Cleaning Oil Out of Florida's Waterways

Photo here is of oil sheen coming into marsh and wetland areas.  The worker has deployed what is commonly referred to as Pom Pom Booms.  The Pom Pom Booms primarily act as containment buffers.  At some point int he future we may be seeing oil up in Florida's fresh water systems, including springs.  We will be exploring how floating wetland systems can possibly absorb and clean oil contained water and keep you up to date on the results.  We use floating wetlands to clean stormwater - how about for cleaning Oil Spills?

Importance of Capturing the First Flush of Stormwater - Florida's Stormwater

Here is a picture of the stormwater ditch running alongside Dean Road in Jacksonville, Florida last week after a short rainfall event - probably less than one half inch total.  Notice the obvious oil and grease sheen across the surface of the water.  The distance from the particular spot the photo was taken to the St. Johns River tributaries is very short - less than a mile.

Capturing the first flush of stormwater running off any road or street is crucial.  Modular Wetlands and streetside landscaping are excellent ways to employ plants in preventing pollution.

Most of us don't realize how much the first flush carries into our stormsystems.  Intercepting the pollution at the source is important.

Atlantis Green City Video Clip - Great Green and Sustainable BMP and Site-Building Design Video

Though the above video is longer, the information contained within on Green Cities and what I call volumetric and vertical green - make it well worth the time taken to view the information.

You can call 800-448-3636 for additional information on all of Atlantis' products.

Living Walls by Atlantis Corp of Australia - Vertical Green

Here is an interesting video of Atlantis Water Management System's Living Wall Concept. The design is solid, especially as the frame is made from 95% Post-Consumer recycled material - good LEED Compliant stats.

There are a few options I'd recommend - such as setting the living wall frame off from the stucco wall by at least 4 - 6 inches and seal any penetrations for anchors with a good low VOC sealant. Add a moisture/water barrier such as a HDPE sheet to the back of the vegetated frame.

Irrigation concept is good too, however I'd certainly add the irrigation water capture and recycling option - or connect directly to the gutter downspout.

The extra width will serve to provide stability - especially on free standing walls.

Any ideas how they could be used to treat stormwater? Remember - the more vertical green we restore to the Urban Core - the more we treat stormwater, provide wildlife habitat and create a sense of place. In addition - living walls are the missing links from horizontal green up to green and vegetated roofs. Call ACF Environmental if you are interested in the Living Wall by Atlantis concepts...

Kevin

This is a Stormwater Pond...Can you Tell?

Combining Stormwater, Landscape and other site design features is the approach to take when maximizing site usefulness. The stormwater volume storage in the picture above is located under the white stone. Water loving plants are grown in special containers that keep roots out of the stormwater system but allow the plants to drink up the stormwater. Did you know that Florida's water management districts allow for evapotranspiration to be considered as part of volume recovery calculations? More importantly - the site takes advantage of combining required functions - stormwater and landscape into one cost effective and functional unit. And the system is rated for H20 loading so it is structural! The new paradigm in site design is Low Impact Development!