Use of an Innovative Mobile Treatment System for
Stormwater Runoff and Dewatering Programs

Reducing pollution in urban waterways is a high priority for stormwater management programs. In keeping with the AquaShield™ mission, an innovative mobile water treatment system has been designed that can provide treatment not only to stormwater runoff, but can also provide treatment for dewatering programs. The Go-Filter™ Mobile Treatment System (MTS) has demonstrated effective in two diverse waterways in northwest Georgia and southeast Tennessee. Home to 76 native species of fish (more than the Columbia and Colorado Rivers combined) the Conasauga River serves residential, agricultural, and textile industry needs in Dalton, Georgia. Segments of the river are impaired with sediment, nutrients and fecal coliform. Chattanooga Creek, another contaminated stream located in a former industrialized area near downtown Chattanooga, Tennessee, has long served as a dumping ground for hazardous materials. Sediment below and along the creek has been affected by coal tar, a by-product from processes once located in the area. The creek is now designated as a U.S. EPA Superfund cleanup site. Stream remediation includes a large-scale dewatering program that has been designed to mitigate the potential spread of contamination downstream.

Minimizing the impact of pollutants to both waterways presented unique design and operational challenges to provide a single, cost-effective, and technically proven treatment solution. The MTS was designed to provide a high level of treatment to waters of sites that do not require fixed system installations. The trailer-mounted AquaShield™ MTS uses a patented “treatment train” approach utilizing Aqua-Filter™ technology that consists of two pre-treatment hydrodynamic swirl separators followed by a filtration chamber having either a gravity flow (down flow) or up flow treatment configuration to remove contaminants. Filtration media selection is dependent on site-specific pollutants.

An independent field performance demonstration of the AquaShield™ MTS began in 2005 to reduce total suspended solids (TSS) to the Conasauga River. The MTS was tested at the 30-acre Whitfield County public works maintenance and roadway materials storage facility that was known to be a significant sediment source. Influent and effluent samples collected from the MTS were analyzed for TSS and particle size distribution. Both the gravity flow and up flow filtration configurations of the MTS units achieved TSS removal efficiencies greater than 80 percent.

Dewatering is another application for the AquaShield™ MTS design. Given the favorable results of the field verification testing, two gravity flow MTS units were used at Chattanooga Creek beginning in 2005 in order to meet site-specific NPDES discharge requirements for dewatering activities. Stream remediation required sectional dewatering to allow for excavation of contaminated material below the creek bed and along its banks. The main stream channel was dammed and water was pumped to the MTS units. The treated water was safely released downstream from the dams without the need for further stream flow controls. The MTS units were easily transported across the site to reach the dewatering areas, and to minimize project downtime. Independent testing confirmed that the treated water consistently complied with EPA and NPDES effluent quality standards for TSS and petroleum hydrocarbons.

For more information about the Go-Filter™ system, please contact your local Sales Agent, or call our corporate office at (888) 344-9044.