CAREERS COMPANY CONTACT US IIJA Resources
DESIGN CENTER LOGIN
Design Center REQUEST PRICING
  1. Home
  2. Stormwater Management
  3. Filtration
  4. Jellyfish Filter
The installation of a Jellyfish Filter stormwater treatment device.

Jellyfish® Stormwater Treatment

The Jellyfish Filter is a stormwater quality treatment system featuring high-flow pretreatment and membrane filtration in a compact, stand-alone system.
Why Contech Start a Project
Find Your Local Sales Contact

Our local contacts are experts who are ready to help!

The Jellyfish filter - Setting New Standards in Stormwater Treatment

The Jellyfish Filter is a stormwater quality treatment technology featuring high flow pretreatment and membrane filtration in a compact stand-alone system with low driving head.

By incorporating pretreatment with lightweight membrane filtration, the Jellyfish Filter removes floatables, trash, oil, debris, TSS, fine silt-sized particles, and a high percentage of particulate-bound pollutants; including phosphorus, nitrogen, metals and hydrocarbons.

The high surface area membrane cartridges, combined with up-flow hydraulics, frequent passive backwashing, and rinseable/reusable cartridges, ensure long-lasting performance.

The Jellyfish Filter has been tested in the field and laboratory and is approved by the Washington State Department of Ecology (TAPE) GULD – Basic, Phosphorus, as well as numerous other stormwater regulatory agencies.

How the Jellyfish Filter Treats Stormwater

  • Stormwater enters the Jellyfish through the inlet pipe or inlet grate, builds driving head, and traps floating pollutants behind the maintenance access wall and below the cartridge deck.
  • Water is conveyed below the cartridge deck where a separation skirt around the cartridges isolates oil, trash and debris outside the filtration zone, allowing sand-sized particles to settle in the sump.
  • Water is directed to the filtration zone and up through the top of the cartridge into the backwash pool. Once the water has filled the backwash pool, clean water overflows the weir where it exits via the outlet pipe.
  • The membrane filters provide a very large surface area to effectively remove fine sand and silt-sized particles, and a high percentage of particulate-bound pollutants such as nitrogen, phosphorus, metals, and hydrocarbons while ensuring long-lasting treatment.
  • As influent flow subsides, the filtered water in the backwash pool flows back through the hi-flo membrane cartridges into the lower chamber.  This passive backwash extends cartridge life, keeping the membrane clean for future events.
  • The draindown cartridge(s) located outside the backwash pool enables water levels to balance.

Jellyfish Filter Features and Benefits

Features Benefits
High surface area membrane filtration Low flux rate promotes cake filtration and slows membrane occlusion
High design treatment flow rate per cartridge (up to 80 gpm (5 L/s)) Compact system with a small footprint, lower construction cost
Low driving head  Design Flexibility, lower construction cost
Lightweight cartridges with passive backwash Easy maintenance and low life-cycle cost

Jellyfish Filter Performance Testing Results

Pollutant of Concern % Removal

Total Suspended Solids (TSS)

85%

Total Phosphorus (TP)

75%

Total Copper (TCu)

67%

Total Zinc (TZn)

60%

Source:

WA DOE TAPE Testing: https://fortress.wa.gov/ ecy/ezshare/wq/tape/use_designations/ JELLYFISHfilterIMBRIUMguld.pdf

Select Jellyfish Filter Certifications

  • Washington State Department of Ecology (TAPE) GULD – Basic, Phosphorus
  • New Jersey Corporation for Advanced Technology (NJCAT)
  • Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VA DEQ)
  • Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ)
  • Canada ISO 14034 Environmental Management - Environmental Technology Verification (ETV)
  • Philadelphia Water District (PWD)
  • Maryland Department of the Environment (MD DOE)
  • Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VA DEQ)

 

Jellyfish Filter Configurations

The Jellyfish Filter can be can be configured in a variety of systems; manhole, catch basin, vault, or custom configuration.  

Jellyfish Filter Maintenance

  • Jellyfish Filter cartridges are lightweight, easy to use, and reusable
  • Maintenance of the filter cartridges is performed by removing, rinsing and reusing the cartridge tentacles.
  • Vacuum extraction of captured pollutants in the sump is recommended at the same time.
  • Full cartridge replacement intervals differ by site due to varying pollutant loading and type, and maintenance frequency.  Replacement is anticipated every 2-5 years.
  • Contech has created a network of Certified Maintenance Providers to provide maintenance on stormwater BMP’s.
A parking lot with white barriers on the right and a sidewalk with piled rocks and vegetation on the left. A concrete slab is visible.
Pretreatment for LID Designs

The Stormwater Management StormFilter, Jellyfish Filter, and the High Capacity Kraken Filter can be easily configured as decentralized pretreatment systems for Low Impact Development Designs. 

Construction workers install a large concrete structure with pipes at a construction site, with buildings in the background.
Filtration Systems for Water Quality

The Stormwater Management StormFilter, Jellyfish Filter, and the Kraken Filter provide the highest level of treatment and meet the most stringent regulatory requirements. These low maintenance systems combine pretreatment and filtration, and are able to target site-specific pollutants to meet your water quality goals. Our field-proven products have earned hundreds of standalone BMP approvals from regulatory agencies nationwide.

