Baltimore Marina Uses Baffle to Protect Chesapeake Bay

Protecting the Chesapeake Bay watershed is not a commitment to be taken lightly, according to Jim High, owner of the Baltimore Boating Center. Storm water enters Chesapeake Bay at this location.

“Since we power wash boats and perform services, we needed to develop a storm water system plan that filters the water from trash, and collects hydrocarbons and other potential pollutants,” High said. 

“Fortunately, one of our neighbors is TJ Mullen, president of Best Management Products Inc., who created the SNOUT, and this innovative product helped us develop a system that was perfect for our storm water needs," High said. "Each of our four power wash bays have catch basins that are 2 ft wide, 18 ft long and 2 ft high, and all are equipped with the SNOUT and Bio-Skirt.”  

The SNOUT is a vented storm water hood made of marine-grade fiberglass and marine hardware, making it strong and resilient but also lightweight. 

The unit acts as a baffle. When installed in a catch basin, it separates the floatable pollutants on the surface, allowing heavier materials to sink to the bottom. Clean water exits through an intermediate layer and then is piped away to the storm water system or a discharge point.

The unit also has an optional Bioskirt feature that enhances water treatment capacity. This floating skirted boom is treated with a non-leaching anti-microbial to preserve the fabric’s service life. It attaches to the unit to target hydrocarbons and can hold approximately 1 gal of oil. 

A 12-in. SNOUT paired with a Bio-Skirt make up the Marina Kit, which is available online as a discounted package for marinas.