To detain storm water runoff at Metro Fire Station #21, the Metropolitan Government of Nashville, Tenn., and Davidson County elected to remove an aboveground detention pond and construct an underground storm water detention system to gain back valuable land for parking during the recent replacement of the facility.
The first design of the new storm water detention system specified 36-in. corrugated metal pipe, but concerns regarding fire truck traffic loading on the system resulted in a change to 36-in. reinforced concrete pipe. This, in turn, could not be used, as it would not fit in the required footprint under the facility’s driveway.
In the final design, the Storm Capture storm water management system was chosen and constructed under the entrance road. It reduced the detention system width and overall footprint by more than 40% and easily fit under the fire station roadway.
The final system contained 16 3-ft.-tall modules installed on top of 16 base slabs, for a total of 3,700 cu ft of detention storage. In addition, five catch basins/storm structures, 15-in. and 18-in. reinforced concrete pipe, and three sanitary manholes were provided for the project. The installation of the entire drainage system was completed in one day.
The detention system was a portion of an overall project to construct a new 21,000 sq ft fire station for Nashville’s fire department. Fire Station #21 is expected to achieve LEED Silver certification. Littlejohn Eng. designed the storm water system and Summit Constructors performed the installation for Messer Construction, the general contractor on Fire Station #21.