• Calbag Metals Company achieves full compliance with stormwater quality benchmarks using StormwateRx Clara® and Aquip® systems to remove oil and dissolved metals
PORTLAND, OR, Feb. 24, 2010 -- StormwateRx, LLC (www.stormwaterx.com), a provider of industrial stormwater treatment and filtration systems, today announced that customer Calbag Metals Company, a non-ferrous metal recycling facility located in Portland, Oregon, has consistently achieved full compliance with the State of Oregon's strict stormwater quality benchmarks for the past year, since installing the StormwateRx Clara® and Aquip® stormwater treatment systems. The StormwateRx solution, which uses the Clara® stormwater separator for pretreatment oil and grease reduction along with the Aquip® industrial stormwater filtration system to remove total suspended solids and metals, has helped Calbag significantly reduce the potential for pollutants to enter waterways from stormwater runoff at their facility.
The StormwateRx system at Calbag is part of a comprehensive site management plan that includes a full range of Best Management Practices (BMPs). In addition to installation of the Clara and Aquip systems, Calbag has strategically located receiving, storage and processing areas in covered portions of the site and deployed a state-of-the-art sweeper to reduce particulates entering the system.
"After years of struggling to stay below permit benchmarks, despite consistent effort and all the right BMPs, we didn't quite believe StormwateRx was going to get us there -- until we saw our first sampling results," said Greg Will, operations manager at Calbag Metals Company. "The Aquip filter has vastly outperformed our previous filter system and brought us into full compliance. We're now anticipating installation of an Aquip system at our Tacoma yard," he added.
The Calbag Portland recycling facility covers 4-acres and processes metals including copper, zinc and lead. The facility had been using catch basin inserts along with an oil/water separator and a cartridge filter with compost media to treat the site's stormwater prior to discharge. Though the cartridge filter noticeably reduced contaminants in Calbag's stormwater discharge, it was not able to achieve adequate copper or zinc removal to meet the site's stormwater permit requirements.
StormwateRx, LLC supplied Calbag with a Clara® 25C and Aquip® Model 170SBE system customized for Calbag, based on historic stormwater sampling data from the site as well as the known pollutants commonly found in scrap yard stormwater runoff. The systems were installed in a treatment train approach that first passes stormwater runoff through the Clara plug-flow separator to reduce oil and grease and particulates as a pretreatment to the Aquip system. The Aquip industrial stormwater filtration system then uses both inert and sorptive media to remove total suspended solids and metals from the stormwater. Due to its relatively small footprint, above-ground configuration, and passive (gravity operated) flow-through design, the StormwateRx system was easily integrated into Calbag's existing facilities with minimal construction cost.
"Calbag has made significant efforts to keep their stormwater runoff as clean as possible, and we are happy that we've been able to help them reach and exceed their benchmarks," said Cal Noling, president and CEO of StormwateRx, LLC. "The Clara and Aquip systems work together to provide a high degree of pollutant removal, perfect for metal fabricators, scrap metal recycling facilities and any other industry where oils, metals and other particulates are a concern in stormwater runoff."
For industries where higher concentrations of specific industrial pollutants are unavoidable or in areas where stormwater quality standards require especially high quality effluent, StormwateRx also offers the AquiPlus™ polishing add-on to the Aquip® stormwater filtration system. AquiPlus provides enhanced pollutant removal for a number of challenging stormwater treatment applications, including removal of dissolved metals to the parts per billion range, reduction of water turbidity and elimination of pathogenic microorganisms such as E. coli.
About StormwateRx
StormwateRx, LLC manufactures stormwater filtration and treatment systems for industrial sites. Products include the Clara® settling system, Aquip® stormwater filtration system, and AquiPlus™ stormwater polishing system. The company was founded in 2006 in Portland, Oregon by Calvin Noling, PE, building on more than 25 years of experience developing and consulting on water purification systems for industry. Since that time, the company has installed more than 75 systems for stormwater filtration and stormwater pollution control. More information can be found at www.stormwaterx.com.
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