TerreKleen Low Impact Development Protector

Putting in a rain garden?  Worried about sediment, trash, debris, or oils getting into and blinding your rain garden?  Perhaps you would consider installing our newest product, the TerreKleen LID Protector. 


The TerreKleen LID protector was designed in response to concerns of several of our large city clients who are installing rain gardens.  Their concerns include: cost, ease of maintenance, sediment, debris, and oils getting into their rain gardens, blinding the rain gardens and killing the plants.  In response to concerns about budget and lack of manpower, the TerreKleen LID protector was designed.


This small vault system was designed to capture sediment, trash, debris, and oils, and as a shallow vault, a central maintenance location makes makes $en$e and can easily be performed with a shovel.

TerreKleen LID Protector

Lengthen the life of your rain garden!  If you are interested in learning more about the TerreKleen LID protector, give us a call!

TerreKleen hydrodynamic separator installed at Eastchester DPW Yard - TK27

All of the action started at about 
9:00 AM yesterday morning 
at the Eastchester, NY DPW yard.  Here is the 
TerreKleen ready for installation.

The hole where the TerreKleen is being
 installed is already prepared.

This is the base which installed quickly.
The white pipes and red hose
are the manifold system.  Confined Space
Entry is NOT required on the TerreKleen.  This
will mean a significant short and long term
cost savings.

 

This is the mid-section.  Tight installation
since the TerreKleen had to fit right up
against the outlet pipe.  The left
side of the unit is the primary chamber
where large sediments, trash and oil
will be contained.  The plates on
the right side of this picture shows
the stacked inclined plates where
small sediments will settle out.

The riser is on in no time.

The top stacks in no time.
Total installation time:  approximately 1 hour.

Current stormwater projects and applications

Was thinking back over the past year and about the projects that we have worked on and what is ahead.  Just thought this was interesting to consider what types of projects we work on, their diversity and why our clients choose our systems.  These were just a few that came to mind.


TerreKleen - hydrodynamic separator
Probably one of the most unique projects we worked on was for a condo complex in New York.  This client needed a hydrodynamic separator to be installed in their existing parking structure.  Since there was no room for a crane, we built the whole unit from marine grade aluminum and put it in place.  Since this condo complex was located in an urban area, they really were concerned about losing parking availability.  Our unit fit in nicely into their parking garage and at the most, they only lost 1 parking spot.  (I believe if one drove a very small car they could still fit in the spot)
TerreKleen offers a lot of flexibility.  We design to meet the goals of your project (you do not need to design your project to meet the goals of the TerreKleen)


TerreBox - stormwater detention / rain harvesting system
One project that we are currently working on is for a University.  They are going to be re-developing part of their campus and in going for LEED Gold, they are planning the installation of a geo-thermal heating system as well as and capturing all roof runoff for re-use.  The TerreBox is a natural solution in this application.  

1. TerreBox is a modular system, so the client can easily design the storage they need.  
2. As a system that installs quickly and is HS-25 load rated, TerreBox is well suited for a site where large infrastructure/major buildings are going up.
3. Work on the rest of the site will be able to continue with minimal interruption.  
4. TerreBox offers a patented water-tight seal.  This will prevent the roof runoff from contaminating the geo-thermal system.

TerreArch - stormwater infiltration - patented stormwater arch system

A major portion of projects we see need infiltration.  Another school project that we are working on is re-developing their parking lots.  Part of their plans include the installation of two infiltration bays.  Our systems will fit well in this application because:

1. Our systems arrive on-site as HS-25 load rated.  They are not dependent on work crews to achieve the HS-25 load rating.  They are built to easily handle the bus, truck, car traffic at a busy school facility.
2. TerreArch arrives just in time - there is no need for storage, staging, re-staging and there are no small parts to put together, break or lose.
3. TerreArch installs quickly - the contractor can install, backfill and cover up to 50,000 cubic feet of stormwater storage in one day.  Work on the rest of the site can continue with minimal interruption.
4. Available as 26" or 48" arches, it is easy to design and install these systems.

