Stormwater system for safe installation and long life

When GMK Logistics outgrew its existing facility, it partnered with Fordham Industrial Enterprises to structure a new pre-lease on Gregory Hills Corporate Park. Located 59 kilometres south-west of Sydney, Gregory Hills is at the epicentre of Sydney’s South West Growth Corridor. Offering 2000-square-metre to 20,000-square-metre, fully serviced and ready-to-build lots, the park is a 30-hectare business and bulky goods retail location.

Asset owner Fordham Industrial Enterprises identified early on that the originally specified stormwater detention system had inherent safety and design life risks. The risks would have exposed personnel to unnecessary safety compromises, both during construction and during operation. The proposed four-barrel steel pipe tank was not designed for truck loading, despite being directly adjacent to a gross pollutant trap that required maintenance by a vacuum truck. It had a 20-year design life.

To avoid these risks, Fordham approached National Precast member Humes to design and supply a robust and trafficable 400,000-litre precast concrete stormwater detention system.

Humes offered the prefect solution – its StormTrap system. As a fully trafficable storm water detention system designed for SM1600 traffic loadings, it also provided a 50-year design life.

Had the original steel pipe alternative been adopted, the tank would have required reconstruction twice over the same period, at considerable cost.

The 400,000-litre system consisted of 50 individual modules, which were installed in just seven working hours over two days. Backfill of the system was able to commence immediately after installation, with no construction delays.

Fordham Enterprises were extremely happy with the outcome, recognising the value, design life, peace of mind, and safety that a precast concrete solution provided.

According to Glenn Fordham, Director of Fordham Industrial Enterprises: “We were particularly impressed… having brought Humes in at the ‘eleventh hour’ for them to be able to initially meet, assess the previous design, offer alternatives, tender, finalise design, gain approvals, manufacture then deliver and us have it installed in under 12 weeks.”