Field Evaluation of Bioretention Indicator Bacteria Sequestration in Wilmington, North Carolina
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 137, Issue 12
Abstract
Although bioretention has been shown to remove or sequester a wide range of pollutants, relatively little study has been performed to evaluate its ability to sequester indicator bacteria. Two adjacent bioretention areas in Wilmington, North Carolina, were studied. The primary difference in the design of the two systems was soil depth. One bioretention cell was constructed with 25 cm of fill soil (Bioretention-S) and one with 60 cm of fill soil (Bioretention-D). The systems performed differently for indicator bacteria on the basis of multiple performance evaluation metrics. Bioretention-D showed concentration reductions of 70% and 89% for E. coli and enterococci, respectively. Effluent concentrations from Bioretention-D compared well to US EPA target values and other studies in literature. Conversely, Bioretention-S showed concentration “reductions” of and for E. coli and enterococci, respectively. Effluent concentrations from Bioretention-S were substantially higher than USEPA target values and other studies in literature. Multiple factors were evaluated to determine the cause of performance differences between the two cells. The 25 cm of fill soil in Bioretention-S exhibited poorer runoff detention, likely because of higher soil water flux and decreased contact time relative to Bioretention-D. These differences seemingly led to diminished indicator bacteria sequestration. The results of this study suggest soil depth and hydraulic loading are important design parameters for bioretention implemented to sequester microbes.
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Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge the funding agencies for this research: the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the North Carolina Urban Water Consortium—Storm water Group, and the Cooperative Institute for Coastal and Estuarine Environmental Technology. The authors would like to thank Joe Abbate of the Cape Fear River Watch for support with sample collection in Wilmington, North Carolina. Last, a special thank you is necessary for Port City Java in Wilmington, North Carolina, who was instrumental in this study by allowing this project on their property and graciously tolerating numerous field visits from staff and faculty from North Carolina State University, including the setting off of smoke bombs.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 137 • Issue 12 • December 2011
Pages: 1103 - 1113
Copyright
© 2011 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Dec 9, 2010
Accepted: Jun 7, 2011
Published online: Jun 10, 2011
Published in print: Dec 1, 2011
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