DESIGN FEATURES
The Hydro-Cartridge incorporates several unique and patented features into
its design:
- Hydraulic Retention Time: Due to
the ‘trap’ design, the Hydro-Cartridge will maintain a water level which
helps the various hydrocarbon liquids found in stormwater runoff from
roadways and parking lots to separate naturally from the runoff water
flow.
- Sediment Trapping: Also due to
the trap design, sediments will precipitate out of the runoff flow and
settle to the bottom of the Hydro-Cartridge unit.
- Emergency Spill Capacity: A very
important feature is the ability to hold spills that may occur, such as
fuel tank ruptures on vehicles or leaks from other sources. No other
device currently available has this ability to safely retain spills and
prevent these from entering the storm drain system.
- Illegal Discharge
Monitoring/Sampling: Related to #3 above, the Hydro-Cartridge is
able to retain liquids and/or solids that may enter a storm drain
structure as a result of illegal discharges. These retained samples can
aid environmental crime detectives in detecting and prosecuting illegal
discharge.
Examples: The City of Coral Gables has had many incidents of
illegal discharges into their stormdrain structures. In several
incidents, public works officials were able to successfully identify and
prosecute
illegal dischargers. One case involved the illegal dumping by a concrete
company that had been cleaning its mix trucks and placing the wastes
down the stormdrains. A second incident involved a contractor that was
using the stormdrains for disposal of paints and paint thinners. In each
example, the Hydro-Cartridge was able to fully capture the illegal
discharges and retain the samples as evidence to be used in successful
prosecution of the offending parties. In addition, the stormdrains were
protected from a release of toxic materials into the stormdrain system.
This saved the city money from repairs and cleanup costs, and fines
levied against the offending parties helped to purchase additonal
Hydro-Cartridge units.
- Long Term Design Lifetime: The
Hydro-Cartridge is made from fiberplastic resins which give the
Hydro-Cartridge an estimated design lifetime of 35 years. This gives the
Hydro-Cartridge an average initial expense of only $31 per year of
useful life. There is no chance of device failure from corrosion or from
negative effects of chemicals.
- Easy Installation & Maintenance:
The Hydro-Cartridge is designed to be installed in typical catch basin
configurations. Monitoring of solids can be performed without removal of
the grate, and the hydrocarbon filter element are easily replaced. A
crew of just 2 personnel can clean up to 35 Hydro-Cartridges each day
using typical vacuuator vehicles owned by most cities.
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