Norwalk - Wilton Tree Festival - Sat. May 21, 2011 11 AM - 3PM

Hope you can make it!  This looks really cool!

Norwalk-Wilton Tree Festival

Saturday, May 21 11 AM - 3PM

Cranbury Park - Grumman Avenue, Norwalk, CT

Free Admission and Refreshments

Door Prizes

Fun for the Entire Family - Rain or Shine

Tree Rope Climb

Face Painting

Scavenger Hunt

Seedling Giveaway

Door Prizes

Tree Pruning Demos

Tree Spade Replanting

Trees - to - Boards sawmilling

Tree Identification Contest

And More!

Sponsored by:  

Norwalk Tree Alliance

City of Norwalk

Town of Wilton

Wilton Garden Club

For more information: 203-854-3200

Norwalk Tree Alliance

Wilton Garden Club

Quick Stormwater Calculators

If you need to do some quick calculations and need to understand how stormwater is going to impact your project, you may want to check out these stormwater calculators.  


Predictive models and stormwater calculators on the EPA website


The UC Davis Stormulator


Green Values National Stormwater Calculator


Portland Bureau of Environmental Services

Of course you will want to have an engineer review your site and confirm your calculations.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - it is time to think of roof runoff as an asset. Discounted Rainbarrel Program - sponsored by Aquarion, Connecticut

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - it is time to think of roof runoff as an asset.


I was just looking at the USGS seasonal drought predictions.  It is eye opening to look at the map of the US and notice the large red and yellow sections which anticipate drought conditions persisting and intensifying in a large part of the south - through June.  


We, in the Northeast, are very lucky to have had a lot of snow this winter and it seems right now we are in a good position with our water resources for the next several months.  However, we really do not know what is ahead.  Why not take this opportunity to maximize your water resources by investing in a rain barrel for your home?


Aquarion Water is sponsoring again this year a discount rainbarrel program.  The rain barrels are designed to hold 55 or 60 gallons of water, they attach directly to your down-spout and fill automatically when it rains.  They even come with brass attachments, a hose and a screen which prevents insects from making your rainbarrel their home.


Captured rain can be used for lawn watering and car washing or other outdoor chores.  It really is baffling to understand why one would need treated water for these activities.  In fact, I think my garden grows better with roof runoff!


Here is the link to Aquarion's rainbarrel program
You must order by May 31st for pick-up in Trumbull, CT on June 4th.

It is time for smart water

I was listening to WNPR radio show "Fresh Air" this morning and heard Terri Gross' interview of Charles Fishman the author of a new book called The Big Thirst, The Secret Life and Turbulent Future of Water.  I had to agree with Mr. Fishman's point of view that the golden age of water  (defined as: cheap, abundant and safe water)  is coming to an end here in the US and that it is time to get creative on ways to save and re-use this limited natural resource as well as take a fresh look at ways to maximize our water resources for the future.  


Especially interesting to me were several examples of US cities and industry who have focused on stretching their water resources:


1- City of Las Vegas, NV - Homeowners are incentivized to remove their turf lawns to the tune of $40,000/acre because it is cheaper to pay the homeowner to remove their lawn and re-plant using xeriscaping (native plants that use minimal water resources)  than it is to capture and treat for re-use water that would be used for lawn watering in a city that was built in a dessert.


2- Orlando, FL - 25 years ago, Orlando, Florida mandated a that gray water systems be installed in new construction.  Orlando uses almost as much gray water as potable water, but have not had to pay to treat the gray water that is used for lawn watering and car washing.


3- IBM Corporation - Vermont.  Over the past 10 years, IBM evaluated their factory building and costs associated with heating/air conditioning systems.  After careful study, they re-plumbed their building to maximize the efficiency of their manufacturing process by coordinating the needs of the building and manufacturing processes with change in water temperatures as the water flows through the building.  The money they have saved by re-plumbing their building adds to their ability for their products to be competitive. 


It is time to take a fresh look at how we do things so that we can maximize our water resources.

Here is a little rain for you - very cool!

If there is no rain in sight but you want some, click on this Youtube link.  Very creative.

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.

Improving stormwater quality in an existing parking structure with a hydrodynamic separator and only losing ONE parking space

Late last year we were contacted by a new client who was required to improve the stormwater at his site.  This would not be unusual except that his site was an existing parking structure.  He had researched and priced other systems, but they were too large, inefficient, difficult to maintain and ultimately would not work in his application.  In his quest for answers, this client was referred to us.

We were most interested in working on the project, but our hydrodynamic separators are manufactured with concrete.  As heavy structures, they are usually installed in the ground during the first phase of a project when it is no problem to lift the unit into place with a crane.   So.... what to do???

