U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Environmental Technology Verification P
u
ET
Stormwater Technologies
The U.S. EPA Environmental Technology
Verification (ETV) Program's Water Qual-
ity Protection (WQP) Center, operated by
NSF International under a cooperative
agreement with EPA, recently verified the
performance of 14 stormwater technologi-
es1: nine stormwater source-area treatment
devices, one in-drain treatment technology,
two induction mixers, and two flow meters.
Two additional verifications for stormwater
technologies will be completed in 2007.
ETV also developed a protocol to verify
grouting materials for infrastructure reha-
bilitation, in preparation for testing in this
area. These grouts can be used to control
leaks in wastewater and stormwater collec-
tion and dispersion systems.
Roads, parking lots, and other impervious
surfaces can prevent stormwater from natu-
rally infiltrating into the ground. When this
occurs, excess stormwater flows overland
into streams, rivers, or storm drains, often
picking up debris, particulate matter, nutri-
ents, pesticides, metals, and other pollutants
along the way. Unless treated properly, pol-
luted stormwater can cloud rivers, destroy
habitats, and adversely impact the growth
and survival of aquatic life. Pathogens, and
toxic chemicals carried by polluted storm-
water also present a human health risk.
Stormwater Treatment at a Glance
Based on the results of the 2000 National Water Quality In-
ventory, approximately 39% of streams, 46% of lakes, and
51% of estuaries assessed as part of the survey do not meet
water quality standards. EPA identified urban runoff and
stormwater sewers as major sources of this impairment, im-
pacting 13% of impaired rivers, 18% of impaired lakes, and
32% of impaired estuaries (U.S. EPA, 2002). Stormwater dis-
charges from urban and industrial sources are regulated
through the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
(NPDES) Stormwater Program, which is mandated under the
Clean Water Act. This program uses NPDES permits to en-
sure that controls are put in place to prevent polluted storm-
water from entering the nation's waterways.
Table 1 includes the thirteen verified stormwater treatment
technologies and two verified flow meters. The verified
source-area treatment devices are used to treat stormwater
runoff from urban or catchment areas before it enters a storm-
water collection system or surface water body. The verified
in-drain treatment technology is used within existing catch
basins at industrial and commercial sites. The verified induc-
tion mixers are used to disinfect combined sewer overflows
and sanitary sewer overflows by rapidly dispersing a fine
spray of chemical disinfectant within the contaminated waste-
water. Collaborators included the United States Geological
Survey (USGS); the State of Wisconsin; the City of St. Clair
Shores, Michigan; the City of Griffin, Georgia; and the City
of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Table 1 . Verified Stormwater Treatment Technologies
Technology Category
Source-Area Treatment
Devices
In-Drain Treatment
Technology
High-Rate Disinfection - Induc-
tion Mixers
Flow Meters
Developer and Name
Stormwater Management, Inc., Stormscreen® Treatment System
Stormwater Management, Inc., StormFilter® using ZPG Filter Media
Stormwater Management, Inc., StormFilter® using Perlite Media
Stormwater Management, Inc., Catchbasin Stormfilter™
Zeta Technologies, Inc., Arkal Pressurized Stormwater Filtration System
Vortechnics, Inc., Vortechs® System, Model 1000
Baysaver Technologies, Inc., Baysaver Separation Systems, Model 10K
Practical Best Management of Georgia, Inc., CrystalSteam™ Water Quality Vault Model 1 056
Terre Hill Concrete Products, Inc., Terre-KleenA
Hydro-Kleen™ Filtration System
Mastrrr Company, GAS MASTRRR Series 32 Submersible Chemical Induction Mixer
USFilter/Stranco Products, Water Champ® F Series Chemical Induction System
ADS Environmental Services Model 3600 Open Channel Flow Meter
ADS Environmental Services Model 4000 Open Channel Flow Meter
A Verification report will be posted on the ETV Web site in the near future.
The ETV Program operates largely as a public-private partnership through competitive cooperative agreements with non-profit research institutes. The
program provides objective quality-assured data on the performance of commercial-ready technologies. Verification does not imply product approval or
effectiveness. ETV does not endorse the purchase or sale of any products and services mentioned in this document.
