Stormwater Treatment Areas Research Articles

Sulfur in the South Florida Ecosystem: Distribution, Sources, Biogeochemistry, Impacts, and Management for Restoration

Sulfur is broadly recognized as a water quality issue of significance for the freshwater Florida Everglades. Roughly 60% of the remnant Everglades has surface water sulfate concentrations above 1 mg l−1, a restoration performance measure based on present sulfate levels in unenriched areas. Highly enriched marshes in the northern Everglades have average sulfate levels of 60 mg l−1. Sulfate loading to the Everglades is principally a result of land and water management in South Florida. The highest concentrations of sulfate (average 60–70 mg l−1) in the ecosystem are in canal water in the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA). Potential sulfur sources in the watershed are many, but geochemical data and a preliminary sulfur mass balance for the EAA are consistent with sulfur presently used in agricultural, and sulfur released by oxidation of organic EAA soils (including legacy agricultural applications and natural sulfur) as the primary sources of sulfate enrichment in the EAA canals. Sulfate loading to the Everglades increases microbial sulfate reduction in soils, leading to more reducing conditions, greater cycling of nutrients in soils, production of toxic sulfide, and enhanced methylmercury (MeHg) production and bioaccumulation. Wetlands are zones of naturally high MeHg production, but the combination of high atmospheric mercury deposition rates in South Florida and elevated sulfate loading leads to increased MeHg production and MeHg risk to Everglades wildlife and human consumers. Sulfate from the EAA drainage canals penetrates deep into the Everglades Water Conservation Areas, and may extend into Everglades National Park. Present plans to restore sheet flow and to deliver more water to the Everglades may increase overall sulfur loads to the ecosystem, and move sulfate-enriched water further south. However, water management practices that minimize soil drying and rewetting cycles can mitigate sulfate release during soil oxidation. A comprehensive Everglades restoration strategy should include reduction of sulfur loads as a goal because of the many detrimental impacts of sulfate on the ecosystem. Monitoring data show that the ecosystem response to changes in sulfate levels is rapid, and strategies for reducing sulfate loading may be effective in the near term. A multifaceted approach employing best management practices for sulfur in agriculture, agricultural practices that minimize soil oxidation, and changes to stormwater treatment areas that increase sulfate retention could help achieve reduced sulfate loads to the Everglades, with resulting benefits.

Investigation of long-term trends in selected physical and chemical parameters of inflows to Everglades National Park, 1977–2005

Data of seven water-quality parameters from inflows to the Everglades National Park were collected at three monitoring stations and analyzed for temporal trends. The best-fit models for the existence of trends were evaluated. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to select the theoretical distribution which best fit the data. Simple regression was used to examine the parameters for concentration-discharge relationships. The power and linear models were found to better describe the concentration-discharge relationships. Loess trend lines indicated a similar trend period of color value change during the selected period at three stations. The sharp decrease in color after 1990 at each station is consistent with the beneficial impacts of control measures, which include Best Management Practices implementation in the Everglades Agricultural Area, water management improvement, and the construction of additional stormwater treatment areas. The existence of trend analysis was performed by using the uncensored seasonal Kendall test. Conductivity and color decreased significantly at two (S12A and S333) of three stations. Alkalinity decreased significantly at S333. A "best-fit" model was selected to describe a trend change with statistical significance; the second-order equation provides a better description of the trend. This study also indicates that by using the routinely measured water-quality parameters, it may be easier to quantify the changes in water quality to aid in making water resources management decisions.

Depth‐averaged, spatially distributed flow dynamic and solute transport modelling of a large‐scaled, subtropical constructed wetland

