Stormwater BMP Demonstration Site: Outfall Pipe Sock
The Juneau Watershed Partnership, with assistance from the Alaska Clean Water Actions program, installed additional stormwater treatment BMPs at the U.S. Forest Service Glacier Visitor Center secondary parking area. These additional BMPs are employed to treat runoff from seasonally high traffic areas. Stormwater effluent, or treated runoff, is discharged into riparian areas adjacent to Steep Creek, an anadromous stream supporting populations of red (sockeye) and silver (coho) salmon and resident Dolly Varden and cutthroat trout.
We installed Catch Basin Inserts and Absorbent Pipe Socks at this study site to ascertain the benefit, if any, to effluent water quality during times of peak tourism and visitor traffic.
UltraTech, Inc. UltraPipe Sock Oil & Sediment model Absorbent Pipe Socks were supplied by the U.S. Forest Service Juneau Ranger District for this Demonstration BMP study. These inserts fit a wide variety of basins and are relatively inexpensive (about $70 per unit). Stormwater influent (runoff flowing into basins) and effluent (treated runoff leaving outfalls) samples were collected during five rainfall events (May - June 2010) and analyzed of suspended sediment, turbidity, and total dissolved solids parameters to determine water quality improvement, if any, by catch basin inserts, absorbent socks, and the storm water treatment train.
The absorbent pipe socks were fitted to the outfalls of the parking areas stormwater treatment trains to collect any sediment and debris passing through catch basins and catch basin inserts. These were temporarily installed as a means of capturing the total mass of sediment and debris that is otherwise discharged into riparian areas below.
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Photos of culvert outfall prior to, during and after installation of the absorbant pipe sock. Here's a video of treated stormwater effluent leaving an outfall sock: effluent.avi |
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