Micro-zooplankton grazing as a means of fecal bacteria removal in stormwater BMPs

A priority for environmental managers is control of stormwater runoff pollution, especially fecal microbial pollution. This research was designed to determine if fecal bacterial grazing by micro-zooplankton is a significant control on fecal bacteria in aquatic best management practices (BMPs); if grazing differs between a wet detention pond and a constructed wetland; and if environmental factors enhance grazing. Both 3-day grazing tests and 24-h dilution assays were used to determine grazing differences between the two types of BMP. Micro-zooplankton grazing was a stronger bacteria removal mechanism in stormwater wetlands rich in aquatic vegetation compared to a standard wet detention pond, although grazing was important in detention ponds as well. Our experiments indicated that the majority of grazers that fed on fecal bacteria were <20 μm in size. Grazing rates were positively correlated with fecal coliform abundance and increased water temperatures. Enumeration of grazers demonstrated that protozoans were significantly more abundant among wetland vegetation than in open water, and open wetland waters contained more flagellates and dinoflagellates than open wet detention pond waters. Grazing on fecal bacteria in BMPs is enhanced by aquatic vegetation, and grazing in aquatic BMPs in warmer climates should be greater than in cooler climates.

Performance and Modelling of a Highway Wet Detention Pond Designed for Cold Climate

A wet detention pond in Norway has been monitored for 12 months. The pond receives runoff from a highway with a traffic load of 42,000 average daily traffic. Hydraulic conditions in terms of inflow, outflow, and pond water level were recorded every minute. Water quality was monitored by volume proportional inlet and outlet samples. During most of the year, excellent pollutant removal was achieved; however, during two snowmelt events the pollutant removal was poor or even negative. The two snowmelt events accounted for one third of the annual water load and for a substantial part of the annual pollutant discharge. The performance of the pond was analyzed using a dynamic model and pollutant removal was simulated by first-order kinetics. Good agreement between measurement and simulation could be achieved only when choosing different first-order rate constants for different parts of the year. However, no relation between the rate constants obtained and the time of year could be identified, and neither did the rate constants for different pollutants correlate. The study indicates that even detailed measurements of pollutant input and output allow only average performance to be simulated and are insufficient for simulating event-based variability in pond performance.

Two Dimensional Numerical Modeling of Hydrodynamics and Pollutant Transport in a Wet Detention Pond

A vertically averaged two-dimensional hydrodynamic model was developed to simulate water movements in a small shallow unstratified impoundment. The hydrodynamic model was then coupled with a two-dimensional pollutant transport model to calculate the mass fluxes of pollutant. The differential equations were numerically solved on a space staggered grid using a two-level time ADI integration scheme. The model was used to simulate the flow and pollutant transport and to assess the pollutant removal performance of an urban detention pond located in Charlottesville, VA. Results of the simulation were compared to field data taken at the site. The model was successfully utilized in simulating pollutant transport and trapping, making it useful in analyzing wet detention pond modification for urban pollution control.