Press Releases

Stormwater treatment device from Filterra Bioretention Systems

November 20, 2008 – Virginia Beach, VA - A new, cutting-edge stormwater treatment system – the first of its kind in Virginia – was activated at Mount Trashmore Park in Virginia Beach on Thursday, Nov. 20, during a ceremony held adjacent to Kids Cove and the skateboard park.  The state-of-the-art treatment system will enhance the removal of bacteria and pollutants from stormwater runoff.

The most prominent feature to the casual eye was the Winterberry Holly bush that was planted directly into the advanced treatment system during the ceremony. Officials of the city’s departments of Public Works and Parks and Recreation, the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, and the community celebrated and the occasion as Virginia Beach Mayor Meyera E. Oberndorf completed the final step of the activation process.

The City of Virginia Beach installed the BacterraTM system from Filterra® Bioretention Systems at Mount Trashmore in an effort to significantly reduce the amount of bacteria and pollutants discharging into the Lynnhaven River watershed. The Bacterra system combines a landscape plant with an optimized filtration media to naturally capture and remove stormwater runoff pollutants such as bacteria, trash and debris, oils and grease, sediments, nutrients and metals, prior to releasing treated runoff into local waterways. The Winterberry Holly bush, will aid in pollutant removal and add to the aesthetic value at the park.

The Bacterra system was installed to meet the City’s nutrient and sediment removal requirements and to reduce bacteria levels in the water due to wild bird and resident pet waste. Partly funded by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation through a Water Quality Improvement Grant, the treated stormwater discharging into the Thalia Creek, a tributary to the Lynnhaven River, will also improve shellfish standards to promote the growth and health of the shellfish population.

About Filterra Bioretention Systems
More than 2,500 Filterra Bioretention stormwater filtration systems are installed nationwide, each one harnessing nature’s power to treat stormwater runoff through a biological process. Filterra Bioretention Systems provide an urban solution for Low Impact Development, meeting or exceeding federal and state regulatory guidelines for pollutant removal efficiencies of total suspended solids, phosphorus, nitrogen and bacteria.

Filterra’s new optimized media blend, Bacterra removes 94 to 99 percent of fecal coliform and E.coli*. Filterra is approved by jurisdictions across the U.S including Maryland MDE, Washington DOE and Virginia DCR.

Filterra Bioretention Systems is a division of Americast, Inc.

*Bacterra pollutant removal efficiencies are based on third-party field data from an urban site in Southern California.

For more information please contact: Julie Mitchell of Filterra at 1-866-349-3458 or , or visit http://www.filterra.com; or Steve McLaughlin with the City of Virginia Beach at (757) 385-4131 or .

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From left: Noah Hill, Regional Manager, Department of Conservation and Recreation, City of Virginia Beach Mayor, Meyera E. Oberndorf, Steve McLaughlin, Virginia Beach Public Works Stormwater Project Manager, Karen Forget, Executive Director of Lynnhaven River NOW, Louis White, P.E., Design Engineer, KCI Technologies, Larry Coffman, Filterra Bioretention Systems


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