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Test Descriptions and Results
Below are short descriptions of the storm water
treatment tests:
Source-Area Treatment: ETV field tested the
ten devices for approximately a year, sampling
a minimum of 15 qualified-as-testable rain
events for each device. ETV evaluated pollut-
ant reductions including total suspended solids
(TSS) and nutrient concentrations.
In-Drain Treatment: ETV verified the in-
drain treatment technology using a testing ap-
paratus designed to simulate a catch basin re-
ceiving surface runoff under a variety of hy-
draulic flows and contaminant loadings. ETV
determined reductions in TSS, oil and grease
(O&G), total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH),
and other parameters.
Induction Mixers: ETV verified the induction
mixers at the USGS's Conte Anadromous Fish
Research Center by evaluating the volume of
water affected by the mixer (i.e. mixing zone);
testing used dyes and clean water in place of
chemical disinfectants and wastewater.
Tables 2 and 3 summarize the performance data
for the verified source-area and in-drain treat-
ment technologies; performance data for the veri-
fied induction mixers and flow meters are not
listed. Verification reports are located at: http://
www.epa.gov/etv/verifications/vcenter9-2.html.
http://www.epa.gov/etv/verifications/vcenter9-
6.html. http: //www. epa. gov/etv/verifications/
vcenter9-7.html. and http://www.epa.gov/etv/
verifications/vcenter9-9.html. These reports fully
describe the verification tests and results.
Selected Potential Outcomes of Verified
Stormwater Technologies
Performance information for these systems can be
used by potential owners/operators of these sys-
tems when making purchasing decisions to reduce
pollutant loading from storm water discharges.
Planners, policy makers, and permitters can use it
to develop area- and watershed-wide plans for
water quality improvement using regulatory stan-
dards-based and/or tradable credits-based ap-
proaches. Permitters can also use ETV data to
help determine whether a verified technology can
be used at a permitted site and to support other
permitting decisions at these sites.
References
U.S. EPA, 2002. National Water Quality Inventory
2000 Report. EPA/84 l/R-02/001. August.
U.S. EPA, 2003. Afterthe Storm. EPA/833/B-
03/002. January.
U.S. EPA, ETV, http://www.epa.gov/etv. particu-
larly the verification report locations cited above.
Table 2. Selected Performance of
Verified Source-Area Treatment DevicesA
Parameter
Total suspended solids
Suspended sediment concentration
Total Kjeldahl nitrogen
Total phosphorus
Average Reductions
11-82%
9-89%
13-26%
9-55%
A Not all units were tested for all parameters. Averages were calculated by
aggregating the results obtained for the different parameters and applying a
sum of loads method.
Table 3. Selected Performance of Verified
In-Drain Treatment TechnologyA
Statistical
Measure8
Average
Median
Maximum
Minimum
Standard
Deviation
A Excerpted f
B Statistical m
Samples.
TPH
Influent
mg/L
48
47
88
10
24
TPH
Effluent
mg/L
13
11
22
<10
3.8
TPH
Percent
Reduc-
tion
77
81
95
32
0.2
O&G
Influent
mg/L
62
65
126
7.8
31
O&G
Effluent
mg/L
13
14
19
5.5
4.6
om http://www.epa.aov/etv/verifications/vcenter9-6.html .
easures based on 17 sets of TPH samples and 15 sets of O&G
O&G
Percent
Reduc-
tion
78
78
97
29
0.2
Flow Meters at a Glance
ETV verified two flow meters that can be used to meas-
ure wastewater, stormwater, and combined sewer sys-
tem flow rates. Local sewer authorities and private fa-
cility owners/operators can use these data to more con-
fidently calculate pollutant and hydraulic loadings from
facilities. State and local permitting authorities can also
use the information to make permitting decisions. The
ETV Program verified the meters in two phases, first in
the laboratory and then in the field. The Utah Water
Research Laboratory, at Utah State University in
Logan, Utah, performed the laboratory testing with
field testing conducted in a section of the Quebec Ur-
ban Community's sewer network, located in the City of
Sainte-Foy, Quebec, Canada. ETV evaluated flow me-
ter performance relative to reference devices that are
directly traceable to the National Institute of Standards
and Technology.
ETV Water Quality Protection Center
Ray Frederick, EPA
frederick.rav@epa.gov. Tel: (732) 321-6627
Tom Stevens, NSF International,
stevenst@nsf.org. Tel: (734) 769-5347
EPA/600/S-07/003
January 2007
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