November 8, 2021 – The process to attain NJCAT verification and NJDEP certification for the FocalPoint System required laboratory testing to NJDEPs Lab Filter Protocol. Alden Labs was retained by Convergent Water Technologies to carry out this detailed laboratory testing. We are pleased to announce the FocalPoint system is now an NJCAT verified technology, meeting…
October 4, 2021 – The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) has approved the FocalPoint High Performance Modular Biofiltration System (HPMBS) — an innovative stormwater technology that is beneficial to engineers, land planners, landscape architects, installers, developers and end-users implementing green infrastructure and low impact development techniques. Because of its small footprint, open-bed configuration…
One of the great challenges that Green Infrastructure faces is perception vs. reality. When someone drives up to a site and sees porous concrete that is raveling, permeable pavers that are silted in and shedding water or a biofiltration system that is holding water, we automatically want to believe it’s a product failure, when in…
When introducing FocalPoint HPMBS to engineers, landscape architects, public agencies and contractors, we sometimes get asked if the mulch layer is really necessary. Some people want to replace it with various sizes and types of rocks while others contemplate eliminating the top layer altogether. We continue to stress the importance of the mulch as an…
Our friends at EHRA, Megan Crutcher, P.E., CFM and Justin Ring, P.E. talk about the true costs of Low Impact Development. The cost comparison analysis they provide is based on their latest single family residential project. Camillia is a 90 acre subdivision by Legend Homes in Fort Bend County, Texas that implemented 70 FocalPoint High Performance Modular…
[A tip of the hat to retired legendary Dallas Time Herald sports reporter Blackie Sherrod who introduced the idea of scattershooting, i.e., bouncing through a variety of topics in a single column, often producing interesting tidbits and food for thought.] Did you catch the announcement by the North Texas Land/Water Sustainability Forum launching their Low…
My favorite stormwater blogger, Barry Fagan, is improbably located in Alabama, improbably employed by a DOT and yet is a fascinating and intellectually challenging champion of change, particularly in the stormwater arena. I only wish he was in a position to give the presentation he outlines below, not just to the Civil Engineering department at his…
The short and long term performance of engineered media specified for use in biofiltration systems is something that must be taken into account when utilizing bioretention as the primary solution for stormwater management and stormwater quality. Many times only the short term infiltration rates of a biofiltration media are considered as instead of what actually takes place…
Industry Guest Blogger, Seth Brown, Joins The Innovation Conversation The Water Environment Federation (WEF) has recently launched a new strategic direction, with innovation being a major focus under this new vision. While the term “innovation” is used these days as liberally as “sustainability” was used a few years ago, WEF intends to put meat on…
Several weeks ago I was honored to be an invited participant at a small White House sponsored conference to explore how to accelerate the nationwide implementation of Green Infrastructure. It was truly an interesting experience and one that I believe it’s safe to say, the 80 invitees and 20 or so observers from across the country,…