The Town of Okotoks is an environmentally conscious bedroom community
of just over 25,000 people, south of Calgary. Okotoks was one of the first
communities in Canada to recognize its environmental limit to growth is the
carrying capacity of the local watershed, in this case the Sheep River. This
river and tributaries run right through the community and are important trout
habitats, home to the mountain white fish along with many other wild life, as
well supply artesian well drinking water.
As such, the Town wanted to clean up stormwater runoff that was entering
nearby Sheep River at the existing Hunters Glen stormwater outfall.
Protection of the Sheep River watershed has long been recognized as critical
for maintaining water for the prairies, wildlife and people that exist in or near
the area.
Lafarge North America, a Stormceptor licensee, designed and supplied a Stormceptor MAX oil and grit separator (OGS) to treat
runoff from 45 hectares of pre-existing residential land that comprised the drainage area. The Stormceptor MAX was designed
to remove over 80% of sediment, targeting coarse silts and sand-sized particles 50 microns in size and larger. This MAX unit was
custom designed for the Town of Okotoks and consists of four pre-cast 2.44 m3 precast concrete boxes, and 1.80 m diameter
inlet and outlet riser sections.
Lafarge includes a 5-year Maintenance Program with every Stormceptor unit, providing inspection and maintenance services in
order to monitor captured pollutant levels. This program ensures each Stormceptor unit is being maintained and is functioning
as designed. Within a six-month time period, the Town of Okotok’s Stormceptor MAX unit captured 12.3 m3 of sediment,
demonstrating the effectiveness of the design and Stormceptor MAX technology, while ensuring that stormwater exiting this
outfall is clean and treated prior to entering the Sheep River.
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