Warren County, NY SWCD installs TerreKleen hydrodynamic separator to improve stormwater runoff at AAA rated, historically important, Halfway Brook, Queensbury, NY

We LOVE what we do because we:
1) Really help our clients improve stormwater runoff
2) What we do has a long term impact on improving water quality
It means a lot to have this opportunity.


During the summer of 2009, we were invited to make a site visit and compete against other hydrodynamic separator units for a high profile project to improve the stormwater runoff that flows into Halfway Brook in Queensbury, NY.   Queensbury is located in Warren County, which is located on the edge of a 6 MILLION ACRE Adirondack State Park.


This particular site was selected because:
1- The Warren County SWCD wanted to have the largest impact on improving stormwater and this outfall is the largest in the County
2- A large surrounding commercial area of 106 of impervious surface drains into Halfway Brook at this point.
3- Halfway Brook is a historically important Brook
4- Halfway Brook is a AAA rated Trout Brook
5- Brook trout need cold clean water to thrive
6- Site is upstream from a popular public park


The site constraints were very difficult:
1- The site had a very small footprint 
2- A 12" gas main ran through the property
3- Other utilities ran through the property
4- Unit would have to go RIGHT NEXT to the brook, so there is a high water table
5- Runoff from a large commercial area (106 acres of impervious surface) enters the brook at this location
6- Site is right along side a major state route - with lots of traffic
7- The property owner agreed to help at great inconvenience to himself and his going business
8- The site had previously been a gas station - leaky tanks contaminated the site and it had undergone cleanup


The best option at this site would be a hydrodynamic separator.  Water could flow down to toward the brook and through the hydrodynamic separator.  We demonstrated how the TerreKleen works:


1- Water enters the primary chamber where oils, sediment, trash are collected
2- The water then flows through a screen into the secondary chamber and onto the TerreKleen's stacked inclined plates
3- The water enters the secondary chamber near the bottom of the plates as the water rises the stacked inclined plates help finer sediments fall out
4- Once collected, there is no scour or re-suspension and so the material is permanently collected
5- Maintenance is easy - NO CONFINED SPACE ENTRY is required and most maintenance is completed with a vac truck in about an hour
6- What is really cool is to realize that the stacked inclined plate technology is technology that has been used to separate particles from drinking water since 1905.  One would think that if there were a better way to separate particles from water, the drinking water industry would have gone with it.  This technology is still widely used and its effectiveness is well known by engineers.  The TerreKleen simply adapts this technology to efficiently remove sediments from stormwater.


Details on the TerreKleen:
Each TerreKleen is custom manufactured for each site.  We look at flow rates, particle size removal objectives and where the pipes are coming in and manufacture the TK for specific site)  
This site has a TK63 - which is our largest unit
TK63 Structure size is: 16.5' X 7' (115.5 ft2)
TK63 offers 403 ft2 Settling Surface Area
The Settling Surface Area per Structure Ft 2 for the TK63 is 349%
*(Please read ft2 as "foot squared - I cannot figure out how to superscript the 2 - thank you)




Here are a few pics:

Just cool to see part of the unit on the ride
up to the site.  The weather is sub-optimal

You can see the site here - RIGHT NEXT TO
THE BROOK.  The guys told me that brook
 trout are always seen right here at the outfall.

The hole has been pre-dug and prepared
for the TerreKleen.  The crane is in place and
ready to go.  Trucker backs in to
start off-loading the base of the TerreKleen.

Here is the base - in place
This shows the manifold system
which allows the TerreKleen to
be cleaned from the curb.

Here is the middle section of the
TerreKleen getting installed.
This is our largest unit and
these plates will help all of the
fine sediments settle out. 

Two hours later and
3 lifts by the crane,
the TerreKleen is in place and ready to work

The TerreKleen is the BEST option at this site.

Not only does TerreKleen maximize the 

sedimentation in the smallest footprint, but 

the easy maintenance/cleanout will significantly

help keep both short and long-term

maintenance costs to a minimum.

