Lincoln Park Zoo

Project Details:  The project involves the installation of a stormwater detention systems in Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, IL. The existing exhibit was torn down and replaced with new shelters for animals. One StormTrap basin was installed in the new penguin exhibit and another in the polar bear exhibit.

Challenge:  The main obstacle of the project was the limited space to accommodate the stormwater system and the required amount of water storage. According to Steve McCarthy, consulting engineer for Terra, there were many existing retaining walls underground the site and proposed foundations and utility lines that made it complicated to find a place to fit the StormTrap basins.

Solution:  The constant communication between the project engineer and the StormTrap’s design team was essential to create a functional solution. “The variability/flexibility of StormTrap’s shape (both geometrically and vertically) really helped to make this work,” McCarthy said. A SingleTrap system was installed at the penguin exhibit, not just meeting but also exceeding the storage requirements, and two DoubleTrap basins were installed in the polar bear exhibit. McCarthy explained “Being able to break the basin into two separate systems that utilized the DoubleTrap design ended up saving this project a massive amount of money on demolition costs.”

The engineer mentioned that StormTrap was chosen for the project for offering the best cost-efficient solution, flexibility and great customer support “without the constant contact and feedback from StormTrap during design and VE efforts this would have been much more difficult” McCarthy.