Industry-Leading Aircraft Services Company Stormwater Filtration Challenge

Whether protecting life and property by fighting fires, performing low-impact logging or providing disaster relief and reconstruction efforts around the world, our client has a long history of doing the right thing. In fact, their core values are engineered to ensure employee health and safety and environmental stewardship:

• Comply with all applicable health, safety and environmental regulations and laws, and global HSE standards.
• Ensure a non-punitive safety environment to encourage reporting of incidents, hazards and safety-related concerns.
• Act to minimize the environmental impact of its activities.
• Educate and motivate employees and contractors to conduct their activities in a safe and environmentally responsible manner.

Consistent adherence to these values is just one of the reasons that our client has received numerous awards for employer excellence from federal aviation authorities. Elevated zinc levels & competitive analysis drives procurement of cleanway downspout filtration devices.

The facility in question was one of our client’s fleet maintenance and repair facilities. While the facility, at 3.898 acres and 51,000 square feet might be considered small by some standards, the combination of the fleet’s refueling, chase and service vehicles, and associated fuels and cargo, added complexity to identifying the pollutant source. When scheduled testing at two catch basin compliance points adjacent to the structure showed elevated zinc levels, our client’s legal department contacted CleanWay to order six (6) downspout filtration devices. Because our client’s Environmental Health and Safety department was undergoing restructuring, legal stepped into the research and procurement role.

After competitive analysis, our client selected the downspout filtration system from CleanWay for its superior, high capacity design, “plug and play” installation and ease of maintenance. Each downspout device was fitted with CleanWay’s patented MetalZorb filtration media packs.

“CleanWay recognized the need for rooftop stormwater and downspout filtration over 20 years ago. As a result, we’ve continuously refined our downspout filtration system (also referred to as roof drain filters, gutter drain filters or rainwater filters) to meet the evolving needs of our customers. Unlike inline options, which require cutting and fitting of the existing downspout, our units are free standing, easily accessible for maintenance and cleaning and incorporate a patented water sampling port for verifiable filtration performance. Two levels of outlet openings allow the unit to be run in either a dry (where vector control is a concern) or wet configuration (to increase removal rates with additional contact time),” said Matthew Moulton, General Manager, CleanWay Environmental Partners.

After installation of the downspout filters, zinc levels immediately decreased, in fact, zinc levels at Port II, Basin 3 went from .457 mg/L to below benchmark in late November of 2016. However, levels remained stubbornly above the 1200-Z permit benchmark at Port I, Basin 1. It’s significant to note that testing was being done downstream of the downspout filters at the two catch basins adjacent to the fleet maintenance structure. These two catch basins were the testing compliance points identified in our client’s SWPPP, but with the structural change of added downspout filtration, CleanWay suggested testing at all filtration points. It appeared our client, with CleanWay’s help, was moving toward sustainable compliance when nature intervened. “Perfect storm” of extreme weather and deferred maintenance spur enhanced bmps and “tuned” filtration media.