New Jersey stormwater BMP testing protocols change the game
Holden, MA - Nov 5, 2012 -
New Jersey stormwater protocols change the game
New rules create opportunities for better performance evaluation, reliable data and
more cost-effective testing of stormwater technologies
/EINPresswire.com/ HOLDEN, MA - While technology for treating suspended solids in stormwater runoff continues to advance, the lack of common testing protocols has made it difficult to accurately gauge their performance and select the appropriate solutions.That's about to change with New Jersey's long-awaited new protocols for testing of stormwater solids removal devices.
The state's new rules which are pending final approval will provide a less expensive and more streamlined process for testing and evaluating stormwater technology. Its standardized protocol for complex testing of stormwater devices will not only save manufacturers time and money, it will produce much more reliable and accurate results in testing and provide design engineers with better data for performance evaluation. It's a change that could set the standard for other parts of the country.
What's changing and why does it matter?
· The new protocols will go beyond "what" needs to be done to stipulate "how" it should be done. Stormwater device testing in controlled lab settings is a complex process, and without standard guidelines to follow, laboratories doing this testing have been using different testing methodologies.But under the new rules, all testing must now follow the same methodologies and complete the same required tests. For the first time, achieving an 80% removal result at one laboratory means that the same test on the same device will produce a repeatable 80% removal rate at another lab.
· Hydraulic requirements will be detailed and specific. Hydraulics testing has always been required, but now there are fewer gray areas about what it needs to include. The new protocols adopt professionally vetted national standards and methodology developed by theAmerican Society for Testing and Materials(ASTM). From how often to take measurements, to which measurements to focus on, to what instruments should be used—now everything is spelled out.
· Maximum treatment flow rate will be based on scour. Performance data that includes calculations for bed scour will now set the bar for determining 100% storm treatment flow. Previously, 100% storm treatment calculations were based more on solids removal efficiency without fully accounting for impacts of the turbulence that can create movement and fluidity of the bed and allow materials to escape. This will help to more accurately predict the technology's performance in the field.
· Independent observers will be approving all in-house testing. If manufacturers are conducting in-house tests, those tests must be approved by an independent engineer who meets the state's requirements as an impartial observer. Alternately, manufacturers may outsource their testing to independent laboratories certified by the state.
It's clear that these more stringent and detailed requirements will not only level the playing field for manufacturers, but more accurately report the performance and efficiency of stormwater management devices. Design engineers will now have the reliable, proven data they need to confidently select the best value and appropriate device for their needs. As some of the most detailed and stringent stormwater testing guidelines in the nation, it offers a solid model for other jurisdictions to follow.
About Alden
Alden (Alden Research Laboratory, Inc.) is an acclaimed leader in solving flow-related engineering and environmental problems. For more than a century, the company has provided engineering, field and laboratory technical assessments of liquid and gas flow related technologies for the power and municipal utility industries and a transfer of knowledge to regulatory agencies. Alden's Stormwater Testing Facility employs both full-scale physical testing and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) for stormwater manufacture best management practice (BMP) design optimization and increased constituent removal efficiency, providing customers with local and state compliance reporting and data analysis.
New Jersey stormwater protocols change the game
New rules create opportunities for better performance evaluation, reliable data and
more cost-effective testing of stormwater technologies
/EINPresswire.com/ HOLDEN, MA - While technology for treating suspended solids in stormwater runoff continues to advance, the lack of common testing protocols has made it difficult to accurately gauge their performance and select the appropriate solutions.That's about to change with New Jersey's long-awaited new protocols for testing of stormwater solids removal devices.
The state's new rules which are pending final approval will provide a less expensive and more streamlined process for testing and evaluating stormwater technology. Its standardized protocol for complex testing of stormwater devices will not only save manufacturers time and money, it will produce much more reliable and accurate results in testing and provide design engineers with better data for performance evaluation. It's a change that could set the standard for other parts of the country.
What's changing and why does it matter?
· The new protocols will go beyond "what" needs to be done to stipulate "how" it should be done. Stormwater device testing in controlled lab settings is a complex process, and without standard guidelines to follow, laboratories doing this testing have been using different testing methodologies.But under the new rules, all testing must now follow the same methodologies and complete the same required tests. For the first time, achieving an 80% removal result at one laboratory means that the same test on the same device will produce a repeatable 80% removal rate at another lab.
· Hydraulic requirements will be detailed and specific. Hydraulics testing has always been required, but now there are fewer gray areas about what it needs to include. The new protocols adopt professionally vetted national standards and methodology developed by theAmerican Society for Testing and Materials(ASTM). From how often to take measurements, to which measurements to focus on, to what instruments should be used—now everything is spelled out.
· Maximum treatment flow rate will be based on scour. Performance data that includes calculations for bed scour will now set the bar for determining 100% storm treatment flow. Previously, 100% storm treatment calculations were based more on solids removal efficiency without fully accounting for impacts of the turbulence that can create movement and fluidity of the bed and allow materials to escape. This will help to more accurately predict the technology's performance in the field.
· Independent observers will be approving all in-house testing. If manufacturers are conducting in-house tests, those tests must be approved by an independent engineer who meets the state's requirements as an impartial observer. Alternately, manufacturers may outsource their testing to independent laboratories certified by the state.
It's clear that these more stringent and detailed requirements will not only level the playing field for manufacturers, but more accurately report the performance and efficiency of stormwater management devices. Design engineers will now have the reliable, proven data they need to confidently select the best value and appropriate device for their needs. As some of the most detailed and stringent stormwater testing guidelines in the nation, it offers a solid model for other jurisdictions to follow.
About Alden
Alden (Alden Research Laboratory, Inc.) is an acclaimed leader in solving flow-related engineering and environmental problems. For more than a century, the company has provided engineering, field and laboratory technical assessments of liquid and gas flow related technologies for the power and municipal utility industries and a transfer of knowledge to regulatory agencies. Alden's Stormwater Testing Facility employs both full-scale physical testing and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) for stormwater manufacture best management practice (BMP) design optimization and increased constituent removal efficiency, providing customers with local and state compliance reporting and data analysis.
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