Authors

David A. Phipps, PhD, Rafid M. Alkhaddar, PhD, James Dodd, Michael G. Faram, PhD, Pamela J. Deahl, P.E.

Abstract

With the objective of reducing the polluting impact of urban run-off on receiving watercourses, various proprietary treatment technologies have evolved, including ‘flow-through’ devices that are designed to intercept and store pollutants such as sediments and floatables for later removal and safe disposal. Frequently, the performance of chambers is stated in terms of ‘ability to remove pollutants from the inflow’, often at discrete flowrates. However, a parameter that is often overlooked is chamber ‘retention efficiency’, the ability of chambers to retain stored pollutants once collected. The paper presents the findings of both simulation and experimental studies of different designs of treatment chamber, focussing in particular on the ‘retention efficiency’ parameter. It is concluded that chambers in which the pollutants storage region is isolated from the main treatment area are likely to be most effective.