In tiered systems, the CULTEC stormwater chambers are configured in beds and stacked on top of one another. This type of system allows for maximum water storage in areas with restricted land space.

Problem: Desert flood control

When it rains, it pours; but when it rains in Phoenix, it floods. The desert’s sparse vegetation and poor soil mean that rainwater often runs off before it can soak in. In this environment, even a moderately heavy rain can create flooding, which ironically, is the most common natural hazard in the region. As a result, Phoenix-area businesses must have stormwater retention systems.

When CSK Auto, Inc. was planning to expand its Phoenix-based warehouse, land constraints played a vital role in the selection of the management method for stormwater retention. A multi-level CULTEC subsurface retention system provided a solution as the owner was able to manage the remainder of undeveloped land to maximize the building’s expansion, parking areas and access drives.

The retention system was needed to capture, treat and retain run-off until it could be displaced. The system included approximately 2,400 Recharger 330 HD chambers constructed of high-density polyethylene, designed to maintain a significant permanent pool of water between rain and snowfall events. Achieving this in a limited footprint was a key factor in the decision to specify the CULTEC system.

Traffic was another consideration. The HD chambers, buried beneath parking and vehicle access roads, needed to withstand the weight of 18-wheel trucks that visited the warehouse daily. Here, too, the CULTEC chambers met the requirements. Item 133

This article appeared in the April/May 2007 issue of MRO Today magazine. Copyright 2007.

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