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Sediment Removal From Construction Discharge
A Regional Construction firm was installing a new two mile sewer line in the South Lake Tahoe region. The line went under a major road at one point. The undercrossing was below the water table. Dewatering activities were estimated to last three weeks. Plans called for the discharged water to go into a storm drain that flowed directly into Lake Tahoe. Though there was no chemical contamination, the company needed equipment to process all of the water generated to remove sediments from the discharge. If the sediments had not been removed, they would have flowed directly into Lake Tahoe. The crystal blue lake is losing clarity because of sediment inflow. The company needed a cost-effective solution to their problem.
A two step treatment process was provided. The first step consisted of an 18,000 gallon weir tank to remove the heavier solids. The second step utilized Clear Creek Systems’ Mobile Cartridge Filtration Unit that is capable of processing over 250 gpm. Based on the percentage of fine sediment material present in the soils, Clear Creek Systems inserted our CS series tight weave 0.5 micron wound cartridge. This cartridge is very effective at removing fine sediments such as silt and clays.
A pump was used to move the water through the system. The unit operated for close to three weeks without ever having any problems with meeting the project discharge needs.
