Indicator Bacteria Performance of Storm Water Control Measures in Wilmington, North Carolina
Publication: Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering
Volume 138, Issue 2
Abstract
Indicator bacteria are a common source of impairment in surface waters in the United States. Urban storm water runoff has been identified as a contributor to elevated indicator bacteria concentrations. Six storm water control measures (SCMs) were monitored in Wilmington, North Carolina, for E. coli and enterococci. Monitored SCMs included two storm water wet ponds, two bioretention cells, and two storm water wetlands. Sandier watersheds in Wilmington potentially lead to differences in SCM performance for indicator bacteria compared to SCMs implemented in clayey watersheds. Results showed E. coli and enterococci concentration reductions between 70 and 98% for the two wet ponds and a bioretention cell with a 60-cm-deep fill media. Other SCMs showed poor removal of indicator bacteria, in some cases negative, with storm water wetlands performing the poorest overall for the three SCM types. Further analysis showed that SCMs with high concentration reductions tended to have geometric mean effluent concentrations lower than the U.S. EPA’s target surface-water concentration for E. coli. Conversely, no SCM had a geometric mean effluent enterococci concentration lower than the U.S. EPA target value. SCM geometric mean effluent concentrations were typically higher during North Carolina’s swimming season between the beginning of April and the end of October, although no statistically significant relationship could be found (). Despite a lack of statistically significant relationships, the potential for higher effluent indicator bacteria concentrations from SCMs during the peak recreational season may have implications for both public health and watershed management and should be further evaluated by the scientific community.
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Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge the funding agencies for this research, the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources and North Carolina Urban Water Consortium—Stormwater Group. The authors would like to thank Joe Abbate of the Cape Fear River Watch for support with sample collection in Wilmington. Last, the authors acknowledge Jason Wright of Tetra Tech Inc. and Dr. Michael Burchell II of the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at North Carolina State University for their work in designing, constructing, and monitoring four of the six SCMs evaluated in this study.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering
Volume 138 • Issue 2 • February 2012
Pages: 185 - 197
Copyright
© 2012 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: May 21, 2010
Accepted: May 9, 2011
Published online: May 11, 2011
Published in print: Feb 1, 2012
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