A Mornington Peninsula local community project has been named the winner of the litter prevention category at the 2015 Tidy Town Awards, the celebrations for this were held in Beechworth, Victoria.
AKS Industries and SPEL Stormwater are proud to be involved in the community project called ‘Cleaning Up Ballar Creek’ (Mount Eliza).
AKS Industries, SPEL’s partner in Victoria, supplied and worked with the Council and the contractor that installed the new gross pollutant trap – the SPEL Baffle Box.
The Mornington Peninsula Shire Council spokesperson stated that “Since the installation of this Baffle box, we have seen great results in the downstream catchment. The SPEL Baffle box is a simple to maintain asset that is saving us every time we inspect and clean it out, we can see that this is a big step forward compared to other GPT’s we have on the Peninsula”
The installation of the SPEL Baffle Box has seen truckloads of pollutants such as rubbish, vegetation and sediment trapped and removed before they end up flowing into Ballar Creek, Mount Eliza and ultimately the bay.
Completed with a SPELView Observation Cover, the installation also serves as an educational site, educating the public on how the treatment system works and its importance within the local community.
Baffle boxes are concrete or fibreglass structures containing a series of sediment settling chambers separated by baffles. The primary function of baffle boxes is to remove sediment, suspended particles, and associated pollutants from stormwater. Baffle boxes may also contain trash screens or skimmers to capture larger materials, trash, and floatables.
Baffle boxes have proven effective in removing sediment from stormwater runoff. They are mainly utilized in areas where sediment control is a primary concern, while other stormwater Best Management Practices (BMPs) may be more effective in areas where additional stormwater pollutants, such as dissolved nutrients, oil and grease, or metals, are prevalent.
The Baffle box has some key advantages for local councils, engineers and developers alike:
- Greatly reduced footprint and excavation size
- Keeps captured litter in a dry zone – resists further decay and pollution and simplifies maintenance
- Can treat all flows, right up to the full pipe flow – no offline systems and no bypassed pollutants into the downstream catchment
- The SPELView Cover – provides easy maintenance and inspection and community interaction