Field Performance of Bioretention: Water Quality

TLDR

Two bioretention cells—one standard and one with an anoxic sump—were installed on the University of Maryland campus and monitored from 2003 to 2004, with inflow/outflow water quality data collected for TSS, phosphorus, zinc, copper, lead, and nitrate. The bioretention cells achieved median pollutant reductions of 47 % for TSS, 76 % for phosphorus, 57 % for copper, 83 % for lead, 62 % for zinc, and 83 % for nitrate, with no significant differences between designs and overall mass removals higher due to flow attenuation, confirming field performance consistent with prior studies.

Abstract

Two bioretention facilities with different designs were installed on the University of Maryland campus and were monitored from Summer 2003 through Fall 2004 to quantify water quality improvements to parking lot stormwater runoff. One cell was a standard design and the other had an anoxic sump. Twelve inflow/outflow water quality data sets were successfully collected and analyzed for total suspended solids (TSS), phosphorus, and zinc. Nine sets were collected for copper and lead, and three for nitrate. In two of the events, all of the runoff flow was attenuated by the bioretention media and no flow exited the cells, resulting in zero pollutant discharge. In all cases, the median pollutant output is lower than the input, indicating successful water-quality improvement through the bioretention media. Statistically insignificant differences were noted between the two cells for all pollutants examined. Median values for effluent event mean concentrations and percent removals based on combined data sets (both cells) were TSS, 17 mg/L and, 47% total phosphorus, 0.18 mg/L and 76%, copper, 0.004 mg/L and 57%, lead, 0.004 mg/L and 83%, zinc, 0.053 mg/L and 62%, and 0.02 mg-N/L and 83% removal of nitrate (based on limited data). Mass removals were higher than those based on concentrations due to flow attenuation. These values are in reasonable agreement with those previously published from bioretention field and laboratory studies.