The use of sand and other media filters is gaining acceptance in the held o
f urban stormwater structural best management practice. Much work has been
done to develop local design guidance, such as in the State of Delaware and
in Austin, Texas. Also, considerable field testing of these devices has oc
curred during the last 10 years. This paper consolidates much of the earlie
r work and provides the technical basis for the design of media filters for
stormwater runoff treatment at any location in the U.S. The approach uses
the unit processes known to exist in urban stormwater runoff and within fil
ter devices. The suggested design is based on hydraulic capacity of the fil
ter media, which. in turn, is a function of the total suspended solids remo
ved by the filter.