The Port of Tacoma is responsible for maintenance of the stormwater systems at the 56-acre Olympic Container Terminal, 12-acre North Intermodal Yard, and the 22-acre South Intermodal Yard located on the General Central Peninsula in Tacoma, Washington. Stormwater runoff from the three sites is covered under the State of Washington Department of Ecology’s Industrial Stormwater General Permit (ISGP) and all three facilities were faced with the need to install stormwater runoff treatment in 2014.
The three facilities are flat, completely paved, and subject to heavy operational loading typical of marine cargo facilities. KJ conducted an All Known, Available, and Reasonable methods of prevention, control, and Treatment (AKART) evaluation of applicable stormwater treatment technologies considering each of the three site’s operational constraints, hydraulic conditions, specific stormwater runoff characteristics, and the design and treatment capabilities of several proprietary and non-proprietary treatment approaches.
Based on the evaluations, we recommended three different proprietary, gravity-based treatment solutions to meet each individual location’s operational needs:
Each solution was estimated to provide appropriate treatment for the site’s unique stormwater characteristics. Engineering Reports were prepared to describe the treatment approaches and selection methodology, and all three received Ecology approval.
Modular Wetlands MWS-Linear 2.0
The modular wetlands have just been brought online.
This is the first industrial installation of the Up-Flo filter and Modular Wetland in the Pacific Northwest. Others are going in right now, so it certainly won’t be the last. KJ designed five Up-Flo filters for the Olympic Container Terminal and two Jellyfish filtration units at the South Intermodal Yard. All of these systems provide subsurface filtration capable of withstanding robust wheel loads to accommodate the surrounding traffic. The northern end of the North Intermodal Yard was the perfect location for the modular wetland systems; they are installed at grade so the integrated vegetation can thrive.
The Port of Tacoma and their stormwater manager, Anita Fichthorn, are used to blazing a trail for others to follow. The Port installed a groundbreaking stormwater biofiltration system to treat runoff from a 25-acre log yard that won the American Association of Port Authorities 2014 Environmental Excellence award for Comprehensive Environmental Management.
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