Description: On Wednesday August 19th, 2020 TIS mobilized a three-person crew to a manufacturing facility in Boulder, CO to perform maintenance on two storm water retention basins that had accumulated water-born algae and other solid material.
TIS started the project by verifying the basin pumps were turned off, de-energized and locked out. TIS then went through a safety meeting to discuss the hazards associated with the basin cleanout. The basins were classified as permit-required confined spaces but due to the lack of hazards present and after conducting air monitoring in the breathing space of the area, both basins were downgraded to non-permit required confined spaces.
Prior to entry, TIS donned Tyvek® suits, 3M poly-elastomeric half-face respirators with P100 cartridges, hard hat, safety glasses, leather impact gloves, and steel toe boots. TIS then entered into the first basin and began sweeping the solids into piles. Once all of the sweeping was complete, the entrants then shoveled the solids into 6 mil drum liners and hoisted them out of the basin and containerized the drum liners into 55-gallon poly, open-top drums.
Three drums were filled with the removed solids from the first storm water basin. TIS then moved all cleaning tools and equipment over to the second storm water basin and began removing solids. TIS repeated the process from the first basin until three additional drums were filled and the storm water basin was cleaned. The maintenance work on the two storm water basins will improve storm water quality and help to keep unnecessary solids from accumulating.
