On the rare occasion I get invited to a party, I like preparing topical jokes, funny anecdotes, and ways of explaining my job as a stormwater engineer that won’t instantly put the other guests to sleep. So when someone asks what I do, I usually pique their curiosity by answering, “I make the world a cleaner place, one storm at a time.” This usually gets a follow-up question about what that means or a confused look and a request to tell another joke about pineapples.

Hydrodynamic separators are primarily designed to treat stormwater runoff by removing pollutants such as sediment, debris, oil, and grease. But what happens when tailwater conditions obstruct the flow?