AbstractConstructed wetlands are being utilized worldwide to effectively reduce excess nutrients in agricultural runoff and wastewater. Despite their frequency, a multi‐dimensional, physically based, spatially distributed modelling approach has rarely been applied for flow and solute transport in treatment wetlands. This article presents a two‐dimensional hydrodynamic and solute transport modelling of a large‐scaled, subtropical, free water surface constructed wetland of about 8 km2 in the Everglades of Florida, USA. In this study, MIKE 21 was adopted as the basic model framework. Field monitoring of the time series hydrological and chloride data, as well as spatially distributed data such as bathymetry and vegetation distribution, provided the necessary model input and testing data. Simulated water level profiles were in good agreement with the spatio‐temporal variations of measured ones. On average, the root‐mean‐square error of model calibration on annual water level fluctuations was 0·09 m. Manning's roughness coefficients for the dense emergent and submerged aquatic vegetation areas, which were estimated as a function of vegetation type, ranged from 0·67 to 1·0 and 0·12 to 0·15 s/m1/3, respectively. The solute transport model calibration for four monitoring sites agreed well with the measured annual variations in chloride concentration with an average percent model error of about 15%. The longitudinal dispersivity was estimated to be about 2 m and was more than an order of magnitude higher than the transverse one. This study is expected to play the role of a stepping stone for future modelling efforts on the development and application of more advanced flow and transport models applicable to a variety of constructed wetland systems, as well as to the Everglades stormwater treatment areas in operation or in preparation. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Fuzzy optimal control of reservoir-assisted stormwater treatment areas for aquatic ecosystem restoration

Attachment of stormwater treatment areas (STAs) or constructed wetlands to stormwater retention reservoirs can achieve substantial reductions in pollutant loadings if properly operated and maintained. Besides water quality improvement, optimally operated reservoir-assisted STAs provide support for ecosystem remediation, flood control, and supplemental water supply. An adaptive, multiobjective real-time control model is developed for reservoir-assisted STA systems that incorporates fuzzy rule-based operating rules optimized using a genetic algorithm interacting with a simulation model of the system. The model is applied to the North Fork reservoir-assisted STA located in the watershed of the St. Lucie Estuary, Florida. Optimal daily feedback operational policies are developed for managing freshwater discharges to the Estuary for coastal ecosystem restoration, maximizing the natural treatment efficiency and of the STA, and providing supplemental water supply for irrigation. Testing and validation results from application of the fuzzy optimal control model confirm achievement of multiple targets and criteria for the North Fork project, while demonstrating potential for adaptive management of reservoir-assisted STA systems throughout the coastal regions of south Florida.

Assessing Impacts of Hydropattern Restoration of an Overdrained Wetland on Soil Nutrients, Vegetation and Fire

Abstract Restoring hydrology to overdrained wetlands can facilitate restoration of degraded ecosystems. In the northern Everglades, the Rotenberger Wildlife Management Area (RWMA) became a rain‐driven system as historic overland inflows were redirected. Consequently, the soil experienced severe drying, resulting in frequent muck fires, oxidation and a shift in vegetation composition. In July 2001, the RWMA hydropattern restoration began utilizing discharge from Stormwater Treatment Area 5 (STA‐5), a constructed wetland. As a result, predischarge hydroperiods averaging 124 days increased to an average of 183 days. Soil total phosphorus (TP) concentrations in the topsoil layer did not significantly change from predischarge (637 mg/kg) to postdischarge (633 mg/kg) concentrations. Muck fires appear to be the catalyst for rapid alterations in the bioavailability and solubility of P. Prior to muck fires, soil P pools were 88% organic P and 12% inorganic P, shifting to 49% organic P and 51% inorganic P measured after a muck fire. Sawgrass (Cladium jamaicense, OBL) and Cattail (Typha domingensis, OBL) cover approximately 75% of the RWMA area as dominant or codominant species. Predischarge vegetation community composition documented obligate (OBL) and facultative wetland (FACW) species, each composing 46% of all species surveyed. Postdischarge vegetation compositions shifted to 59% OBL and 39% FACW species. In addition, there were significant elevations in tissue nutrient concentrations, TP, and total nitrogen, between pre‐ and postdischarge samples. An adaptive management approach to inflow and outflow operations will be an important part of successful wetland restoration.

Sawgrass (Cladium jamaicense) responses as early indicators of low-level phosphorus enrichment in the Florida Everglades

