Regional Project Profile

Shelly Square Shopping Center

Category: Implemented Design  
Type of BMP: Underground infiltration and detention basin, sediment forebay, wetland area


| Description | Location | Partners | Cost | Contact |
 

 Description

To provide enhanced management for on-site stormwater run-off from the area’s impervious surfaces, Spring Hill Realty implemented the following three Best Management Practices: 1) Underground detention basin; 2) Sediment forebay; and 3) Wetland.

1) Underground Detention Basin
This detention basin is located underneath the paved parking area in front of the retail and office fronts. Rainwater is conveyed into the detention basin via perforated pipes and stone trenches. Besides filtering the stormwater, the basin detains stormwater during peak flow rates. The basin controls the quantities of water released, thus reducing water velocity and its negative implications. The detention basin is designed to release the collected stormwater within twenty-four hours of a storm event.

2) Sediment Forebay
Overflow and un-infiltrated stormwater from the underground holding tank are deflected through a sediment forebay. Wild grasses grow on the upper slopes of this forebay, and rocks at the pipes’ outlet allow for the dry collection of sediment. The sediment forebay protects the adjacent wetland, and ultimately Perkiomen Creek, from the sediment, oil, and grease associated with parking lot run-off.

3) Wetland
The constructed wetland not only traps and purifies run-off as the third step in the stormwater management process, but it also provides functional wetland habitat for wildlife. The wetland acts as a final guard to prevent Perkiomen Creek’s exposure to high velocity stormwater flows and pollutants. A half foot of natural topsoil was set aside during the construction of the wetland, and was resituated upon the disturbed earth as native wildflowers, bulrushes and sedge species, and trees were planted. For a list of plantings click here. Water slowly flows through the wetland mitigation area, where the remaining pollutants are trapped by the plants or are deposited for future removal. A natural spring provides the wetland with fresh groundwater, helping to sustain the wetland’s wildlife.
 

 
 

 

 Location

County:         Harleysville, Montgomery County
Watershed:   Perkiomen Creek

Shelly Square Shopping Center is a newly built retail development and office park located in Harleysville at 2700 Shelly Road at the intersection of Rt. 63. Its 80,000 square foot retail and office spaces were opened in 2006. Spring Hill Realty designed their stormwater management system using a unique “stacked” approach. An underground detention basin catches rainwater from drains in the parking lot. Overflow and un-infiltrated stormwater from the underground holding tank are deflected through a sediment forebay located on the western side of the development. The wetland mitigation area is adjacent to Perkiomen Creek on the south end of the site and adds a third and final step in the process of protecting this waterway. Community response to the project has been very positive, especially towards the landscaping of the naturalized basin, and wildlife that has made the basin its home.
 

 Partners
Montgomery County Conservation District, Spring Hill Realty, Reading Site Contractors (engineering and construction)
 
 Cost
Unavailable
 
 Contact
Bryan Hunsberger
Spring Hill Realty, Inc.
(215) 513-7368
mail@springhillrealtyinc.com
bhunsberger@springhillrealtyinc.com
 
 
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