What is storm water?

Storm water is rainfall or snow melt that flows over hard surfaces, like driveways and streets.  Storm water runoff, a.k.a. non-point source  pollution, is storm water that flows across the land, picking up pollutants like oil and sediment, before it flushes into nearby storm drains and streams.

 

What is a storm water retrofit? 

A storm water retrofit is a storm water management practice (usually structural) put into place after development has occurred, to improve water quality, protect downstream channels or reduce flooding.

 

 Why retrofit the Shank Park basin?

The existing basin has a poor design that funnels high rates of storm     water into the nearby stream.  The stream banks are eroding and sending high levels of sediment pollution downstream to the Ohio   River.

 

 How will the basin be changed?

The basin’s concrete lined channel will be replaced with a small meandering stream surrounded by native vegetation.  Modifications to the outlet structure and the installation of a sediment fore bay and energy   dissipating stone will slow the flow of water and help sediment and other pollutants to settle out.

 

 How will this benefit the Village of Amelia?

The Shank Park project will help reduce the impacts of uncontrolled storm water runoff.  Over time, the stream below the basin will “heal” itself and the basin will be a more attractive feature at the Park.

 

Amelia’s Storm Water Improvement Project

Spencer Shank Memorial Park

 An innovative project is underway in the Village of Amelia to renovate an existing storm water detention  basin into a fully functioning water quality and flood control structure at Spencer Shank Memorial Park.  The Village is partnering with the Ohio EPA, Strand Associates and the Clermont Soil & Water Conservation  District (SWCD) to implement the project, located near the headwaters of Ten mile Creek, an Ohio River  tributary. 

The basin drains 76 acres of residential area.  It currently has with a 54” concrete inlet pipe which discharges storm water to a concrete lined channel along the Western edge of the basin.  The concrete  channel quickly flushes storm water to an outlet control structure, and, as a result, empties into stream below the basin at high velocities and without any pollutant removal.  The banks of the  receiving  head water stream are  unstable and eroding, causing high levels of sediment pollution to move downstream toward the Ohio River. 

 The Village was awarded a grant through Ohio EPA’s Surface Water Improvement Fund to improve the storm water detention basin to help address the problems with storm water runoff.  The basin retrofits include a handful of small changes that include the replacement of the concrete lined channel with a small meandering stream surrounded by native vegetation.  The retrofits also include modifications to the existing outlet structure and the installation of a sediment fore bay and energy dissipating stone.  These changes will help to slow down the flow of storm water through the basin and will allow time for sediment and other pollutants to settle out and be absorbed by surrounding vegetation. 

When most storm water detention basins were designed, little regard was given to water quality treatment or the downstream impacts of uncontrolled storm water runoff.  The retrofit at Shank Park will demonstrate how simple modifications to existing storm water structures can help reduce the impacts of uncontrolled storm water runoff.  The new basin will provide water quality treatment during small storms, while also    providing the needed flood control during large storms.  By reducing the highly erosive flows of storm water out of the detention basin, the receiving stream will naturally “heal” itself over time and revert back to a more stable condition.  Overall, the new storm water basin and stream improvements will make the Park look much nicer!