Anthropogenic phosphorus (P) inputs to the Florida Everglades have produced dramatic changes in the wetland vegetation of this otherwise oligotrophic system. While the proliferation of undesirable plant species in response to enrichment has been well documented, nutrient-related changes in the physiological and morphological attributes of existing vegetation, prior to any shifts in species composition or changes in the spatial extent of certain taxa, have yet to be adequately characterized. In this experiment, three sawgrass-dominated areas were enriched with P for 3 years at rates of 0.4 g P/m2/year (HP), 0.1 g P/m2/year (LP), or 0 g P/m2/year (controls) to assess potential impacts of P-enriched discharges from stormwater treatment areas into the Everglades. Elevated concentrations of TP in rhizomes and leaves and reduced ratios of leaf N:P were detected in HP plants within ~1 year at most sites. Live leaf densities, plant heights, and plant densities of the HP groups were generally higher than LP and control groups after 2 years, a pattern that was evident even after major fire events. Total aboveground biomass was significantly elevated in both HP and LP treatments at two of the three sites after 3 years. No change in species composition was detected during the study. Planned hydrologic restoration measures will increase P loads into parts of the Everglades that have not previously experienced anthropogenic P enrichment. Monitoring native vegetation such as sawgrass can be a sensitive and relatively robust means of detecting unintended P enrichment in these areas prior to shifts in vegetation community composition or changes in area cover of key species.

Particulate phosphorus transformations in south Florida stormwater treatment areas used for Everglades protection

Six large treatment wetlands (352–6698 ha), designated Stormwater Treatment Areas (STAs), have been constructed to sequester phosphorus (P) in drainage waters before entering the Everglades. We performed oxic and anoxic laboratory incubations to assess the stability of P in suspended particles from inflow and outflow waters for selected flow-paths of STA-2, a “well-performing” wetland, and STA-1 West (W), an “under-performing” wetland. Particles were concentrated by filtration prior to incubation. STA-2 flow-paths exhibited a reduction in the particulate P (PP) concentration (e.g., 28 to 3–8 μg/L), as well as an increase in particle stability (i.e., reduced conversion of PP to soluble reactive P [SRP]) with passage through the wetland. By contrast, while the STA-1W flow-path exhibited a PP reduction of 68–46 μg/L under anoxic incubations, the particles exiting the wetland were more labile than those entering. For PP collected from both STAs, anoxic incubations produced higher conversion rates to SRP than did oxic conditions. This redox influence on SRP release was more pronounced for outflow PP from STA-1W than for PP exiting the STA-2 flow-paths.

Estimating Ecological Thresholds for Phosphorus in the Everglades

The Florida Everglades, a wetland of international importance, has been undergoing a significant shift in its native flora and fauna due to excessive total phosphorus (TP) loadings (an average of 147 t per annum from 1995to 2004) and an elevated mean TP concentration (69 microg L(-1) of TP in 2004) from agricultural runoff and Lake Okeechobee outflow despite the use of 16000 ha of stormwater treatment areas. Here, we present a Bayesian changepoint analysis of long-term experimental research and show that exceeding a surface water geometric mean TP threshold concentration of 15 microg L(-1) causes an ecological imbalance in algal, macrophyte, and macroinvertebrate assemblages as well as slough community structure. A phosphorus threshold for all trophic levels may be more realistic and protective when presented as a threshold zone (12-15 microg L(-1)) because estimates of uncertainty must be utilized to accurately define TP thresholds, which change with seasons and water depths. Most interior areas of the Everglades are currently at or below this threshold zone, but the exterior areas near inflow structures (except for the Everglades National Park) are presently receiving double or triple the proposed threshold. Our Bayesian approach, used hereto address ecological imbalance along nutrient gradients, is applicable to determining thresholds and stable states in other aquatic ecosystems.

Alterations in the suspended algal abundance, distribution and diversity within a stormwater treatment area in south Florida, USA

Alterations in the suspended algal abundance, distribution and diversity within a stormwater treatment area in south Florida, USA

Decomposition of macrophyte litter in a subtropical constructed wetland in south Florida (USA)

The South Florida Water Management District has constructed large treatment wetlands (stormwater treatment areas (STAs)) to reduce total phosphorus concentrations in agricultural runoff before this water enters the Everglades. An important component of nutrient removal and storage in these systems is incorporation of nutrients into aquatic macrophytes and burial of this biomass in the sediments. However, decomposition of plant biomass before burial returns nutrients to the water column and may reduce STA treatment efficiency. As part of research on biogeochemical control of STA performance, we conducted a summer (July–September) and a long-term (12-month) experiment (February–February) that measured decomposition rates and release of chemical constituents from dominant aquatic macrophytes in a constructed wetland located in south Florida. The rank order of mean decomposition rates was Najas/ Ceratophyllum (0.0568 d −1) > Pistia (0.0508 d −1) > Eichhornia (0.0191 d −1) > submerged Typha (0.0059 d −1) > aerial Typha (0.0008 d −1). Summer decomposition rates were generally higher than rates from the long-term experiment, which suggested a temperature effect. Decomposition rates were negatively correlated with litter C:N and C:P molar ratios and cellulose and lignin content and positively correlated with N and P content. There was no significant difference in decomposition rates among sampling stations despite the fact that there was a decreasing gradient in water column inorganic phosphorus and nitrogen concentrations at these sites. Relatively little of the initial P mass remained in the litter of all species, except Typha, by the end of both experiments. First-order decomposition models derived using nonlinear regression generally had explanatory power, i.e. accounted for variance, comparable to more complex decreasing-coefficient models. Decomposition rates for the species examined in this study were within the range of published values when comparisons were made either by species or by plant group.