What a great day!

PS - here is a link to project details prepared by

Warren County Soil and Water Conservation 

District

TerreKleen 02 installed to capture sediment and improve stormwater runoff

A GREAT KICK-OFF FOR 2011!  Even though it was a bit cold, it was a great day to be outside and see our first Terre Kleen hydrodynamic separator of 2011 installed!


We are on-site at 7:00 AM and the trucker has already arrived.  TerreKleen arrives pre-assembled and ready to install.  This makes installation easy.  

TerreKleen is quickly off the truck and installing in the hole the contractor has prepared.

The conseal (black strip) is quickly applied.  We are now ready to install the riser section.

Riser is being installed

TerreKleen installed!!!

The primary contaminant at this site is sediment.  The TK02 is a smaller TerreKleen unit.  The size of the TerreKleen for each site is chosen based on flow rates and the sediment particle size that client needs to capture.  After pipes are connected and manhole covers put in place, TerreKleen will be fully functioning and will immediately start to work.

TerreKleen hydrodynamic separator approved by The MDC - Hartford, CT

Attention: 

Engineers, Contractors and Owners in

Bloomfield, East Hartford, Hartford, Newington, Rocky Hill, West Hartford, Wethersfield and Windsor, CT! 

The TerreKleen hydrodynamic separator has been approved by The MDC for use in projects located within the MDC's jurisdiction.  Here is a link to their confirmation letter.

TerreKleen will capture sediment, trash, debris, oils, it installs quickly and there is no scour or re-suspension of collected material.  Cleanout is easy and does not require confined space entry.  This is a significant short and long-term savings.

Let us know if we can assist with any design and sizing issues!

.

Improving Stormwater runoff at the Ausable River, Wilmington, NY (Part 2)

Wanted to post a few last pictures so you can see how the installation was completed:

Off the truck, the crane is moving the TerreKleen into position.

Easy does it!  TerreKleen is gently lowered into the hole

Most difficult part of installation complete

Primary chamber on right, inclined plates on left

Improving Stormwater runoff at Ausable River, in a NYS DOT right of way- 3 part post

Wilmington, NY.  The Ausable River in the Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York is known for its world-class trout fishing.

This is the site of our first TerreKleen hydrodynamic separator installation in upstate NY.  The TerreKleen hydrodynamic separator is being installed to capture sediment, trash, oils and debris and prevent its flow into the Ausable River.  

This project is a collaborative effort between Essex County Soil and Water Conservation District and NYSDOT.  The installation of the TerreKleen is in a NYSDOT right of way.

This is a picture of the Ausable River from the site.

Difficult installation site conditions include:
Re-routing traffic on this section of Route 86 until installation complete, small site footprint, excessive low hanging power lines. 

(This is a 3 part post click on stormwaterworks banner at top of page to view additional 2 postings)

This is a look at sediment on this site.

This is an overview of the site as the TerreKleen 
arrives.  This part of Route 86 has been closed for installation.

Improving Stormwater at N. Lake Carmel with a second installation of the TerreKleen

All Equipment in the shoulder

Very Tight Work Area

It has been an exciting August with our second TerreKleen installation at North Lake Carmel, NY.  Again, the worksite is incredibly small.  All of the heavy duty earth moving equipment barely fits in the road shoulder.  It is important to keep the traffic moving. 

TK09 - 9 cells for particle separation

Don't blink!  (Left) 
The TerreKleen is in place before you know it!  

This is the picture of a smallest TerreKleen unit, the TerreKleen09.  

The 09 represents the number of cells created by the stacked inclined plates for particle separation.  This unit will capture sediment, trash, debris and oils.  

Confirming the TK09 is level

Next step... 

double checking that the TerreKleen has been installed and is level in the hole.

It is important that the gravel in the bottom of the hole provides a level surface for the TerreKleen to sit on.

The crane is moves the lid onto the open TerreKleen.  The top is designed to fit on top of the open TerreKleen.  It takes just a few minutes until the lid is in place.

