Assessment of Car Wash Runoff Treatment Using Bioretention Mesocosms
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 139, Issue 8
Abstract
Car wash runoff is known to be a pollution source to surface water bodies. Many groups hold car-washing fundraisers unaware of pollution issues associated with car wash runoff. This preliminary study investigated whether rain gardens are an appropriate management practice for reducing car wash pollutants, specifically surfactants. The concentrations of total phosphorus (TP), total suspended solids (TSS), and surfactants were measured in car wash runoff before and after treatment in three rain garden mesocosms. Mean TSS and surfactant effluent concentrations were significantly lower than the car wash runoff with TSS reductions ranging from 84 to 95% and surfactant reductions ranging from 89 to 96%. The removal efficiencies for surfactants were not enough to reduce concentrations below literature-based values for aquatic toxicity. Mean TP effluent concentrations were higher than the car wash runoff with increases ranging from 197 to 388%, although the increase was not statistically significant. This project demonstrates the potential for using bioretention to reduce pollutants associated with car wash runoff and using car wash events to educate the public about watershed protection.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank the following Rutgers Bioenvironmental Engineering students for help during this study: Rich Padgitt, Kyle Gourley, and Nicole Del Monaco. They would also like to thank the Dept. of Environmental Sciences for providing the vehicles that were washed for this experiment.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 139 • Issue 8 • August 2013
Pages: 1132 - 1136
Copyright
© 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jul 6, 2012
Accepted: Apr 10, 2013
Published online: Apr 12, 2013
Published in print: Aug 1, 2013
Discussion open until: Sep 12, 2013
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