Free surface wetlands for phosphorus removal: The position of the Everglades Nutrient Removal Project

The Everglades Nutrient Removal Project (ENRP) was one of the largest treatment wetlands ever built. In North America, it has been exceeded only by the Stormwater Treatment Areas, the designs for which it was developed to support. The five cells of the ENRP contained varying mixtures of submerged, emergent and floating vegetation, and produced concomitantly variable phosphorus (P) removal. The range of first–order settling rates for total P (TP) removal was from 12 to 73 m/year for the individual cells, compared to a range of 13–23 m/year for Boney Marsh, Water Conservation Area 2A, and Orlando Easterly Wetlands. The mean TP settling rate in the ENRP of 23 m/year compares well to a mean of 16 m/year for 77 other wetland systems. No seasonal trends were detected in the ENRP, but there was ±50% variability for outlet TP concentrations. The ENRP operated at the low end of the spectrum of P concentrations and loadings for treatment marshes in general, with a mean inlet TP of about 100 μg P/L, while producing 21 μg P/L in the effluent over a 6-year period of record. Consequently, vegetation density and P content were low compared to other wetland systems. The biogeochemical cycle in the ENRP resulted in accreting residuals that had about 1000 mg P/kg dry weight. The project was built economically, but large sums were spent on research. The regulatory concept of a TP 12-month rolling average was initiated for the first time. The project fulfilled its goal of confirming and refining the information from earlier prototype systems. In turn, much of the ENRP design has been replicated in the full-scale STAs, with moderate success.

Optimization of Frequency Distribution of Storm-Water Discharges for Coastal Ecosystem Restoration

Many coastal ecosystems have been adversely impacted by increased storm-water drainage due to expanding urbanization. The ecosystem of the St. Lucie Estuary SLE, located on the east coast of south Florida, has been greatly influenced by development of an intricate network of storm-water drainage canals in the tributary watershed. A suite of models dealing with watershed hydrology, reservoir optimization, and estuary salinity and ecology are applied for optimal sizing and operation of storm-water reservoirs. The multipurpose storm-water control facilities provide for hydrologic restoration to predrained or natural hydrologic conditions for recovery of salinity- sensitive biota in the SLE, as well as supplemental irrigation water and pollution control through connected storm-water treatment areas. The optimization is challenging since the ecological goal is for mean monthly storm-water discharges to the SLE to coincide with the desired natural frequency distribution, rather than simply attempting to control individual extreme events. The OPTI6 optimization model applies a genetic algorithm, coupled with a daily simulation model of the storm-water drainage network, to optimize the sizing and fuzzy operating rules of reservoirs for controlling storm-water discharges to the SLE. Results indicate that the desired frequency distribution is closely matched and the level of service for the supplemental irrigation demand is met under reduced storage requirements.

Patterns of vertical stratification in a subtropical constructed wetland in south Florida (USA)