The installation is complete.  In less than an hour, the large equipment is leaving the site and the TerreKleen is in place ready to do its job. 

Hydrodynamic Separator - TerreKleen 45 is now capturing sediment, trash and debris at N. Lake Carmel, NY

This was a very exciting day!  The effectiveness of the TerreKleen hydrodynamic separator for capturing sediment, trash and debris is well known and these units are widely used in VA, MD, PA, NJ and DE.  As the representative for TerreHill Stormwater Systems in New York and New England, Stormwaterworks.com was  thrilled to see our first installation of a TerreKleen in New York State!  What made this day even more exciting is that the unit is a TK45 - the largest unit we have ever seen installed.

 This is a picture of the jobsite.  The N. Lake Carmel community is mainly residential, however, there is A LOT of traffic.  I took this picture to give you an idea of how small the work area is.  A shoring box is hidden behind the orange netting - this is where the TerreKleen is going to be installed.

This picture is looking down into the hole that has been dug for the TerreKleen.  It is important that the gravel in the bottom is level.  Since this is a lakeside community, there is a high water table and you can see that some mud has creeped into the hole.  The mud will be cleaned before the TerreKleen is positioned in place.

 

 This image shows the base of the TerreKleen as it is being maneuvered into place.  It just takes the crane operator a few minutes to lift the base off the flatbed truck and position the base in the hole.  

This is the base of the TerreKleen.  You can see the manifold system (white bars and red hose on the left side of the unit) are designed to assist in cleaning the unit.  Notice the white socks on the right side of the unit designed to collect oil.

Next, the middle section or "riser", is positioned into place with the crane.  This picture shows the stacked inclined plates on the left side of the unit.  This is where all of the fine particle separation takes place.  Stacked inclined plate technology was developed in 1905 and has been widely used in the drinking water industry around the world ever since.  The Terrekleen merely adapts this proven technology and widely accepted engineering practice for the storm water industry.  The riser is made to fit ontop of the base.  It takes just a few minutes to get this piece into place.

The lid is placed on top of the TerreKleen.  This lid incorporates 3 manhole covers for cleanout as well as a catch basin grate.  This unit will function as the last catch basin in the line and will provide 3 other access points to aid in cleanout.

This TerreKleen unit was installed in about an hour.  The TerreKleen will contain trash, oil and sediments until the units are cleaned out.  No scour or re-suspension of collected material happens because of the design of the TerreKleen.

Stay tuned - we have an additional installation in North Lake Carmel that will be posting shortly.  We are excited to help keep North Lake Carmel clean!

TerreKleen Hydrodynamic Separator installation in Kent, NY at N. Lake Carmel this week!

Coming up this week... the installation of a TerreKleen TK45 hydrodynamic separator in Kent, NY at North Lake Carmel!  Took the day Friday to visit the installation site in Kent, NY.  

The TerreKleen being installed is going to capture trash, sediment, oils, and prevent them from traveling into North Lake Carmel.    

TK45 is capable of treating large flows and will improve the water quality that flows into North Lake Carmel.  Stay tuned for installation pictures later this week!

TerreKleen Hydrodynamic Separator (water quality treatment vault) Inspection

Wow - what a great week!  We had our first post installation inspection of the TerreKleen hydrodynamic separators that we installed in Stamford back in November.  I thought these pictures quickly and easily tell the whole story:

The first picture shows the trash that is contained in the TerreKleen.  This trash will be trapped here until these units are maintained/cleaned out.

With trash and debris trapped in the primary chamber of the TerreKleen, this second picture shows the "working" section of the unit.  Stormwater  travels through a screen and onto

the stacked inclined plates (you can see the plates on the right side of the picture).  These plates help smaller sediments fall out.

The TerreKleen design is based on solid engineering principals developed by Allen Hazen in 1905.  This technology was developed to separate sediments from water in the drinking water industry.  The effectiveness of stacked inclined plates (Lamella plates) is well known and recognized as more than 100 years later, this technology is still widely used for sediment separation in the drinking water industry.  The TerreKleen has simply adapted this technology to efficiently separate sediments from storm water runoff.

