A full-service commercial and residential developer installed a Jellyfish Filter
to treat stormwater runoff at a commercial bank redevelopment project in
Newton, New Jersey. The developer chose Jellyfish to help meet the state’s
stormwater quality treatment requirements.
The New Jersey Department of Environment Protection’s (NJDEP’s) stormwater
treatment program requires the use of a filtration system prior to infiltration
to protect groundwater from pollutants in stormwater runoff. Jellyfish’s stateof-
the-art verified technology, with NJDEP certification, was identified as the
ideal stormwater treatment Best Management Practice (BMP) for this site for
several key reasons.
Tight Site Space a Major Concern
Design and installation consideration was required as a result of pre-existing underground utilities and surrounding
infrastructure on an adjacent property. Because space at this location was extremely limited, it was essential to install a small
but powerful, performance verified filtration system.
After rejecting larger BMP footprint alternatives due to their unsuitability for the site’s space restrictions, the compact, highlyefficient
Jellyfish JF6 model was chosen, offering the perfect combination of enhanced treatment flow capacity and a small
footprint.
The typical elevation drop design requirement for filtration BMPs is 2 or more feet. Because Jellyfish is typically designed with
only 18 inches (457 mm) of “head” or drop to fully operate the system, it fit easily within the site drainage system. In addition,
Jellyfish’s advanced membrane filtration of very fine sediment particles at a superior treatment flow rate, resulted in a treatment
solution that was less than one-third the footprint of the other BMPs considered.
With the smallest footprint, the Jellyfish pre-cast concrete structure’s components are
significantly lighter, making the unit easier to place with smaller equipment, when compared
to other NJDEP-approved filter systems. The Jellyfish unit was much easier to install since the heaviest lift was less than half the weight of the alternative vault structure
considered. This translated into significant time and equipment cost savings
for the contractor and developer.
Easy to Maintain and Low Long-term Cost
Jellyfish’s low long-term maintenance costs makes it an extremely attractive
choice. In this case, a major reason the Jellyfish was chosen over other
filtration BMPs considered was its affordability over the long-term. The Jellyfish
JF6 unit installed at the commercial redevelopment site contains
only 7, 20-pound (9 kg) cartridges. The alternative filtration device considered
required 22 large, 200+ pound (90 kg) cartridges, resulting in a significant
savings in life-cycle costs.
Another important consideration was the fact that Jellyfish’s cartridges are
passively backwashed after every storm, manually rinsed annually during
routine maintenance, and do not require annual replacement and disposal.
The Jellyfish is also a simple system to inspect as well as maintain. At this site,
the maintenance cost of Jellyfish over a three-year period was estimated to be
one-third the cost of other filtration BMPs considered.
Economical Approach
Martin Realty Development & Construction Co., a well-established full-service
developer, has been operating in central New Jersey since 1972. President
Steve Martin was quite excited about the implementation of the Jellyfish
technology. “For us, using the Jellyfish system was more economical, and it met NJDEP requirements. It was also a pleasure to
work with Imbrium, with their support at the time of installation of the structure and the filters.”
With Jellyfish working quietly underground, owners can be confident that stormwater runoff from the site will be filtered with the
best and most cost-effective technology available before being infiltrated back into the groundwater.
Jellyfish a Popular Choice
The Jellyfish filtration system continues to gain popularity among organizations committed to protecting the environment.
Jellyfish is a remarkably compact system that allows well over three times the flow capacity with just one-third the footprint and
one-fifth the weight of conventional filtration BMPs. Its unique high surface area membrane filtration tentacles trap over 85%
TSS, effortlessly capturing nutrients, metals, neutrally-buoyant particles, oils and saturated hydrocarbon-based particles, making
it a cost-effective treatment solution.
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