Upflow Filters for the Rapid and Effective Treatment of Stormwater at Critical Source Areas

This research project is designed to develop and demonstrate the effectiveness of upflow filtration setups for the treatment of stormwater runoff. To show improvement in water quality in many urban areas, it will be necessary to either collect the stormwater runoff in a central location and treat it, or install and maintain many small treatment devices throughout the area. USInfrastructure¿s goal is to develop an upflow filter that can be installed in-line and effectively remove a wide range of pollutants. Secondary goals are for the filter to be low cost and low maintenance. If the setup can be shown to be low cost and low maintenance, then it will be attractive to business owners (such as small service station owners), because they are being required to investigate the potential of having to treat the runoff from their sites before it enters the drainage system. This filter setup has the potential to be low cost, low maintenance, and to operate without electricity at the individual installation locations. The research has been designed to answer questions that remained after preliminary laboratory-scale testing, and it includes the confirmation of the idea through pilot-scale testing. The potential markets for this device include owners of critical source areas such as industrial facilities, municipalities, state transportation departments, and service stations (i.e., those persons whose stormwater runoff does not meet the standards for the receiving water to which it is being discharged). Many of these individuals are small business owners who do not have the significant capital necessary for investing in large-scale, complex treatment facilities. A successful low-cost, low-maintenance upflow filter for stormwater treatment would allow these owners to meet the upcoming requirements for treating their runoff, without incurring the tremendous financial burden that would result not only from the purchase of a complex device, but also from the ongoing maintenance costs.