How about manufacturing the TerreKleen hydrodynamic separator out of marine grade aluminum?  A TerreKleen made from marine grade aluminum would not only:

• improve the water quality in this parking structure
• would be easy to maintain
• would work efficiently
• could be maneuvered into place by hand and 
• would take up minimal space in the parking garage.  

So... last week after undergoing water-tightness testing, the TerreKleen was delivered.   This unit was light weight enough to be delivered by pick-up truck and unloaded by a few workers on-site.  It was moved in the garage on the pallet jack until the sprinkler heads started to hang too low.  Then, the TerreKleen was easily removed off the pallet and guided into place by hand.

Here is the TerreKleen in place - client was thrilled that they will lose only one parking space in their parking structure.  A very big deal in this urban area.

Mysteries of the Great Lakes - IMAX movie at American Museum of Natural History

Yesterday I went to the American Museum of Natural History in NYC and saw the IMAX movie "Mysteries of the Great Lakes".   Honestly, I had not spent a lot of time thinking about the Great Lakes but because of my interest in water, it was eye opening in many ways - not only seeing how big the Great Lakes are , but to be made aware of their natural beauty.  In focusing on water, it was most interesting to me to learn that The Great Lakes contain 20% of the world's fresh water supply and that it takes a drop of water 400 years to travel from the headwaters of Lake Superior to the edge of Lake Ontario.  Looking at the map was helpful.  

I was also most interested in the focus on wildlife that survives on life in the Great Lakes - including Eagles, Caribou and Sturgeon.  The segments on Sturgeon were amazing as they had been tracking this species' population for the past 20 years and had been tracking/studying a specific female sturgeon for the past 20 years.  Amazingly, the one scientist could identify her simply from the markings on her head.  At her most recent capture/release event her age was 120 years old!  Through their research they learned how to look at the scales or fins (can't remember which one) and, like reading rings in a tree trunk, scientists learned how to read the environmental conditions of the Great Lakes.  

Sturgeon of the Great Lakes had thrived by the millions for millions of years but had significantly declined in numbers due to over-fishing and pollution.   During the film, several pictures were shown from long ago ( maybe 100 years ago?) where the subjects of the pictures were proud of their businesses and lives and could display their most recent abundant catch of sturgeon.  From a 2010 perspective, it was hard to get beyond the waste and destruction, the man-hours and work dedicated to improving the environmental conditions of the Great Lakes and  reviving the sturgeon population.   It seems there are still 42 "hot spots" - where lake quality is highly degraded due to pollution coming from industrial waste and waste water treatment plants.  Hopefully clean-up in the lake can continue and we can learn to make better environmental choices.

This was a great movie and I encourage you all to see it.  Here are the showtimes for the IMAX showings at the New York Museum of Natural History.  You might want to check out some of the exhibits including the  Silk Road Exhibit.  One word of advice for the Silk Road, enjoy the journey, but don't get caught up in stamping your "passport".

Hold the Salt, Pass the Brine -upcoming meeting on de-icing

Being involved in stormwater, we attend a lot of environmental meetings. There was an excellent meeting we attended in 2006 on brine systems. We got an invitation to attend a follow-up meeting on this topic and it is coming up on Friday, December 4th. These meetings are sponsored by Westchester County Parks - their Conversations on Conservation series. Meetings are always educational and instructive. Here are the details. I hope you can make it.

Hold the Salt, Pass the Brine
Environmentally Friendly Methods for De-icing our Roads
Friday, December 4th, 2009
8:30 AM to 10:00 AM
8:00 AM registration
Location: Greenburgh Public Library
300 Tarrytown Road
Elmsford, NY

Topics covered:
Benefits of De-icing with Brine
Michael Simone, Supt Highways, Town of Carmel, NY

Environmental Impacts of traditional vs. Modern De-icing
Jim Reed, Reed Environmental Enterprises Inc.

Impacts of Road Salt on the Environment and Organisms
Dr. Stuart Findlay, Aquatic Ecologist, Cary Institute of Ecosystems Studies

Joseph "Bud" Nicoletti, Commissioner of Public Works, White Plains, NY will be moderating

RSVP by December 2nd: 914-864-7047

We wrote an article on the last meeting and posted it on our website. Click here
to read about the last meeting. Hope to see you there!

Stormwater vault installation to improve storm water runoff that goes into Long Island Sound

We had our second installation of the TerreKleen Water Quality Treatment Vault get installed in Stamford this week.

The TerreKleen is unique in that this hydrodynamic separator utilizes stacked inclined plates to assist sediment to fall out. The first chamber is designed to capture large sediment, trash/debris, and contain oil. The second chamber contains stacked inclined plates. Stacked inclined plates have been widely used in the drinking water industry for the past 80 years. This technology has been adapted to the storm water industry.

