Stormwater Treatment
If not handled and treated properly stormwater can be a become a big problem in urban and semi-urban areas. Ecoteam can turn stormwater problems into assets with the use of wetlands, swales and bioretention beds. Constructed wetlands and bioretention beds can be used to reduce high water flows while providing treatment. They also provide small habitat areas which which can be enjoyed by the community.
Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD)
WSUD is a change in the way that local authorities, catchment managers and planners look at stormwater. Urban stormwater can cause flooding which can endanger infrastructure and causes erosion. Surface water runoff also carries harmful pollutants such as suspended solids nutrients, bacteria heavy metals, oil and hydrocarbons. Surface water in urban areas needs to be managed properly in order to reduce detrimental effects to the local waterways. WSUD is the design of sensitive urban infrastructure which takes into account treatment and flow reduction. Many catchment authorities suggest an 80% reduction in suspended solids, 60% reduction in total phosphorus, 45% reduction in total nitrogen and 90% reduction in gross pollutants in urban stormwater. The use of gross pollutant traps, swales, wetlands, infiltration systems, bioretention beds, grasses buffer strips, ponds and rainwater tanks are modeled to ensure these pollutant reduction are achieved. Ecoteam uses the Model for Urban Stormwater Improvement Conceptualisation (MUSIC) programme to conduct stormwater assessments and design the adequate treatment train for each stormwater situation.
Stormwater Wetlands
Constructed wetlands are effective treatment tool which can be used for stormwater management. Ecoteam are treatment wetlands specialists. We can design wetlands or bioretention basins to fit any development type. Wetlands clean water through natural biological, physical and chemical processes. Stormwater pollutants such as bacteria, phosphorus and nitrogen are stripped from the water by the biofilm (colonies of microorganisms) that grow on the aerated root network of the wetland plants. Plants also capture and reuse nutrients.
Wetlands provide ecological value and aesthetic appeal to your landscape. Subsurface flow wetlands and bioretention basins are filled with gravel or adsorption media and planted with wetland plants. The water level remains below the surface which reduces risk associated with standing water.
Stormwater Infiltration Testing
Ecoteam can provide modelling and assessment for stormwater storage and dispersion in urban environments. We perform soil infiltration tests and provide sizing, documentation and design for roofwater trenches.
