Newly Developed High-Rate Stormwater Treatment Device

Currently, many types of stormwater controls are available, but most are relatively large or insufficient in their treatment capacity. Adequate treatment of runoff requires the removal of many types of pollutants as well as large amounts of debris and floatable materials, over a wide range of flows. Traditional downflow filters can quickly clog, reducing their treatment flow rate and overall treatment capacity. This research focuses on examining the removal capacities of the UpFloTM filter, a newly developed treatment device, in part developed by engineers at the University of Alabama through a Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The UpFlo filter is designed to treat stormwater runoff from critical source areas that discharge especially high levels of pollutants. The commercialized UpFlo filter minimizes clogging and was developed to remove a broad range of stormwater pollutants at a relatively high rate, and can be retrofitted into existing stormwater drainage. This presentation will report the results from a controlled full-scale field evaluation located at a parking lot in Tuscaloosa, AL. Treatment flow rates, particle size controls, and SSC reductions will be stressed in this presentation.