Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Emily Vail
Collins Research Fellow Vassar College Environmental Research Institute
Community Educator Environment Program Cornell Cooperative Extension Dutchess County
Other contaminants
- Ecological problems in streams
(Walsh et al. 2005, Paul & Meyer 2001, Groffman et al. 2003, National Research Council 2008)
Rain gardens?
Redevelopment - 2008
Rain Garden 2
Rain Garden 1
Stormwater runoff
Soil water Catch basins
Analyzed for:
Total suspended solids (TSS) Dissolved inorganic nutrients (N, P)
Site Map
Concentration (mg/L)
20
15
10
Rain Garden 2
Rain Garden 1
n = 6, samples from December 2008, March 2009, April 2009, August 2010, and October 2010
n = 6, samples from December 2008, March 2009, April 2009, August 2010, and October 2010
Concentration (mg/L)
Concentration (mg/L)
Rain Garden 2
Rain Garden 1
n = 6, samples from December 2008, March 2009, April 2009, August 2010, and October 2010
Concentration (mg/L)
Rain Garden 2
Rain Garden 1
n = 6, samples from December 2008, March 2009, April 2009, August 2010, and October 2010
Summary
Rain gardens are effective at removing TSS
Consistent with other studies (Davis 2007, Davis 2009,
Bratieres et al. 2008)
Summary
Do not appear to moderate heavy metal loads (further studies needed)
Laboratory studies show 88-97% removal of Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn from synthetic stormwater (Sun & Davis 2006,
Davis et al. 2001, Davis et al. 2003)
Field studies - slightly lower removal rates for metals (Davis 2007)
Increased retention time for stormwater quantity (Davis et al. 2009, Davis 2007, Hood et al.
2007, Hatt et al. 2009)
Conclusion
Rain gardens - an important aspect of Low Impact Design Maintain pre-development hydrology Local BMPs to address ecosystem-wide problems Need for assessment Aesthetics and function
Next steps
Do rain gardens continue to function the same way over the duration of a storm event?
Monitoring water quality Assess flow patterns on site
Concentration (mg/L)
Concentration (mg/L)
10.00 12.00 0.00 2.00 4.00 6.00 8.00
10.00
15.00
20.00
25.00
30.00
0.00
5.00
17
TSS in Rain Garden 1 Catch Basin and Unfiltered Catch Basin on 10/14
Time
Time
R2 = 0.4652
17 :3 17 1 :4 18 6 :0 18 1 :1 18 6 :3 18 1 :4 19 6 :0 19 1 :1 19 6 :3 19 1 :4 20 6 :0 20 1 :1 20 6 :3 20 1 :4 21 6 :0 21 1 :1 21 6 :3 21 1 :4 22 6 :0 22 1 :1 22 6 :3 22 1 :4 23 6 :0 23 1 :1 6
:3 17 1 :4 18 6 :0 18 1 :1 18 6 :3 18 1 :4 19 6 :0 19 1 :1 19 6 :3 19 1 :4 20 6 :0 20 1 :1 20 6 :3 20 1 :4 21 6 :0 21 1 :1 21 6 :3 21 1 :4 22 6 :0 22 1 :1 22 6 :3 22 1 :4 23 6 :0 23 1 :1 6
y = -0.2302x + 7.2547
Total Heavy Metal Concentration and Water Depth in Rain Garden 1 Catch Basin, 10/14
1.4
0.45 0.4
Time
0.35
Water Depth in Rain Garden 1 Catch Basin and Unfiltered Catch Basin and Precipitation on 10/14
Time
0
17 :0 17 0 : 17 15 :3 17 0 :4 18 5 : 18 00 :1 18 5 :3 18 0 : 19 45 :0 19 0 :1 19 5 : 19 30 :4 20 5 :0 20 0 :1 20 5 : 20 30 :4 21 5 :0 21 0 : 21 15 :3 21 0 :4 22 5 : 22 00 :1 22 5 :3 22 0 : 23 45 :0 23 0 :1 23 5 : 23 30 :4 5 0: 00
0.001
Precipitation (m)
0.0005
0.0015
Acknowledgements
Dr. Lynn Christenson, Dr. Mary Ann Cunningham, Dr. Stuart Belli, Dr. Kirsten Menking, Dr. David Gillikin, Dr. Jill Schneiderman, Dr. Mark Schlessman, Rick Jones, Keri VanCamp, Seth Stickle, Danielle Goldie, Cat Foley, Sandy Alles, & Will Jobs Vassar College Environmental Research Institute Vassar College Environmental Studies Program
25
Concentration (mg/L)
20
15
10
0 Precipitation Runoff Soil Water Rain Garden Catch Basins Unfiltered Catch Basin
Concentration (mg/L)