COLLINGWOOD, ONT. — Clearflow Group has announced a positive project outcome upon the completion of a three-year pilot project studying sedimentation technologies at an active development site in Innisfil, Ont.
The pilot project was completed by Greenland International Consulting Ltd., studying the effectiveness of Clearflow Group’s Advanced Sedimentation Technologies (ASTs).
The collaboration between the two firms included measures to address regulatory compliance targets and analysis of cumulative river basin conditions, stated a recent release.
Conventional design of stormwater management facilities has been proven to be ineffective at removing fine-grained sediment from stormwater, causing negative impacts in downstream waterbodies, Clearflow stated. Compounding the impacts are phosphorous and heavy metals pollution. The pilot project monitored the performance of Clearflow’s Gel Flocculant Blocks and Treated Geo-Jute at removing fine sediments and nutrients at three stormwater management facilities that discharge to Lake Simcoe over the course of one year.
The report indicated that gel flocculant blocks were easily installed in existing infrastructure upstream of stormwater management facilities, resulting in quicker settlement rates in the forebay of the facilities. Not only was fine-grained sediment reduced but removals were also seen in smaller particles.
Over the four-season monitoring and sampling period, the ASTs resulted in an average total suspended solid removal rate of 90 per cent on unstabilized sites, compared to a pre-installation average of 60 per cent.
The products were also proven successful at removing phosphorus, with an average removal rate of 96 per cent over the course of the sampling period.
The success of ASTs at removing fine-grained sediments and nutrients will assist municipalities and developers in achieving long-term goals surrounding sediment management and site stabilization, stated the release.
Partners in the project included the Town of Innisfil staff, Cortel Group and the federal government. Some funding came through the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ Green Municipal Fund and the government of Canada.
Recent Comments
comments for this post are closed