MGE installed an innovative parking lot stormwater filtration system. This filtration system:

• Is considered a Best Management Practice by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) and other agencies.
• Filters out many contaminants that normally run off paved surfaces during rainstorms.
• Is one of the first installations of its kind in Wisconsin.
• Filters water from a 1.39-acre parking lot used by MGE and State of Wisconsin employees in downtown Madison.
• Helps reduce toxins that degrade water quality and nutrients that promote weed and algae growth in our lakes and rivers.

The new system uses replaceable cartridges containing several types of filter media to remove:

• Sediments.
• Oil and grease.
• Soluble metals.
• Organic compounds.
• Phosphorus.
• Nitrogen.

The cartridges are contained in a concrete vault that contains:

• A pretreatment bay - where heavy solids are trapped.
• A filter bay - where the cartridges filter the flow.
• An outlet bay - where the treated flow is collected for discharge through the outlet pipe.

MGE will:

• Monitor results.
• Share evaluation findings and experience with government agencies and area businesses.
• Encourage implementation of this advanced technology.

MGE's partners in this demonstration project include:

• Earth Tech, an engineering firm.
• Stormwater Management Inc., a manufacturer of stormwater filters.
• The U.S. Geological Survey.
• The U.S. Forest Products Research Lab.

For more information about this project, contact Jim Montgomery, MGE Facilities Management, (608) 252-7349.

MGE Stormwater Filtration Project [PDF - 206 KB]

For more information about this technology, visit Stormwater Management Inc.