The South Florida Water Management District (District) has built large treatment wetlands, known as Stormwater Treatment Areas (STAs), to reduce excess phosphorus loading to the Everglades. The District conducted research in a prototype treatment wetland, the Everglades Nutrient Removal Project (ENRP), to study biogeochemical processes that are important to treatment performance. Vertical profile measurements of water temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, conductivity and transmission of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) were made in open-water areas and sites dominated by emergent, floating or submersed vegetation over an annual cycle. Relative thermal resistance to mixing was used to infer the strength of thermal stratification. Long-term diel variation in temperature at the surface and bottom of an open-water and a vegetated site also was measured. Open-water sites were nearly isothermal and had minimal thermal stratification, while vegetated sites were all thermally stratified to some degree. The highest surface water temperatures (>35 °C) occurred in submersed vegetation where much of the light absorbed by leaves and stems was reflected as heat. Oxygen was uniformly low (<4 mg L −1) in emergent and floating vegetation and attributed to shading, high biological oxygen demand and limited reaeration at the surface. Depressed oxygen levels at open-water areas were attributed to high sediment oxygen demand. The highest oxygen concentrations occurred in submersed vegetation beds. Water column pH was unstratified and near circumneutral in the open water and at emergent and floating vegetation sites, while pH was markedly stratified in submersed vegetation, where surface values at times exceeded 9.0. High surface oxygen and pH levels in submersed vegetation were consistent with intense photosynthesis. Conductivity increased at the bottom of emergent and submersed vegetation but not at open-water or floating vegetation sites. PAR transmission was strongly reduced at all sites due to shading and/or absorption by dissolved organic carbon. Light extinction coefficients were markedly higher at vegetated sites compared to the open water. Peak irradiance shifted to longer wavelengths (538–643 nm) and both short (<400 nm) and long (>700 nm) wavelengths were largely attenuated at 60 cm relative to the surface. Long-term monitoring at a vegetated site revealed periods of inverse thermal stratification and dampened diel variation in temperatures at the bottom compared to open water.

Hydrologic and Vegetation Effects on Water Column Phosphorus in Wetland Mesocosms

Historic phosphorus (P) loading from agricultural areas has been identified as one of the major causes for ecological changes occurring in the Florida Everglades. The restoration plan for the Everglades includes construction of large stormwater treatment areas (STAs) to intercept and treat this relatively high nutrient water down to very low total P (TP) concentrations. One such STA has been in operation for approximately 10 yr and contains both emergent aquatic vegetation (EAV) and submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) communities. The surface water TP concentrations in areas near the outflow range from 0.02 to 0.05 mg TP L−1 To simulate these areas, we investigated the interaction of vegetation type; EAV or SAV; and hydrology; continuously flooded or periodic drawdown; on the P removal capacity in mesocosms packed with peat soil obtained from STA‐1W. The surface water had low TP concentrations with an annual mean = 0.023 mg L−1 For SRP and TP, hydrologic fluctuations alone had no discernable impact on P treatment while vegetation type showed a significant impact. Influent soluble reactive P (SRP) decreased by 49% for the SAV treatments compared with 41% for the EAV treatments, irrespective of hydrology treatment. The reduction of dissolved organic P (DOP) was also higher for the SAV treatment averaging 33% while showing a reduction of 11% for the EAV treatments. There was no significant difference in the treatment efficiency of particulate P (PP) across the treatments. For TP, SAV treatments removed 45% of TP while EAV removed significantly less at 34%. By mass calculations, the EAV required 85% more P for plant growth than was removed from the water column in 1 yr compared with only 47% for the SAV. Therefore, the EAV “mined” substantially more P from the relatively stable peat soil, translocating it into the detrital pool.

Extreme Spatial Variability and Unprecedented Methylmercury Concentrations Within a Constructed Wetland

We began monitoring concentrations of both total mercury (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg) in surface water at Stormwater Treatment Area-2 (STA) on July 20, 2000. This 2602 hectare STA was constructed with three independent marshes to remove phosphorus from agricultural runoff and reduce eutrophication in the northern Everglades. However, there was concern that in doing so, STA-2 might inadvertently worsen the existing mercury problem in the Everglades. Accordingly, operating permits stipulated that flow-through operation of these treatment cells could not begin until concentrations of THg and MeHg in the interior marsh were not significantly greater than corresponding concentrations in the supply canal. Cells 2 and 3 quickly met the start-up criteria in the fall of 2000. In contrast, Cell 1 exhibited anomalously high MeHg concentrations in the fall of 2000 and 2001, and the summer of 2002. During the last such event, water-column concentrations in Cell 1 reached 32 ng THg/L and an unprecedented 20 ng MeHg/L. Tissue Hg in resident fishes reached levels as high as 430 ng/g in mosquitofish, Gambusia holbrooki, 930 ng/g in sunfish, Lepomis spp., and 2000 ng/g in largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides. Guided by results from the monitoring program, flow rate and water depth were managed as a means to alter sulfur biogeochemistry and, thereby, reduce in situ mercury methylation. This adaptive management strategy likely played a role in the decline in water-column concentrations of THg and MeHg in Cell 1 by late 2002 and the subsequent declines in tissue Hg levels in resident fishes. Cell 1 finally met formal start-up criteria on November 26, 2002.

