Storms to Sewers program - March 31st - Hope to see you there!

STORMS TO SEWERS:
A Program on CT's New Programs for Clean Rivers, Open Beaches, and a
Healthy Long Island Sound

Promising new policies and innovative funding solutions for stormwater
management are floating to the surface-- and just in time.  Insufficiently
managed rainfall can wreak havoc by creating flooding, raw sewage
discharges, shellfish bed and beach closures, and contributing to low
oxygen levels in Western Long Island Sound. As older cities find increased
challenges in combined sewer overflow separation and municipalities
throughout Connecticut look to fund their compliance with the Clean Water
Act’s stormwater requirements, inventive solutions with increased job
potential are needed. Specific issues to be discussed include: stormwater
impacts, stormwater authorities, green infrastructure, and the CT Clean
Water Fund.

Presented by
Leah L. Schmalz, Director
Legislative and Legal Affairs
Save the Sound, a program of Connecticut Fund for the Environment
These stormwater forums are provided, in significant part, by support from
the Fairfield County Community Foundation

When:  Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Time:  7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Where:  Bruce Museum
100 Museum Drive
Greenwich, CT

This program is presented free of charge to public.
It is being co-sponsored by the Town of Greenwich Conservation and Planning
and Zoning Commissions, and the Bruce Museum.

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.

Stormwater - News of the weird

Just read this on slashdot - stormwater news of the weird - here is the link for Slashdot

"The LA Times reports that Orange County officials are locked in a legal battle with a couple accused of violating city ordinances for replacing the grass on their lawn with wood chips and drought-tolerant plants, reducing their water usage from 299,221 gallons in 2007 to 58,348 gallons in 2009. The dispute began two years ago, when Quan and Angelina Ha tore out the grass in their front yard. In drought-plagued Southern California, the couple said, the lush grass had been soaking up tens of thousands of gallons of water — and hundreds of dollars — each year. 'We've got a newborn, so we want to start worrying about her future,' said Quan Ha, an information technology manager for Kelley Blue Book. But city officials told the Has they were violating several city laws that require that 40% of residential yards to be landscaped predominantly with live plants. Last summer, the couple tried to appease the city by building a fence around the yard and planting drought-tolerant greenery — lavender, rosemary, horsetail, and pittosporum, among others. But according to the city, their landscaping still did not comply with city standards. At the end of January, the Has received a letter saying they had been charged with a misdemeanor violation and must appear in court. The couple could face a maximum penalty of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine for their grass-free, eco-friendly landscaping scheme. 'It's just funny that we pay our taxes to the city and the city is now prosecuting us with our own money,' says Quan Ha."

Stormwater: NJCAT verification comparison chart for hydrodynamic separators

We are pleased to announce that the TerreKleen hydrodynamic separator has been re-verified by NJCAT and re-certified by NJDEP to reflect 50% TSS removal at significantly higher flow rates!

Having gone through the NJCAT protocol, we are well versed in test methods, particle size distribution and thought it would be interesting to compare the hydrodynamic separators certified under the Tier 1 NJ Protocol. Click here to see the comparison chart which has been posted on our website.

Here is the link the NJDEP webpage for certified manufactured treatment devices.  Here is a direct link so you can see the TerreKleen certification letter.

Meet us at the NYS Conservation District Employee Training and Tradeshow

We hope you will meet us at the NYS Conservation District Training and Tradeshow.  We are going to be showing the TerreKleen hydrodynamic separator, the TerreBox - box culvert with patent pending water-tight seal and the TerreArch - storm water infiltration arches. 

Come visit us at the show

NYS Conservation District Employee Training and Tradeshow
Binghamton, NY
March 9, 2010

Customized Hydrodynamic Separator - TerreKleen

We've been working on a project that is finally getting ready for installation.  It has taken a while to get this particular order together, but we were just notified that we are looking at installing the first week of March!  So why was this project so different than others?  Hmmmm.... well, I guess it would be that we are going to be installing the TerreKleen hydrodynamic separator in an existing parking structure!!!!  

We have been working on the project since October and since that time I have recounted the details of this particular application to a number of people and it seems to spark a lot of interest.  While I am not in a position to reveal all of the custom details tonight, I will be at the install and taking a ton of pictures to share with you on my blog as soon as I can.  

Actually, I really am very excited about this job.  If you are working on a site and need to accommodate difficult site issues, (high water table, oil/gas lines running through the site, need additional storage for trash/debris, etc.)  give us a call!  We have the flexibility to do a lot of customization to accommodate difficult sites.  

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".