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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Ames, Iowa » National Laboratory for Agriculture and The Environment » Agroecosystems Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #292986
Title: Column study to assess bioretention cell filter mixtures for urban stormwater management

Author
item Logsdon, Sally
item SAUER, PATRICIA - Iowa Association Of Municipal Utilities

Submitted to: ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/20/2013
Publication Date: 11/6/2013
Citation: Logsdon, S.D., Sauer, P. 2013. Column study to assess bioretention cell filter mixtures for urban stormwater management. In: ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting Abstracts, Nov. 3-6, 2013, Tampa, FL. Paper No. 77766.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Rain gardens are a means to filter runoff before it reaches the storm sewer. Concern has been raised that compost in the mixture may generate nutrient load rather than reducing nutrient load of runoff passed through the rain garden. The purpose of this study was to determine how nutrient filtering would be affected by sieved versus chunky soil in the mix, adding inorganic components to sorb P, layered vs. mixed material, and different mixture proportions. Mixtures were packed into PVC columns, and disk infiltrometers were used for the initial wetting. Then, prairie mixtures (buffalo grass [Buchloe dactyloides (Nutt.) Engelm.], blue grama grass [Bouteloua gracilis H.B.K.], and purple coneflower [Echinacea purpurea L.]) were planted to the columns and grow lights established. Columns were watered with a solution that contained suspended solids as well as fertilizer. For the initial watering, the columns without soil (sand and compost, with or without perlite and biochar) had significantly faster ponded infiltration (627 and 490 mm/h) than the columns with sand, compost, and soil (whether sieved, 157 mm/h, or not, 139 mm/h). The columns with only sand and compost had significantly faster ponded infiltration than the columns layered with compost and sand mixed with perlite and biochar (415 mm/h). Effluent during initial wetting, growing, and final infiltration will be analyzed for suspended solids, total P, and nitrate-N.