Case Study: Storm Water Protection At Windsor Subdivision
Windsor, in the heart of Sonoma County's Wine Country, is a burgeoning community surrounded by vineyards and tree-laden hills. Lying in the Russian River valley, Windsor is crossed by numerous creeks and streams, many of which provide rich riparian habitat. These waterways contribute to the beautiful natural environment in the area and are appreciated by surrounding neighbors.
Ryder Homes, Inc. (Walnut Creek, CA) has established the thriving Vintana home development adjacent to Starr Creek in a lush, pleasant setting. Preservation of the water quality in the creek, despite encroaching urban development, was of concern to Ryder Homes, to the Regional Water Quality Control Board, to the City of Windsor and to members of the community. To meet the requirements of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit, Coastland Engineering (representing the City of Windsor) recommended use of a hydrodynamic separator to treat storm water runoff from the development.
In order to minimize system footprint to avoid closely encroaching utilities, and to minimize excavation and unit costs, Fedco Construction and KriStar Enterprises, Inc. (both of Santa Rosa, CA) recommended a FloGard® Dual-Vortex Hydrodynamic Separator as an alternative to the storm water separator originally considered for the project. The FloGard® Dual-Vortex Hydrodynamic Separator provides enhanced gravity separation of suspended storm water pollutants in a compact configuration. The KriStar device was retrofitted into a 36" storm drain between the fifth phase of the development and Starr Creek to remove total suspended solids (TSS), trash/debris and free hydrocarbons reflective of typical urban runoff to prevent them from polluting the creek.
Ryder Homes provided a substantial bond to the City of Windsor to cover ongoing O&M costs for the system. Ongoing inspection and maintenance services will be provided under contract by Drainage Protection Systems (DPS), a division of KriStar. This final step ensures the proper operation of the system in its role of protecting the dynamics of the existing local water quality and demonstrates the ability of ECA members working together to put forth economical and effective solutions in addressing local environmental concerns. "Great product – easy to install – a substantial cost savings over competitor product – and one hole excavation is always better than two. Thanks." Dave Weller – FEDCO Construction.