Company History
Infiltronics Environmental was founded in 2014 by Dr. Kathleen Trauth to hold intellectual property for a stormwater management device, known as Infiltech®. The patent for this device was issued to Dr. Trauth in 2016. The company has been actively involved in testing and commercialization activities for the patented device since 2017. Infiltronics Environmental's goal is to help engineers and developers easily and cost effectively meet stormwater regulations, while at the same time dramatically improving soil and water quality in and around their sites. In 2021 Infiltronics Environmental LLC became officially certified as a Women-Owned Business Enterprise by the State of Missouri.
Technology
The Infiltech® device is the core technology Infiltronics Environmental is working to develop. It is a patented stormwater redistribution and infiltration device that functions as a Best Management Practice (BMP). Infiltech® works by taking stormwater that has concentrated on something like a parking lot, roof, or roadway and putting it back into the soil where it can be redistributed and allowed to infiltrate, mimicking natural processes. It is composed of geotextile fabric segments and a variety of aggregates. It is buried shallowly below ground, in a sloped trench. The goal of the device is not simply conveyance (like a french drain). Instead, the configuration of aggregate segments in conjunction with pressure differences caused by the sloped trench, moves water at a rate and throughout a landscape to maximize infiltration vertically and horizontally before moving the water longitudinally (3-D flow) along the length of the installation. The ability to essentially engineer this 3-D flow throughout a landscape, and make it specific to each site, is the crux of the innovation.
Customer Discovery
In 2017 Infiltronics Environmental participated in the National Science Foundation (NSF) Innovation Corps (I-Corps) Program to conduct extensive customer discovery and make sure we were actually solving a problem for someone, not just making something we thought was cool. Over 200 interviews were conducted across the U.S. with regulators, engineers, developers, contractors, environmental groups, and technology companies in the stormwater industry to learn what their problems are and how we can create a solution to solve them.
Sampling of sites
Site 1: Tolton
Site 2: Rock Bridge 1
Site 2: Rock Bridge 1
The installation at Fr. Tolton Catholic High School manages concentrated flow. Soil moisture, pipe velocity, and basin water level data is currently being collected on the site.
Site 2: Rock Bridge 1
Site 2: Rock Bridge 1
Site 2: Rock Bridge 1
The first site at Rock Bridge Memorial State Park manages overland flow. Soil moisture data is currently being collected on the site. The projects at the state park are being conducted as part of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources research program.
Site 3: Rock Bridge 2
Site 2: Rock Bridge 1
Site 4: Shaw Nature Reserve
The second site at Rock Bridge Memorial State Park manages both concentrated and continuous flow and soil moisture data is currently being collected. The projects at the state park are being conducted as part of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources research program.
Site 4: Shaw Nature Reserve
Site 4: Shaw Nature Reserve
The installation at Shaw Nature Reserve manages overland flow. In total, eight small installations make up the one large installation. Soil moisture data is currently being collected on the site. The project is being conducted as a research project at Shaw Nature Reserve, a property of the Missouri Botanical Garden.
Site 5: Pittsburgh, PA Residential
The installation on this residential property manages overland flow on a steep slope. Our Infiltech device is located upslope of each of the three islands, under a rocked area. Three drain pipes located above the device installations feed our system of devices below ground, maximizing infiltration potential. Vegetation has been established on the islands, completing the installation.
Site 6: Forest Park 1
The first site at Forest Park is made up of several sub-installations. These installations manage overland flow from grassed areas and a trail. Grading work was done so flow along a length of the trail is directed to a drainage box, which then feeds the Infiltech device below ground.