EVALUATION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF CATCH BASIN INSERTS AS A RETROFIT FOR STORM WATER QUALITY TREATMENT

The goals of this project were to evaluate the effectiveness of storm basin inserts in regards to storm water pollutant removal in an urban area. Several water quality parameters were analyzed for samples taken before the storm water passed through the filter as well as after the water was filtered. This type of analyses allowed for easy calculation of pollution reduction efficiency. The water quality parameters measured included testing for ammonia. nitrates, total phosphorous, biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, bacterial analysis, total solids, volatile solids, suspended solids, metals, and oil & grease.

While there is generally no direct public access to storm water runoff, water containing the pollutants that were measured in this study could impact human health in times of sewer back-ups or direct overflow into public waterways. This study has shown the reduction capabilities of retrofit inserts for these parameters, providing insight as to how these devices could impact the human health effects from storm water.

This project required the use of catch basin insert devices acquired from Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. and Fabco Industries, Inc. as well as the use of collection devices created from PVC materials and Nalgene 2 liter collection bottles. A dry period of 72 hours was required before sampling had taken place to allow for build-up of sediment and nutrients in the areas that were tested.

It is anticipated that sampling and analyses of pre-filter and post-filter runoff waters following rainfall and snow melt events will provide a quantitative measure of storm water treatment effectiveness. The findings of the study could provide municipalities and planners with data to make decisions concerning the selection of best management practices for storm water quality treatment in urbanized areas.