Storm water filter system having a floating skimmer apparatus

1. A storm water filter box having

a floatable skimmer apparatus for preventing floatable debris from entering the filter box outlet comprising:

a housing chamber having an inlet thereinto and an outlet therefrom;

a skimmer panel having a top and a bottom and being positioned in said housing chamber between the inlet and outlet of said housing chamber, said skimmer panel being movably mounted in said housing chamber in a pair of skimmer tracks for movement therein and positioned in said housing chamber to form a channel under said skimmer panel, said skimmer panel having a niche formed therein along the top thereof; and

at least one floatation member mounted in said skimmer panel niche on the inlet side of said skimmer panel and being spaced from said skimmer panel to allow water in said housing chamber between said floatation member and said skimmer panel to raise and lower said skimmer panel in said skimmer track with the rise and fall of storm water in said housing chamber to thereby hold the top of said skimmer panel above the water level in said housing chamber;

whereby storm water is forced under the bottom of said floatable skimmer panel while blocking floatable debris from entering said housing chamber outlet.

2. The storm water filter box having a floatable skimmer apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which said skimmer panel niche has an angled base to allow debris between said at least one floatation member and said skimmer panel to egress therefrom.

3. The storm water filter box having a floatable skimmer apparatus in accordance with claim 2 in which said at least one floatation member has an angled side positioned over said skimmer panel niche angled base and spaced therefrom.

4. The storm water filter box having a floatable skimmer apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which said skimmer panel has a core of buoyant material.

5. The storm water filter box having a floatable skimmer apparatus in accordance with claim 4 in which said core of buoyant material is polystyrene.

6. The storm water filter box having a floatable skimmer apparatus in accordance with claim 3 in which each said skimmer panel has a pair of side edge portions, each side edge portion having a plurality of rollers mounted thereto rolling in one said skimmer tracks.

7. The storm water filter box having a floatable skimmer apparatus in accordance with claim 6 in which each side of said skimmer panel has a plurality of load bearing rollers and a pair of centering rollers for movably holding said skimmer panel in said pair of tracks.

8. The storm water filter box having a floatable skimmer apparatus in accordance with claim 6 in which said skimmer panel has a skimmer seal attached to each side edge thereof and extending against each track to seal the space between said skimmer panel and each of said pair of tracks.

9. The storm water filter box having a floatable skimmer apparatus in accordance with claim 8 including a hydrocarbon absorbing boom removably attached to said skimmer panel adjacent the bottom thereof.

10. The storm water filter box having a floatable skimmer apparatus in accordance with claim 9 in which said skimmer panel has a pair of boom supporting bracket's attached thereto for removably holding said hydrocarbon absorbing boom thereto.

11. The storm water filter box having a floatable skimmer apparatus in accordance with claim 10 in which said at least one floatation member is a hollow polymer member.

12. The storm water filter box having a floatable skimmer apparatus in accordance with claim 9 in which each of said plurality of floatation members has a plurality of spacing studs formed thereon for spacing each said floatation member from said skimmer panel.

13. The storm water filter box having a floatable skimmer apparatus in accordance with claim 11 in which each said skimmer panel seal is made of a self-lubricating polymer.

14. A storm water filter box having a floatable skimmer apparatus for preventing floatable debris from entering the filter box outlet comprising:

a housing chamber having an inlet thereinto and an outlet therefrom;

a skimmer panel having a top and a bottom and being positioned in said housing chamber between the inlet and outlet of said housing chamber, said skimmer panel being movably mounted in said housing chamber in a pair of skimmer tracks for movement therein and positioned in said housing chamber to form a channel under said skimmer panel;

at least one floatation member mounted on said skimmer panel to raise and lower said skimmer panel in said skimmer track with the rise and fall of storm water in said housing chamber to thereby hold the top of said skimmer panel above the water level in said housing chamber;

a plurality of boom supporting brackets attached to said skimmer panel; and

a hydrocarbon absorbing boom removably held in said plurality of boom supporting brackets, said hydrocarbon absorbing boom being floatably held to said skimmer panel in said plurality of boom supporting brackets;

whereby a floatable skimmer panel has a floatable hydrocarbon boom mounted thereto for absorbing floating hydrocarbons.

15. The storm water filter box having a floatable skimmer apparatus in accordance with claim 14 in which each said skimmer panel has a pair of side edge portions, each side edge portion having a plurality of rollers mounted thereto rolling in one said skimmer tracks.

16. The storm water filter box having a floatable skimmer apparatus in accordance with claim 15 in which each side of said skimmer panel has a plurality of load bearing rollers and a pair of centering rollers for movably holding said skimmer panel in said pair of tracks.

17. The storm water filter box having a floatable skimmer apparatus in accordance with claim 16 in which said skimmer panel has a skimmer seal attached to each side edge thereof and extending against each track to seal the space between said skimmer panel and each of said pair of tracks.

18. The storm water filter box having a floatable skimmer apparatus in accordance with claim 17 in which said skimmer panel has a recessed area formed therein along the top thereof having said at least one floatation member mounted therein and spaced from said skimmer panel to allow water in said housing chamber between said flotation member and said skimmer panel.

19. The storm water filter box having a floatable skimmer apparatus in accordance with claim 18 in which said skimmer panel recessed area has an angled base said at least one flotation member has an angled side positioned over said skimmer panel recessed area angles base and spaced therefrom to allow debris between said at least one floatation member and said skimmer panel to egress therefrom.