CE 503 – Water and Waste Water
Engineering - CE52KA1
July 13, 2018
Appurtenances and Special Hydraulic
Structures – Catch Basin
by Group 2: Davie Irish B. Nacion
Catch Basin
• is an engineered drainage
structure with the sole function of
collecting rainwater and
snowmelt from streets and
parking lots and transporting it to
local waterways through a system
of underground piping, culverts,
and drainage ditches.
• It can able to prevent trash and
other floatable materials from
entering the drainage system by
capturing such debris by way of a
hooded outlet.
Two main types of catch basins
1. Drop inlets catch basin
2. Curb opening or curb inlet catch
basin
Drop Inlets
 A standard drop inlet (a form of
a catch basin) is a below-ground
square box precast concrete
structure with a horizontal square
opening.
 Are designed to be installed at all the
low spots of an area so that the water
will flow to the drop inlet and then will
continue to drop through the grated
inlet.
 Many drop inlets are usually
connected with a concrete valley
gutter (a.k.a. “v-gutter”).
 Parking lots often use drop inlets
made with concrete and a steel
frame and grate on top.
Curb Inlets
 Are another type of catch basin and
used often on the city streets.
 This catch basin is located usually
along the sidewalk, adjacent to a
curb and gutter.
 Curb opening catch basins are built
with steel rebar and concrete and are
typically poured in place.
 It usually has a manhole ring and
cover built into the deck to provide
access to maintenance personnel.
 It has a protection bar (a.k.a “pro
bar”) is placed in front of the opening
to prevent children and large debris
from gaining access into the catch
basin.
Dimensions
Concrete Catch Basins
Are available in nominal inside
dimensions of 600 x 600mm, 600 x
840mm and 600 x 1450mm with a
monolithic base.
Concrete Ditch Inlets
Are available in nominal inside
dimensions of 600 x 600mm, 600 x
1200mm, and 1800 x 900mm with a
monolithic base and tops with various
slopes to match most grading plans.
The standard depth of bury for precast
catch basins and ditch inlets are 4m to
the base, but designs for deeper
applications or different live load
conditions are available.
The standard catch basin section
heights are available in 150mm
increments. Catch basin sections
designed to be stacked are supplied with
a tongue and groove joint.
Advantages of a Catch Basin
 It allows rainwater collected on the
streets to flow through
underground pipes leading to
sewer system.
 With a grate on top, a catch basin
filters large debris or trashes from
the road, ensuring that only water
and smaller rubbish could fit
through the slots.
 The catch basin prevents roads
from flooding.
Disadvantages of a Catch Basin
 Even carefully designed, catch
basins cannot remove pollutants
as well as other storm water
treatment practices, such as wet
ponds, sand filters, or storm water
wetlands.
 Unless properly maintained, catch
basins can become a source of
pollutants through re-suspension
 Catch basins cannot effectively
remove soluble pollutants, or fine
particles such as fine sand, silt,
clay or colloids.
Location
Catch basins are typically located
next to street curbs or within the rear
yards of residential areas.
Materials
Catch basins are typically
constructed of precast concrete. Brick
and concrete block are frequently seen in
older systems. Inlet covers are made of
cast iron.
Maintenance
Since the catch basin is used very
often, it has to be cleaned regularly.
Otherwise, it wouldn’t be able to serve its
original function. An annual inspection
should be done to see if the catch basin
needs cleaning.
One way of knowing whether the
basin should be cleaned is by looking at
how much deposit has accumulated dirt
is more than one-third the depth of the
basin, then the catch basin needs to be
cleaned. However, a weekly cleanup is
required if trash has already found its
way at the bottom of the basin.
The cleaning can be done either
manually or by using an equipment.
Vacuum pumps pull out the deposits,
which are eventually disposed in landfills.