Nutrient and Escherichia coli Attentuation in a Constructed Stormwater Wetland in the North Carolina Coastal Plain


  •  Charles Humphrey    
  •  Nicholas Chaplinski    
  •  Michael O'Driscoll    
  •  Tim Kelley    
  •  Stephanie Richards    

Abstract

Stormwater best management practices (BMPs) are installed to reduce the delivery of pollutants to surface waters. The objective of this study was to determine the stormwater NO3-N, PO4-P, and Escherichia coli (E. coli) reductions in a constructed wetland in Greenville, North Carolina. Water samples were collected at the inlet and outlet of the wetland before, during, and after 11 storms for NO3-N, PO4-P, and E. coli analysis. Treatment efficiencies for NO3-N (69%) and PO4-P (63%) exceeded the nutrient credit reductions assigned to stormwater wetlands (40% for both) in North Carolina. The E. coli (59%) and PO4-P (63%) concentration reductions in the wetland were similar to the reduction in specific conductivity (62%), possibly because of sedimentation in the wetland that reduced the suspended and dissolved solids with adsorbed E. coli and PO4-P. The relatively large size of the wetland (7% of drainage area), and below average rainfall likely contributed to the exceptional pollutant reduction efficencies.


This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
  • ISSN(Print): 1927-0488
  • ISSN(Online): 1927-0496
  • Started: 2011
  • Frequency: semiannual

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