Here is brief information about Allen Hazen , his education at MIT, his career, contributions and impact on the water industry.  Here is a link to some of his published works.

Another benefit to this client? TerreKleen maintenance / cleanout will NOT require confined space entry!

It feels good to know that this trash has been prevented from littering Long Island Sound this summer.

If you have questions about the TerreKleen, hydrodynamic separation, particle size distribution, trash control or stacked inclined (Lamella) plates, feel free to give us a call!

TerreKleen Hydrodynamic Separator Approved by the MDC - Hartford, CT area

TerreKleen Hydrodynamic separator has been accepted for use in the towns around Hartford, CT that are served by The Metropolitan District (MDC).  The MDC is a non-profit municipal corporation chartered by the Connecticut General Assembly in 1929 to provide potable water and sewerage services on a regional basis. Today, the MDC provides quality water supply, water pollution control, mapping, and household hazardous waste collection to eight member municipalities -- Bloomfield, East Hartford, Hartford, Newington, Rocky Hill, West Hartford, Wethersfield and Windsor -- and to portions of other towns in the region.

TerreKleen can be designed/customized for your job, installs quickly and does not require confined space for clean out.   Our engineering department can help you with sizing and design issues.  If you are a contractor or municipality and have a job in the Hartford, CT area that requires a hydrodynamic separator, give us a call! 

From Storms to Sewers - lecture/program about Long Island Sound

Last night I attended the "Storms to Sewers" program in Greenwich, CT at the Bruce Museum.  WOW!  There was really a great turn-out for this program.  I am guessing there were 100 or so people in attendance.  The whole presentation was extremely well presented by Leah Schmalz from Save the Sound/CT Fund for the Environment.  In a very short period of time, she clearly communicated all of the issues that affect The Sound.  The topics covered included: a look at the watershed, Long Island Sound Study, sources of pollution, oxygen levels in the Sound, low impact development, rain barrels, nutrient loading, trash control, the status of projects such as sewer separation and waste water treatment facility upgrades, and stormwater authorities, FUNDING and MORE.  It really was an excellent program and at the end, there were a lot of good questions from a very active and interested audience.

By the way, a quick websearch revealed a fact sheet (from 2005) put together by the EPA.  Click here for the link.

Long Island Sound Citizen's Summit sponsored by Save the Sound and CT Fund for the Environment is coming up on May 7th - we will be a vendor there.  Hope you can make it.

Stormwater newsletter "The Buzz"

We have posted our most recent issue of "The Buzz" - our storm water newsletter on our website. Click here to check it out.

Gearing up for EarthDay, 2010 - Looking to showcase our stormwater technologies

April 22, 2010 marks the 40th anniversary for EarthDay.  We want to do something extra special to celebrate this milestone anniversary and are looking to be part of a festival or meeting where we can educate people about the importance of improving storm water runoff, protecting our rivers, lakes and streams and showcase the latest technologies in stormwater.  Half of what we can do is educational, and for the civil engineers in the crowd, they might see something they really like.  If you are in the NY / CT area and holding an Earthday event,  we might be the right team to participate in your event!  Please contact us if you think we would be a good fit!  Click here for our website so you can see what kind of work we do.  Our phone and contact info is on the top right of our homepage.   We would love to hear from you!

Here is the link to the CT DEP list of Earthday goings-on
Here is a link to the EPA list of EarthDay goings-on and tips to help the earth


We hope to see you at EarthDay!

Cigarette Butt Litter

After reading the Keep America Beautiful report on litter and thinking more about the toll it takes on our economy and our communities, I have been more focused and more observant about litter. We followed-up on Friday with a meeting with the Keep America Beautiful folks and spoke further about their programs and one of the issues that was specifically mentioned was cigarette butt litter. While I have seen more than my share of cigarette butts out in the field, I was unaware that 1 in 5 pieces of litter is actually a cigarette butt.