Phosphorus mass load and outflow concentration relationships in stormwater treatment areas for Everglades restoration

Mass loading and outflow phosphorus (P) relationships were investigated for four stormwater treatment area (STA) wetlands in south Florida. These systems, ranging in size from 350 to 2670 ha, were constructed by the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) for Everglades restoration, and approaches currently are being investigated for optimizing their design and management. We analyzed 2–7 years of P removal data from 10 independent STA process trains using system classifications based on dominant vegetation type, which was either emergent aquatic vegetation (EAV) or submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), and prior land use, which was either recently farmed (RF) or historic wetland (HW). We found that a 1–2 year history of mass loading rates (MLR) at or below ∼1.3 g P/m 2/year in STA process trains provided a high likelihood of achieving outflow total P (TP) concentrations less than ∼30 μg/L. Statistical analyses revealed that P removal performance of SAV and EAV-HW systems was generally superior to that of EAV-RF systems. These performance differences were corroborated with data from seven other non-STA Florida-based treatment wetlands. Furthermore, in the subset of SAV and continuously flooded EAV-HW data with P MLRs at or below ∼2 g/m 2/year, outflow P concentrations were consistently between 10 and 20 μg/L, mass removal efficiencies were consistently above 85%, and the wetlands demonstrated a substantial resilience to small-to-moderate pulsed inflow P loads. Despite 16 occurrences in these full-scale STA data of annual flow-weighted mean outflow P concentrations between 10 and 20 μg/L, no significant MLR–P relationships were identified for targeting specific P concentrations in this range.

A Probabilistic Risk Assessment of the Effects of Methylmercury on Great Egrets and Bald Eagles Foraging at a Constructed Wetland in South Florida Relative to the Everglades

ABSTRACT This case study summarizes an assessment of risk of methylmercury (MeHg) exposure to fish–eating birds foraging at Stormwater Treatment Area–2 (STA–2). This assessment was required as a special condition for a permit modification authorizing flow–through operation of STA–2 Cell 1 without it first satisfying formal mercury start–up criteria. The assessment estimates the risks posed by MeHg to the great egret (Ardea albus) and the bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). Exposure models were based on literature–derived life history parameters combined with site–specific MeHg concentrations in water, sediment, and fish. To assess risk, daily MeHg intake by females and cumulative MeHg consumed by nestlings were compared to literature–derived effects thresholds. The results indicated the likelihood was low that MeHg exposures to birds foraging throughout STA–2 would exceed effects thresholds at the time of this assessment. Birds foraging exclusively from Cell 1 or the small discharge canal were predicted to experience greater exposures and could be at potential risk. However, this worst–case risk was comparable or lower than risk levels encountered in nearby water conservation areas or the Everglades National Park.

Elements of South Florida's Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan.

Approximately 70% less water flows through the Everglades ecosystem today compared with the historic Everglades, and the quality of the remaining water is often degraded. The regionally managed hydropattern does not follow the pre-drainage distribution, timing, and duration of the natural Everglades, nor can water move freely though the remaining Everglades. As a result, there have been significant reductions in wildlife and fish populations, their habitat, and the environmental services wetlands provide society. Both the problems of declining ecosystem health and the solutions to Everglades restoration center on restoring the quantity, quality, timing, and distribution of water. The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan consists of over 60 civil works projects that will be designed and implemented over a 30 year period. At an estimated cost of 7.8 billion dollars, it seeks to correct an earlier attempt at water management in South Florida and improve water availability during the dry season and reduce flooding of urban and agricultural areas during the wet season. The plan calls for storage and controlled release from more than 217,000 acres of new reservoirs and wetland-based treatment areas and from over 300 underground aquifer storage and recovery wells. The plans assumes that during retention in stormwater treatment areas, the excess phosphorus, nitrogen, agrichemicals such as atrazine, diazinon, endosulfan, and other contaminants will be reduced before release into the natural areas. It also assumes that little or no change in water quality will occur during underground storage. To improve the hydraulic connectivity of natural areas, some of the extensive system of levees and canals within the Everglades will be removed in an effort to improve overland water flow. Most of the current planning has focused on water storage and restoring basic hydrology in the remnant natural areas and on phosphorus removal as a benchmark of water quality. The restoration plan, as approved by Congress, is conceptual and most of the details, including potential impacts of the plan on the natural system and the role of contaminants remain to be evaluated.

