Rapid plant responses following relocation of a constructed floating wetland from a construction site into an urban stormwater retention pond

Abstract

This study compared plant growth, nutrient partitioning and total nutrient uptake by tall sedge (Carex appressa) plants in large-scale Constructed Floating Wetlands (CFWs). Two CFWs with a total area of 2088 m2 were installed in a 2.6 ha man-made urban lake to treat stormwater runoff during the construction phase of a 45-ha residential development. After 12 months of operation, parts of the CFWs, with a total area of 147 m2, were removed from the urban lake and relocated into a well-established 0.127-ha stormwater retention pond at another site. Biomass and nutrient concentrations of C. appressa shoots above the floating mat and roots below the mat were analysed at both sites 12, 16 and 25 months after initial planting. Plants at the urban lake maintained an extensive root network but there was no increase in total plant biomass at 16 and 25 months after planting. In contrast, the relocated plants in the stormwater pond showed extensive shoot growth but a significant decline in root biomass. C. appressa at the urban lake removed and sequestered 1.00 ± 1.04 g m−2 N, 0.11 ± 0.07 g m−2 P and 1.03 ± 0.81 g m−2 K while plants at the pond removed 11.20 ± 2.29 g m−2 N, 1.37 ± 0.26 g m−2 P and 16.13 ± 2.88 g m−2 K during 12 and 25 months after planting. This study demonstrated that C. appressa adapted rapidly to changes in nutrient availability. The implications are interesting as nutrient levels can be low in constructed lakes during the initial phase of urban developments but can increase rapidly as the development progresses. The study demonstrated multiple benefits of CFWs for stormwater treatment during the early construction stages of an urban development and the potential benefits of relocating and establishing CFWs in existing stormwater retention ponds and lakes.