Design and Construction of a Catch Basin Insert Testing Apparatusfor Performance Evaluation

摘要

As stormwater runoff flows over impervious surfaces, it suspends and transports various pollutants from their original location and conveys them into municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4s) that will eventually discharge into lakes, rivers, andother bodies of water. Pollutants of concern include excess fertilizers from agricultural land uses, oils and gas from urban roadways, common trash and debris, and sediment from unvegetated areas. These contributors harm waterways and are known as nonpoint source (NPS) pollutants, or pollutants that come from many diffuse sources (EPA 2016). Since NPS pollutants threaten our national waterways, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates effluent runoff conveyed by municipalities to ensure thatit meets acceptable water quality standards before being discharged back into the surrounding environment. Most municipalities have developed stormwater management guidelines to ensure compliance with these EPA standards, including allowable methods andpractices to remove pollutants from stormwater influent flowing into MS4s and prior to discharge.Catch basin inserts (CBIs are considered to be cost effective products used for pollutant removal from stormwater that can be manufactured to fit into existing systems for easy installation. However, limited data is available to demonstrate the actual, in-field performance of various CBIs to ensure that these practices meet the pollutant removal standards set forth by the EPA and other regulatory agencies. This study covers the design, construction, and calibration of an apparatus for large-scale testing of CBIs. CBIs are tested and evaluated for pollutant removal efficiency and TSS reduction. The apparatus can easily be adapted to perform at different flow rates and sediment concentrations so that it can be used to collect data relevant to any geographical location.