After our meeting, I did a little more research and looking around and found an LA Times article "Fuming Over Cigarette Butt Litter" (written by David Lazarus, November 30, 2008) citing that the City of Los Angeles picks up 600,000 cigarette butts a month and more than 7 million butts per year.

Virginia Beach exceeded its budget to clean storm drains by $3,000,000.00 and a significant portion of this amount was due to cigarette butts.

Once in the environment, it is important to remember that cigarette butts don't disappear. 95% of all butts are made from cellulose acetate that don't break down. Butts easily travel through storm drains and end up in local rivers, lakes and streams. Ultimately, they can be mistaken as food and pose a threat to marine and wildlife.

Cigarette butts are a significant source of pollution. While education and access to proper ashtrays/disposal is key, cigarette butt littering is rampant. While we have never been approached specifically to target cigarette butts, this is one of the types of trash that we can prevent from entering the stormwater systems.

For more information about cigarette litter, click here
For a look at how we can help you improve your storm water quality, click here

Our Planet, Our Stuff, Our Choice - EPA Video Competition

The EPA is sponsoring the "Our Planet, Our Stuff, Our Choice" video competition

Videos must be 30 or 60 seconds long and focus on these themes:

• Reducing/reusing
• Recycling
• Composting
• Consumption and environmental footprint

Videos due February 16, 2010

Hey, you can even win some CASH! How cool is that?

Click here for full details

GOOD LUCK!

Trash Control - tales from the stormwater dark side

As mentioned, in yesterday's blog entry, trash and litter effect everyone and as reported in the Keep America Beautiful report, the direct costs to the US economy is a staggering USD 11.5 Billion per annum. I am still trying to wrap my head around that one - I mean, YIKES and WOW!!!! (and NOT in a good way).

In addition to educational programs, adding more trash receptacles in more convenient places and aiming to change social behaviors, another way to improve stormwater runoff is by helping contain fugitive trash and litter.

This picture shows the collection area of our TerreKleen hydrodynamic separator and about 12 months of trash collected and contained from the parking lot of a big box store. The maintenance team can easily access the collection area by removing the grates or manhole covers on top. Trash is collected by vac truck and disposed of in accordance with state and local guidelines.

Trash control - an $11.5 billion dollar problem and a major contaminant for stormwater

Stormwater contaminants are, for the most part, usually the same. The issues that we typically see in our business center on: heavy metals, hydrocarbons, phosphorous, and sediment loading. Another MAJOR issue our clients have is TRASH CONTROL.

It might not be an issue that you have thought about, but I spent some time this afternoon looking to see if anyone had calculated the amount of trash and debris that finds its way into Long Island Sound. While I didn't find information specifically targeted for Long Island Sound, I did find a nation-wide study funded by the non-profit organization, Keep America Beautiful, detailing the volume of trash/litter found in the US, the toll it takes on the American economy and behaviors that contribute to littering. The results of their survey were released on December 3, 2009.

Some shocking key findings from their report:

Litter conservatively costs our nation $11.5 billion per year. These are direct costs, including cleanup and prevention programs, and are carried largely by businesses and taxpayers. Not included in this figure are significant indirect costs:

• Decreased property values. 93% of homeowners, 55% of real estate agents and 90% of property appraisers surveyed stated that a littered neighborhood would decrease their assessment of a home’s value
• "Opportunity Costs” such as decreased commerce and tourism in blighted areas
• Health effects and related costs of littered environments

The study concludes that at least 51.2 billion pieces of litter are left on roadways in the U.S.; an average of 6,729 pieces of litter per mile.

Cigarette butts comprise 38% of all items littered on the highways, streets, parks and playgrounds (in urban, suburban and rural areas of America).

The Keep America Beautiful Report detailed littering behaviors, identified factors that encouraged littering and made suggestions on how to reduce litter. I think it is an important report and encourage you to read their findings in full. For executive summary and full report, click here.

More on trash control tomorrow.