Potential of tipping flush gate for sedimentation management in open stormwater sewer

Abstract

This paper presents the design of a tipping flush gate and its potential use in servicing open storm sewers in terms of sedimentation management. The tipping flush gate was installed in a section of open concrete storm sewer located in a commercial area in Taman Pekaka, Nibong Tebal, Penang, Malaysia. Monitoring of the gate operation and performance was done from 14^th November 2012 to 15^th March 2013 covering the beginning and end of the wet season. The sediment profile inside the sewer was measured after each operation of the gate or rainfall event. Results showed that the gate was effective in reducing naturally accumulated sediment in the chosen sewer section. However, proper litter management is needed if the gate is to be implemented in open storm sewer systems. A design guideline for the usage of a tipping flush gate for open storm sewers is also presented in this paper.

Keywords:

• open storm sewer
• sedimentation management
• tipping flush gate

Acknowledgements

Special appreciation goes to the city council; Majlis Perbandaran Seberang Perai (MPSP) for giving the permission to use the site for the study.

Additional information

Funding

The authors would like to thank Universiti Malaysia Sarawak for the financial support under the SGS grant No. F02(S149)/1129/2014(14) and Universiti Sains Malaysia for the RU-PRGS grant No. 1001/PREDAC/8044050.