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Multiscale Assessment Of Drinking Water Treatment Residuals As A Phosphorus Sorbing Amendment In Stormwater Bioretention Systems, Michael Rick Ament

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Bioretention systems can reduce stormwater runoff volumes and filter pollutants. However, bioretention soil media can have limited capacity to retain phosphorus (P), and can even be a P source, necessitating P-sorbing amendments. Drinking water treatment residuals (DWTRs) have promise as a bioretention media amendment due to their high P sorption capacity. This research explores the potential for DWTRs to mitigate urban P loads using a combination of lab experiments, field trials, and an urban watershed model.

In the laboratory portion of this research, I investigated possible tradeoffs between P retention and hydraulic conductivity in DWTRs to inform bioretention media designs. …

Evaluation Of Nitrogen And Phosphorus Removal In Alternative Management Practices For Dairy Farm Production Area Runoff: Bioretention Cells And A Woodchip Bioreactor Treatment System, Jillian Sarazen

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Non-point source pollution from agricultural areas can lead to the degradation of downstream water bodies, including eutrophication and harmful algal blooms, due to high concentrations of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) emanating from these areas. One source of agricultural runoff that is often overlooked, originates from agricultural production areas, which have impervious surfaces, such as paved and compacted areas, barnyards, cow paths, and silage bunker storage; these areas generate stormwater runoff and contribute to pollution during storm events.

This research evaluates two built stormwater runoff treatment systems designed to treat high concentrations of nutrients in runoff from a dairy farm. …

Water Quality Performance And Greenhouse Gas Flux Dynamics From Compost-Amended Bioretention Systems & Potential Trade-Offs Between Phytoremediation And Water Quality Stemming From Compost Amendments, Paliza Shrestha

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Stormwater runoff from existing impervious surfaces needs to be managed to protect downstream waterbodies from hydrologic and water quality impacts associated with development. As urban expansion continues at a rapid pace, increasing impervious cover, and climate change yields more frequent extreme precipitation events, increasing the need for improved stormwater management. Although green infrastructure such as bioretention has been implemented in urban areas for stormwater quality improvements and volume reductions, these systems are seldom monitored to validate their performance. Herein, we evaluate flow attenuation, stormwater quality performance, and nutrient cycling from eight roadside bioretention cells in their third and fourth years …

Bioretention In A Mixed-Use Agricultural Landscape: Lessons Learned From The Application Of Low-Phosphorus Compost And Panicum Virgatum, Jason M. Kokkinos

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Bioretention cells are a stormwater treatment technology that uses soil and vegetation to remove pollutants from runoff and improve downstream water quality. While bioretention has been shown to be effective at removing certain stormwater pollutants such as sediment and heavy metals, removal of nutrients has been more variable. Design components of bioretention such as vegetation and soil media amendments can influence pollutant removal performance. In my experiment, I isolate the effects of low-phosphorus compost and a Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) monoculture on bioretention performance. In fall 2016, three bioretention cells were installed at the University of Vermont Miller Research Complex, a …

Evaluating Stormwater Pollutant Removal Mechanisms By Bioretention In The Context Of Climate Change, Amanda Cording

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Stormwater runoff is one of the leading causes of water quality impairment in the U.S. Bioretention systems are ecologically engineered to treat stormwater pollution and offer exciting opportunities to provide local climate change resiliency by reducing peak runoff rates, and retaining/detaining storm volumes, yet implementation is outpacing our understanding of the underlying physical, biological, and chemical mechanisms involved in pollutant removal. Further, we do not know how performance will be affected by increases in precipitation, which are projected to occur in the northeastern U.S. as a result of climate change, or if these systems could act as a source or …