A concrete vault contains multiple red-capped cylindrical objects arranged inside, with metal steps on the inner wall.
Filtration for Removing Pollutants Prior to Discharge

Media filtration systems - like our StormFilter, Jellyfish Filter, and Kraken Filter are able to remove the most challenging pollutants from stormwater, including total phosphorus, soluble metals, oil, and very fine particles. Available in a variety of configurations (vault, manhole, catch basin, high flow and volume), these systems can be engineered to treat a wide range of flows within your drainage system and capture pollutants prior to discharge off-site.

Three Jellyfish Filters in Parallel
High Volume Applications

Designing, manufacturing and installing high-volume stormwater detention and treatment systems requires expert engineering, planning, and logistical support to manage costs and keep the project on schedule and under budget. When you need a proven, large scale stormwater management system, “Go Big” with Contech.

Jellyfish Filter Brochure

Stormwater Management Solutions Brochure

Stormwater Line Card

Jellyfish Filter FAQs

The Jellyfish Filter has Washington Department of Ecology General Use Level Designation (WADOE GULD), while the High-Capacity Kraken Filter is New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) certified. The Jellyfish Filter includes a floatables baffle to help capture hydrocarbons and floatables, as well as a sump below the cartridges, making it a deeper system. As storm flows subside, the cartridges use a passive backwash mechanism that allows captured pollutants to fall from the cartridges and settle in the sump. Because of this sump, the system maintains standing water up to the deck elevation. By comparison, the High-Capacity Kraken Filter can fully drain between storm events but requires more driving head than the Jellyfish Filter.

The most common sizing approach for the Jellyfish Filter is flow-based. However, a mass-based or attenuated flow design downstream of detention is still used in certain geographies. 

For flow-based preliminary sizing, the water quality treatment flow rate is required. If internal bypass is needed, Contech will also need the peak storm flow rate.

For mass-based or attenuated designs, please complete the Stormwater Treatment Project Design Worksheet or contact your local Contech Stormwater Consultant to confirm the criteria needed to properly size the system in accordance with local requirements.

Jellyfish filter cartridges are typically replaced every 2 to 5 years, depending on site conditions, pollutant loading, and maintenance frequency. Routine inspection and maintenance should be used to determine actual replacement timing. Sites with higher sediment, trash, or construction-related loads may require more frequent maintenance or earlier cartridge replacement.

For more information, please refer to the Jellyfish Filter Inspection and Maintenance Guide.

Yes. Jellyfish Filter cartridges can be used in cold-weather applications and are designed to withstand freezing conditions. The system should still be designed and installed according to local frost-depth, drainage, and maintenance requirements. In areas with freeze-thaw conditions, routine inspection is important to confirm the cartridges, sump, and flow paths remain clear and functioning properly.

Collected rinse water must be handled and disposed of in accordance with local regulatory requirements. In most cases, collected rinse water is removed by the maintenance provider using a vacuum hose. Contech maintains a list of Certified Maintenance Providers who receive training on proper wastewater disposal. To find a local Contech Certified Maintenance Provider, please click here.

Yes, the Jellyfish Filter can be installed beneath the groundwater table.

Inspection and maintenance services are available through our network of Contech Certified Maintenance Providers. You can search for a CCMP on this page https://www.conteches.com/stormwater-management/maintenance-services/ 

Jellyfish Filter cartridge lids can be purchased directly from Contech. Please contact a member of our Regional Maintenance Support team, as listed on this page: https://www.conteches.com/stormwater-management/maintenance-services/. 

Jellyfish maintenance costs vary based on several factors, including the size and configuration of the structure, the number and height of membrane filter cartridges, site access, geographic location, local labor rates, disposal requirements, and the amount of sediment, trash, and debris captured by the system. Maintenance frequency can also affect cost and depends on site conditions such as pollutant loading, upstream pretreatment, drainage area characteristics, and inspection results. Because these factors can vary significantly from site to site, Jellyfish maintenance costs are typically evaluated on a project-specific basis.

Because these variables can vary significantly from site to site, Jellyfish maintenance costs are typically evaluated on a project-specific basis. For the most accurate estimate, contact a Contech Certified Maintenance Provider to review the system size, cartridge count, site layout, and inspection history.

Technical Documents

Case Studies

Explore the case studies library

Project Design Worksheets

POPULAR DOWNLOADS

Manufacturing America's Infrastructure™

Agency/Regulatory Guidance

Our team is ready to provide you with expert advice and assistance on local regulatory requirements, resulting in faster approvals.

 

Solution Development

Our engineers can review your requirements, weigh all options, and recommend the optimal solution to integrate with your site designs.

Technical Expertise

Our engineers can assist by providing product specific engineering calculations such as hydraulics, buoyancy, foundation reactions, and unit sizing.

Cost Estimates

We can quickly provide engineer’s cost
estimates to assist with your solution
selection process.

Site Specific Drawings

Our engineers can provide site-specific drawings for proposals, project meetings, and submittals, helping you be more efficient with your time.

On-site Assistance

Contractors know time is money, so we provide preconstruction meetings, delivery coordination, and on-site installation support to ensure a timely, smooth installation.