b'OPERATIONSMFR 67that would serve a large portion of the airport and return cleanformat, green stormwater treatment without a precast concrete water to the community creek and elsewhere. If a 25-year rainvault. The companys proprietary StormMix Media removes a variety arrives, water will only stand in this facility for 48 hours before it isof compounds from stormwater runoff: pollutants, suspended all treated and returned to nature. solids, dissolved metals, nutrients, gross solids, trash/debris and petroleum hydrocarbons that accumulate on paved surfaces.New Strategy The BioPod Boxless system is relatively new to the market, The airport hired Precision Approach Engineering to rethink itssays Lekkerkerker, noting that the MFR project placed more of previous system of removing water from the airfield. In addition tothis material than all of the companys other previous projects providing design services and acting as engineer of record, Precisioncombined. That puts this project on the edge of innovation, while Approach also served as construction manager for the project thatwe stay true to the idea of practical, durable and low-maintenance was completed in May 2022.infrastructure.The new drainage system at MFR is a greatWith the new system in place, it is now faster and easier for example of the kind of projects we love to do,the airport to pull required water samples after storm events. The says Josh Lekkerkerker, P.E., vice president,new system centralizes collection to a single location that is easy project manager and a founding member of theto access. One point of collection, one point of maintenance and firm. We focus on practicalitywell-thought- just one tracking report to complete means a few less things for out, easy-to-maintain and built-to-last solutions.Brienza and his staff to do every time it rains.In this case, the task was to follow the path of water as it comes out of the sky to have itJOSH LEKKERKERKER The approach we took was to reduce our impact on the natural leave the airport property similar to what wouldenvironment for the benefit of the community, says Brienza happen if development wasnt there at all. proudly. In this case, what is good for the environment is also good for business. Filling in the Swiss cheese and streamlining During heavy rain, the expanses of impervious surfaces at MFRdetention increases the airports growth-readiness by making more dont just prevent water from soaking into the ground, pollutantsland available and future development less complicated. Its a resting on the surfaces are also flushed into downstream channels.tremendous win for Rogue Valley. As gravity carries water off the slightly sloped pavement, a surge is created that floods natural drainage channels and causes ponding. In turn, the ponding attracts birds, which recognize standing water from a distance.In trying to mimic what would occur naturally, this systemEngineering Professionalsspreads storm surge out across 400 linear feet in a high-flowwith a Precision Approachfiltration system that drops it to the ground before it is returned to the original channel, Lekkerkerker explains. Only a major downfallFocus on Aviation Serviceswill back up water into the detention area, so this is unlikely to be overwhelmed.The first component of the two-part system is a biofiltration swale at the catchment basin collection point. Drainage gutters gather runoff, capturing an estimated 90% of the airports daily stormwater. A more traditional stormwater treatment system design results in a swale roughly 1,000 feet long and 50 feet wide. The new streamlined high-flow system is just 400 feet long and 15 feet wide. Though the substantial reduction in required real estate is an important advantage, Lekkerkerker notes that the second part of the system is what makes MFRs new stormwater solution unique.The big differentiator is the capacity of this system to get a high volume of water off the surface, filter it, and get it back to the stream in a controlled flow, he explains. In addition toServing Airports with Professional Planning,decommissioning various detention ponds around the airport andEngineering Design, Construction Services,diverting their flows to the new system, the recent project alsoand Compliance Supportencompassed a large portion of the property that did not previously have a formal drainage system. Gathering all of this into a single catchment area significantly increased the overall volume of water to retain, treat and release.Project engineers used the BioPod Boxless Biofiltration System, manufactured by Oldcastle Infrastructure because it provides large- PREAPPINC.COM | 541-754-0043AirportImprovement.comNovember | December 2022'