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The Port of Baltimore
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March/April 201 2
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sediments and other pollutants a chance to
settle to the bottom. When the water rises
to a certain level, a pipe carries it to another
chamber, where it again is filtered, giving
any remaining pollutants a chance to settle,
and then the cleaned water is discharged.
The maximum flow rate through the
system is 10 cubic feet per second, and the
chambers have a volume of 70,000 cubic
feet. The large volume enables the system to
better handle floating debris and sediment.
A check valve on the discharge pipe
keeps harbor waters from backflowing
into the system. At regular intervals, the
sediment that remains behind in the
chamber will be pumped out and hauled
away for treatment. A series of manholes
gives workers access to each chamber.
Known as a Con/Span system, the
pre-cast chambers are built by Contech
Construction Products, Inc., a company that
specializes in pre-cast stormwater manage-
ment systems. The continuously working
system does not need engines or pumps.
“It’s all just the flow of the water,”
Schmidt said.
Barbara McMahon, Maryland Port
Administration (MPA) Manager, Safety,
Environment & Risk Management, said,
“We’re excited about this new technology,
and hope that this technology or something
similar will be a model for future projects.”
Schmidt noted that one of the provi-
sions of the contract between Ports America
Chesapeake and the MPA — an innovative
public/private partnership that received
industry awards — was to provide a storm-
water management system.
“We worked wi th the Maryland
Department of the Environment and the
MPA, and they set some standards for Berth
4, and the engineers crafted this system,”
Montgomery said.
The groundbreaking nature of the
project is in keeping with Ports America’s
overall commitment to the environment.
“Ports America is one of the leaders
in environmental sustainability,” said
Montgomery, who added that the company
has utilized funds provided through the
Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA)
for the retrofitting or replacement of diesel
equipment to reduce air pollution.
“Prior to DERA, we bought new yard
trucks with cleaner-running engines,”
Montgomery said. “We’ve been looking to
create green power wherever we can.”
Right now, Ports America Chesapeake
is testing a Tier IV engine, which would
signi f icant ly reduce smog-causing
emissions, on a top loader at Seagirt Marine
Terminal.
“We’re always looking at ways to
make an industrial environment cleaner,”
Montgomery said.
Construction of the wharf for Berth 4, the 50-foot-deep berth
at Seagirt Marine Terminal, is finished.
“The contractor, McLean Contracting Company, finished
on time and under budget,” said Ports America Chesapeake
President and CEO Mark Montgomery. “McClean did a
fantastic job on completing the wharf.”
The four new Super Post-Panamax cranes have been
erected by their manufacturer, ZPMC, and are being tested in
China. Meanwhile, the existing trolley cranes can gantry to
Berth 4 to unload an actual ship as a dress rehearsal for the
berth’s imminent opening.
When the water rises to a certain level, a pipe carries
it to another chamber, where it again is filtered,
giving any remaining pollutants a chance to settle,
and then the cleaned water is discharged.
Update on Berth 4