 1,326 CULTEC Recharger 180 storm water storage chambers, in conjunction with CULTEC's own high-volume, low-velocity (HVLV) 180 Header System employed as the internal manifold, were installed to collect storm water from the site. As storm water runoff travels through the HVLV system, side portals make the necessary tee connections and convey the water into Recharger chambers. On the YMCA site, the runoff will be detained, or stored for slower release, as well as infiltrated back into the ground. The system's capacity is 50,209 cu ft.
"Each site presents its own storm water management challenges, which affect the choice of a system," said Jeff Cadoff, an engineer at EKA Associates. "In this case, an underground system was the only way to go, and CULTEC presented the largest choice of product types and chamber sizes to fit our needs."
Source: CULTEC Inc.