The installation went smoothly and quickly. Here are a few pics...

This picture shows the hole where it will be installed. The markings show the positioning where the unit will go.



TerreKleen is made of 3 pieces. The TerreKleen is assembled in-place as each piece stacks on top of each other.

In this picture, you see the "working section" of the TerreKleen hoisted off the flat bed truck with a crane. The first section of the installation is getting positioned over the hole and being aligned for installation.

The site is being re-developed. The building behind will be re-furbished.

The second section, the riser, has been lifted off the tractor trailer and is getting positioned into place. It will install directly on top of the first section. Each of the three sections are designed to "interlock" together.

The lines attached to the crane's lifting chains assist in the alignment.






The riser section installs very quickly right on top of the working part of the TerreKleen.

TerreKleen can be easily sized for any size project. The installation is the same for any unit. While this picture shows the smallest TerreKleen unit (approx. 4'W X 6'L in size), available, TerreKleen is easily sized for any size project. No matter the size of the project, the TerreKleen takes advantage of the efficiency of the stacked inclined plates to maximize sedimentation surface area in the smallest unit footprint.

One more piece and the installation will be done.






Better not blink, the top is quickly installed!

This client requested manhole covers for the top. Other clients prefer manhole grates.










Installation complete and lifting rings are removed. Contractor will connect all of the inlet and outlet pipes and backfill around the unit. Then, unit is ready to work.

If you have any questions about this installation or any of the other storm water products in our line, give us a call. Click here to get to our website.

10 compelling reasons to consider TerreKlean Hydrodynamic Separator / Water Quality Treatment Vault

We are scheduled to participate in numerous stormwater trade shows coming up in October and are excited to be showcasing one of the newest products in our line, the TerreKlean Hydrodynamic Separator / Water Quality Treatment Vault.

The summer was spent meeting with and demonstrating this system to local civil engineering firms and these is a lot about this system that appeals to our clients:

1. NJCAT and NYS DEC approved (and more)
2. HS-25 load rated
3. Easy installation
4. Easy clean out and no confined space entry needed
5. Acts as oil/water separator
6. Can be used in line
7. Lines can tie in at the 6, 9 or 12 o'clock position
8. No external bypass - all water is treated
9. Can be used as the last catch basin in your line
10. No scour or re-suspension of collected material
    

Inclined plate technology maximizes the sedimentation surface area
in a minimal footprint.

We also have the ability to do some customization to meet your project's needs.

And that is not all! So, if you are looking to improve water quality with a
water quality treatment vault / hydrodynamic separator,
contact us, this may be an ideal option for your project.

Homes pollute 50% more than previously thought

This was an interesting article. Findings of a recent study investigating water pollution generated at home were published today on Eurekalert.org. Results of the study show pollution levels to be at least 50% higher than previously thought. Here is a link to the actual article, and reprinted below:


Contact: Michael Bernstein
m_bernstein@acs.org
202-872-6042
American Chemical Society

Homes pollute: Linked to 50 percent more water pollution than previously believed

		IMAGE: Polluted runoff originates from several sources, and has been linked to fish kills and a loss of aquatic species diversity. A new study suggests current runoff models may underestimate pollution... Click here for more information.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 19, 2009 — They say there's no place like home. But scientists are reporting some unsettling news about homes in the residential areas of California. The typical house there — and probably elsewhere in the country — is an alarming and probably underestimated source of water pollution, according to a new study reported today at the 238th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society.

In the study, Lorence Oki, Darren Haver and colleagues explain that runoff results from rainfall and watering of lawns and gardens, which winds up in municipal storm drains. The runoff washes fertilizers, pesticides and other contaminants into storm drains, and they eventually appear in rivers, lakes and other bodies of water.

"Results from our sampling and monitoring study revealed high detection frequencies of pollutants such as pesticides and pathogen indicators at all sites," Oki says of their study of eight residential areas in Sacramento and Orange Counties in California.

Preliminary results of the study suggest that current models may underestimate the amount of pollution contributed by homes by up to 50 percent. That's because past estimates focused on rain-based runoff during the wet season. "Use of pesticides, however, increases noticeably during the dry season due to gardening, and our data contains greater resolution than previous studies," Oki says.

Pollutants detected in outdoor runoff included ant-control pesticide products. Previous surveys have shown that the majority of pesticides purchased by homeowners are used to control ants. To encourage pollutant reduction, the researchers initiated community outreach programs centered on improving both irrigation control and pest management.

Rain Barrels on Sale at Aquarion in CT

How cool is this? Collect rain water from your roof in a barrel and use the water for your lawn this summer! Aquarion is selling rain barrels at a discount through May 31st. Pick-up in Trumbull on June 6, 2009. Click on this link for the full details.