Sweeney Buick GMC gets new, high tech stormwater detention system

BOARDMAN, Ohio (WKBN) - The commercial development in Boardman is often one reason cited for the flooding issues in the township, which is why all new development and redevelopment must have stormwater detention systems.

Randy Baker is an architect at Baker Bednar Snyder in Howland and the person who designed the large, high tech stormwater detention system at Sweeney Buick GMC on Market Street in Boardman.

"In there small, but somewhat significant way, the Sweeney organization is helping to solve some of the long-standing stormwater problems here in Boardman Township," Baker said.

As the crew building the detention system worked around us, Baker showed us how the water will roll downhill, into catch basins, through two pipes and then be stored in these large orange colored stormwater detention chambers.

"Then what happens is, over time, maybe hours, maybe days, that water leaves these chambers at a very controlled rate, which is the rate of what the water runoff would be theoretically if it were a grass field," Baker said.

And as the water leaves, it runs through what's called a hydrodynamic separator.

"And it's cleaner than it would have been, had it not been for all the equipment," he said.

This is the largest of the five detention systems Baker has designed.

You can see how it all will work now, but eventually, it'll be covered by asphalt or concrete with vehicles on top of it.

"So you can appreciate the fact that there could be a rapid rate of water coming in but then a slow discharge of water that will be cleaned in the process. So everybody wins," Baker said.

Sweeney Buick GMC never had a storm detention system because when the original dealership was built, it was not required.

But with the new construction, the dealership needed a way to hold back stormwater and Randy Baker said they built the best system they could.

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