CASE STUDY: Star of Hope Cornerstone Community

One Thing Leading to Another

SUMMARY:
In January of 2019, Construction EcoServices received a call from a construction company regarding a non-functioning stormwater quality system on one of their client’s property, Star of Hope Cornerstone Community in Houston, Texas. The system in question was an NSBB (Nutrient Separating Baffle Box), which simply put, is a large cement encased filter that removes a wide variety of debris from stormwater runoff and holds it until a routine maintenance visit cleans it out. Construction EcoServices dispatched a team to assess the condition of this NSBB and to determine what was needed to make the NSBB operational again.

CHALLENGE:
During the initial call, Construction EcoServices was informed that not a single vacuum truck company in Houston was able to take on the job due to complexities. Upon arrival, the complexities were apparent – there were three backed up detention ponds attempting to feed into the non-operational NSBB which in turn was trying to discharge into a completely backed up Harris County managed discharge ditch. The situation was a clear case of one thing leading to another. While Harris County will be in charge of fixing the non-functioning discharge ditch, Construction EcoServices set out to remedy the backed up NSBB and ponds, as to bring the property’s stormwater quality features back into compliance.

SOLUTION:
The first task was to isolate the NSBB by plugging both the inlet and discharge pipes. This was accomplished with 48” rental plugs. Once the NSBB was completely sealed, the team could then proceed to “decant” all the water out of the NSBB back in the ponds. Decanting is where water is pumped out and released to a different retainer or location where it cannot seep back to wherever it was removed. This saved time and money as no additional transport equipment was needed. After the excess water was removed, the team was able to successfully vacuum out the sediment and leave the NSBB clean and operating as intended.

RESULT:
The result was not only cheaper for the client, but also the ideal long-term solution for the stormwater system, which earned us the trust and confidence of the construction company. This good relation and service was passed on the property owner the site, who based on our relationship with the construction company proceeded to contract our yearly services for their NSBB, as well as other stormwater quality maintenance needs on the site.