Stormwater Filtration Retrofit System
The true test of any stormwater filtration retrofit system is its performance over time. Fabco regularly assesses its installations to ensure that they are performing at peak capacity. An excellent example of how Fabco products perform over time is the massive stormwater management project designed to protect New York City’s drinking water.
Multiple parties and municipalities collaborated for years on this project, including The East of Hudson Watershed Corporation, a local development corporation established by the municipalities in Northern Westchester, Putnam, and Dutchess Counties in the New York City Watershed. The goal was to install stormwater filtration retrofit projects to meet the requirements for phosphorus reduction as defined by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC). The Corporation works in conjunction with the NYSDEC and New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP) to further Stormwater MS4 quality projects in the Croton and Kensico Reservoir Basins. The project was based in The Town of Southeast in Brewster Heights, a small community in southern Putnam County, NY.
StormBasin PLUS Cartridge Based Inlet Filter
Fabco’s catch basins and filters were installed in 2018.
Revisiting the project has shown that Fabco is indeed the stormwater solution that the area needed.
Bill Stoecker, Stormwater BMP Specialist
Bill Stoecker, one of Fabco’s stormwater specialists, has been following the Brewster refit closely. After the stormwater filtration retrofit, he inspected the project three months, six months, nine and twelve months afterwards. He continues with inspections every six months. Bill saw the catch basin and filters in action. “I was in Brewster during an unusual amount of runoff during an exceptionally heavy rain. I got to visually see units that were doing really well, taking on a lot of flow and treating that flow, functioning the way they were intended to function. Nothing was stopped up or overflowing.” He attributes much of this success to Southeast’s diligence in cleaning the catch basins and filters, which directly contribute to the products’ efficiency.
Michael Burdick is the highway superintendent for the region. He has over 2300 catch basins installed in his area which do their job under various conditions, from hot summers to freezing winters. Stormwater flow is high and the filters are performing as needed. They are so efficient at catching trash and debris, many high traffic areas need to be cleaned more often than required. Mr. Burdick is extremely conscientious when it comes to compliance and therefore is constantly performing the legally mandated cleaning of the catch basins. According to Mr. Burdick, maintenance is not an issue. “Each time we do the cleaning, the work goes a little faster and is a little easier.”
Kevin Fitzpatrick, P.E., the Director of Engineering for the East of Hudson Watershed Corporation, points out that while maintenance and cleaning schedules are mandated, the Fabco installations kept the maintenance as simple as possible. “Rather than introducing new infrastructure or an additional project site like a pond, wetland or filter strip, the municipality can keep maintenance efforts central to pre-existing infrastructure and keep overall costs down.” This is over and above the smaller capital cost of the installations compared to more traditional water quality options. As Mr. Fitzpatrick states, “The installation has met expectations and we will be able to continue rolling it out across the watershed as we identify existing infrastructure that would benefit from advanced treatment technologies.”
StormBasin PLUS Installed
Since the installation of the units in Southeast, NY in 2018, over 130 StormBasin units have been installed on various projects overseen by the EOHWC, operating at multiple locations in Putnam and Westchester counties.
Fabco’s technology has met the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the New York City Department of Environmental Protection requirements and will do so for years to come. For more information on long lasting stormwater management products, please contact Fabco Industries by emailing [email protected] or calling 631-393-6024.