title: Nitrate and phosphate removal through enhanced bioretention media: mesocosm study.
abstract: Bioretention is an evolving type of Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) designed to attenuate peak flows, reduce stormwater volume, and treat stormwater. This article examines the capabilities of a bioretention soil mixture of sand and compost enhanced with aluminum-based drinking water treatment residuals to reduce nutrients from stormwater runoff. Columns with and without a saturation zone and vegetation were compared to examine their role in removing nitrate and ortho-phosphate from stormwater. Results show that utilization of a saturation zone can significantly reduce nitrate in effluent water (71% compared to 33% without a saturated zone), even in a newly constructed system. However, ortho-phosphate reduction was significantly better in the columns without a saturated zone (80%) compared to columns with (67%). Plants did not significantly improve removal. This suggests amendments such as aluminum-based water treatment residuals for phosphorus removal and a saturation zone for nitrogen removal are needed during the initial establishment period.
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Washington State University, Sloan Hall, Pullman, WA 99164-2910, USA.
authors.forename: Eric T
authors.initials: ET
authors.lastname: Palmer
authors.forename: Cara J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Poor
authors.forename: Curtis
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hinman
authors.forename: John D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Stark
mesh_terms: D009566:Nitrates / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D010710:Phosphates / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D011891:Rain; D062065:Wastewater / Q000032:analysis*; D018508:Water Purification / Q000379:methods*; D053833:Wetlands
chemical_list: D009566:Nitrates; D010710:Phosphates; D062065:Wastewater