Abstract
Urban stormwater runoff from a medium-density residential development in southeast Queensland has been monitored in the field since November 2013. A treatment train installed on the site includes rainwater tanks collecting roofwater, 200-micron mesh baskets installed in grated gully pits, and two 850-mm-high media filtration cartridges installed in an underground 4-m3 vault. The site has been monitored over a 4.5-year period. Removal efficiencies were observed at this site for the regulated pollutants; the corresponding values for total suspended solids (TSS), total phosphorus (TP), and total nitrogen (TN) for the pit baskets were 61%, 28%, and 45%, respectively. The cartridge filters removed 78% of TSS, 59% of TP, 42% of TN, 40% of total copper, and 51% of total zinc. As the measured influent TSS and TP concentrations to the cartridge filters were low when compared to industry guidelines, the U.S. field dataset was truncated to anticipated guideline levels, confirming results at 90% for TSS and 76% for TP. The total gross pollutant generation rate from the medium-density residential catchment was observed to be 0.24 m3/Ha/year, with a corresponding air-dried mass of 142.5 kg/Ha/year. Less than 2% of the gross pollutant mass was anthropogenic. This paper concludes that the treatment train, and in particular the media filter, provides good removal of total copper and total zinc as well as TSS, TP, and TN from urban stormwater runoff, with higher inlet concentrations producing better performance. Field test data from 58 months of operation and standard maintenance suggests that breakthrough of TSS and TP has not occurred yet.
Highlights
Sustainable urban drainage system (SuDS) national standards and statutory approval bodies (SABs) were mandated in the United Kingdom by the Flood and Water Act in 2010 [1]
Following more than 4.5 years of monitoring, 22 events qualifying with the protocol have been tested for the pit basket insert, and 15 events for the media filter
As is typical of environmental monitoring, the difference between the qualifying events for the two technologies is a result of flow volume, compliance with the testing protocol, and occasional equipment error
Summary
Sustainable urban drainage system (SuDS) national standards and statutory approval bodies (SABs) were mandated in the United Kingdom by the Flood and Water Act in 2010 [1]. Planning policies in Australia since 2000 have sought to implement similar treatment systems, termed water sensitive urban design (WSUD), to achieve typical annual pollutant load reductions of 80% for total suspended solids (TSS), 60% for total phosphorus (TP), and 45% for total nitrogen (TN) [2,3]. Nutrients, and heavy metals from runoff originating from urban areas, roads, and roof surfaces to achieve these objectives is often required since they contribute to the eutrophication of receiving waterways. Organic matter, coarse sediment, and anthropogenic litter found in urban runoff are typically defined as gross pollutants. Anthropogenic litter can consist of 20% to 80% of the overall volume of gross pollutants.
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