Influence of hydrologic regime and vegetation on phosphorus retention in Everglades stormwater treatment area wetlands

AbstractThe Florida (USA) Everglades ecosystem has been impacted due to increased loading of nutrients, in particular phosphorus (P), primarily from adjacent agricultural areas. Consequently, restoration measures involve the establishment of stormwater treatment areas (STAs) comprising a series of constructed wetlands. A series of mesocosms were established at the inflow of the Everglades Nutrient Removal Project wetland, the first such STA constructed. These mesocosms were designed to mimic STAs, as they operated as flow‐through systems and were packed with native soil. The objective of the study was to determine the effects of vegetation and hydrologic fluctuations on P retention/release by the wetland soil and on effluent water quality. Four treatment combinations consisted of continuously flooded with emergents (Typha), intermittently flooded with emergents, continuously flooded with no emergents, and intermittently flooded with no emergents. Intermittently flooded treatments underwent two 1 month drawdown events during the year. Soils were collected to determine the various pools of P and surface water samples were collected twice weekly to determine mass P flux in and out of the mesocosms. Results showed that the majority of the P was stored in the calcium‐ and magnesium‐bound fraction, as well as the refractory pool in the soil. Approximately 91% of the inflow soluble reactive P (SRP) mass was retained within the mesocosms for the continuously flooded treatment, and 80% was retained in the treatments subjected to periodic drawdown events, regardless of vegetation type. There was a net annual flux of dissolved organic P (DOP) out of the mesocosms for the drawdown treatments, whereas the net reduction in the DOP concentrations for the continuously flooded treatments was just 17%. These results demonstrate that, although these wetland systems perform well in reducing surface water SRP, additional research may need to focus on improving the reduction of DOP in order to reduce further the P loads to the nutrient‐sensitive Everglades system. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

Long-term phosphorus removal in Florida aquatic systems dominated by submerged aquatic vegetation

Anthropogenic phosphorus (P) loads have been implicated in eutrophication of lakes and wetlands throughout Florida. One technology that holds considerable promise for controlling these loads in a cost-effective manner is the use of treatment wetlands. Preliminary research in south Florida on the use of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) as the dominant vegetation in these treatment wetlands is reporting higher P removal performance than wetlands dominated by rooted, emergent plants. This research has been based to-date primarily on relatively small-scale mesocosms (5–2000 m 2) and on a larger scale treatment wetland (148 ha) that has been operated for about 7 years. Considering the magnitude of engineering decisions and project costs to implement P control in the Everglades Agricultural Area and elsewhere in Florida, it is prudent to look for additional confirmation of P removal performance from other existing SAV-dominated systems in Florida that have a longer operational period. This paper describes an analysis of existing data collected from a number of SAV-dominated, flow-through lakes and rivers in Florida with characteristics similar to the proposed SAV treatment systems. While these existing input–output data were not specifically collected for the purpose of preparing mass balances and P removal rate estimates, they can be judiciously applied to that analysis. The overall conclusion of this analysis is that SAV-dominated lakes and rivers do typically remove P from the water column. The likely long-term sink for this P is the newly accreted sediment. The long-term average P removal rate for 13 SAV-dominated lake and river systems in Florida was 1.2 g/m 2 per year. This result compares favorably with an average net sediment P accumulation rate of 1.2 g/m 2 per year reported by others for 11 SAV-dominated Florida lakes. These estimated long-term P removal rates are higher than those for full-scale wetlands dominated by emergent vegetation (Treatment Wetlands (1996); Wetlands Ecol. Mgmt. 4 (1997) 159). Average first-order P removal rate constants for SAV-dominated lakes (15 m/year) and rivers (46 m/year) are generally less than those estimated in SAV-dominated mesocosms (60–140 m/year) and similar to a large-scale SAV-dominated stormwater treatment area (STA) (40 m/year). P removals in all of these SAV-dominated systems are influenced by inlet P loading rates, with removal rates positively correlated to both P inlet concentration and hydraulic loading rate (HLR). Based on this analysis, caution is recommended when extrapolating the P removal results from relatively short-term or small-scale mesocosm studies to the design of full-scale, long-term operating SAV-dominated wetlands.