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Bioretention cells (BRCs) are a promising low-impact development (LID) practice that are commonly used in urban settings to improve the water quality and mitigate the hydrological effects of stormwater runoff. BRCs have been the subject of extensive research in order to better comprehend their function and improve their effectiveness. However, BRC performance differs greatly among regions in terms of hydrologic performance and quality enhancement. Due to this variance in BRC effectiveness, the current study conducted a comprehensive systematic review to answer the question, “Are BRCs an effective LID method for urban catchment stormwater management?”. This review study analyzed the effectiveness of BRCs in mitigating hydrologic impacts and enhancing the quality of stormwater runoff in urban catchments. A review of 114 field, laboratory, and modeling studies on BRCs found that the promising BRCs may be one of the most successful approaches to restore urban hydrology cycle and improve stormwater water quality. With further development of BRCs, their performance in terms of quantity and quality will become more reliable, helping to develop long-term solutions to stormwater urban drainage issues. At the end of this review, the knowledge gaps and future prospects for BRC research are presented. In addition to providing a foundational grasp of BRC, this review study outlines the key design recommendations for BRC implementation in order to address the issues raised by certain BRC design errors.

Typical continental, cold climate conditions were applied to four large, laboratory columns to simulate temperatures ranging from −20 to +20 °C over summer, winter, and spring runoff. The goal of this research was to assess the seasonal effectiveness of bioretention application in cold climate regions that are currently experiencing the impacts of climate change. 1.6 years’ worth of equivalent Edmonton precipitation volume was applied over a 10-month period to evaluate the water quality improvement through two soil types (i.e., loam and sandy loam) with and without amendments intended to enhance nutrient removal. During summer, excellent removal of total suspended solids (TSS), phosphate, and ammonium (i.e., ≥90% average concentration reduction) was observed in both the loam and sandy loam columns without the nutrient removal amendments. The columns containing the amendments also reduced TSS, ammonium, and phosphate, but not as effective as the non-amended columns for TSS and ammonium. During winter and spring runoff, if infiltration occurs, physical removal of TSS, phosphate, and ammonium was still achieved, only days after the complete freezing (and subsequent thawing) of bioretention media at −20 °C. After an initial maturation and leaching period, nitrate was well removed (≥65.2% average concentration reduction) via denitrification in the columns with the nutrient removal amendments and submerged zone. HIGHLIGHTS Four large bioretention columns with two soil media (loam and sandy loam) underwent simulated summer, winter, spring runoff, and another summer of stormwater applications.; All columns effectively reduced TSS, ammonium, and phosphate concentrations in the effluent during the summer.; If infiltration occurs during winter and spring runoff, physical removal of TSS, phosphate, and ammonium can still be achieved.

This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of the low impact development (LID) practices on sustainable urban flood storm water management. We applied three LID techniques, i.e. green roof, permeable pavements and bioretention cells, on a highly urbanized watershed in Istanbul, Turkey. The EPA-SWMM was used as a hydrologic-hydraulic model and the model calibration was performed by the well-known Parameter ESTimation (PEST) tool. The rainfall-runoff events occurred between 2012 and 2020. A sensitivity analysis on the parameter selection was applied to reduce the computational cost. The Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency coefficient (NSE) was used as the objective function and it was calculated as 0.809 in the model calibration. The simulations were conducted for six different return periods of a storm event, i.e. 2, 5, 10, 25, 50 and 100 years, in which the synthetic storm event hyetographs were produced by means of the alternating block method. The results revealed that the combination of green roof and permeable pavements have the major impact on both the peak flood reduction and runoff volume reduction compared to the single LIDs. The maximum runoff reduction percentage was obtained as 56.02% for a 10 years return period of a storm event in the combination scenario. HIGHLIGHTS The PEST software is used for the auto-calibration of US EPA-SWMM and the calibration results are statistically significant.; The green roof application has more impact on both the peak discharge reduction and the volume reduction than both the permeable pavements and bioretention cells in the highly urbanized Ayamama watershed.; The combination of green roof and permeable pavements has substantial effect on flood mitigation.

Bioretention facilities have been widely constructed, but it is unknown whether rainfall runoff containing pollutants will hurt the plants in bioretention facilities. Experiments were carried out to explore the relationship between the heavy metal (Cd and Pb) contents of four shrubs and three physiological indexes. The results show the following: (1) The heavy metal absorption of shrubs may be directly proportional to the heavy metal content in stormwater runoff. (2) For the experimental devices, sand/soil-low concentration (SS-L) and sand/soil-high concentration (SS-H), except that the contents of Cd and Pb of L. vicaryi in SS-H showed a trend of increasing first and then decreasing, the contents of heavy metals in other shrubs showed a gradual increase. (3) For SS-L, the net photosynthetic rate (NPR) and transpiration rate (TR) of R. xanthina were in direct proportion to the contents of Cd and Pb in vivo. The NPRs and TRs of the other three shrubs and the chlorophyll content (CC) of L. vicaryi presented an inversely proportional relationship. For SS-H, the NPR of L. vicaryi was in direct proportion to its Cd and Pb contents. Almost all other conditions showed an inverse relationship. HIGHLIGHTS Whether rainfall runoff will hurt shrubs in road bioretention was answered.; The relationship between heavy metal and shrub physiology was studied.; Contents of Cd and Pb in shrubs gradually increased except in one case.; Cd and Pb inhibited physiological functions of most shrubs.; Cd and Pb promoted some physiological indexes of individual shrubs.

Low impact development (LID) systems have potential to make urban cities more sustainable and resilient, particularly under challenging climate conditions. To quantify performance capabilities, modeling results for an array of combinations of LIDs are described using PCSWMM at lot-level to examine performance of individual LIDs on volume and peak flow reductions. Among the four LIDs studied: rain barrel (RB), vegetative swale (VS), bioretention cell (BC), and permeable pavement (PP), PP at lot-level demonstrated the best capability for reducing surface runoff volumes and peak runoff rates under historical weather conditions, while BC showed similar capability for reduction of runoff volumes but minimal peak flow reduction. With PP as the controlling method at lot-level, the maximum percentage reduction of runoff volume for a 2-year storm is 58% whereas for a 100-year storm, the runoff volume reduction is 20%. These results mean the extent of flooding that may arise from the 100-year storm is reduced, but not eliminated. Effectively, the 100-year storm volumes with LID are devolved to have flooding equivalent to a 25-year storm. Under climate change scenarios, performance for all LIDs declined at various levels, where BC was the most resilient LID for a climate change scenario, such that projected 2-year or 5-year storms with climate change will have its impact devolved with LID in place, to result in similar volumes and peaks without LID under historical conditions. Furthermore, even with an assembly of lot-level LIDs distributed throughout the community, there is not attenuation to substantial degrees of flooding for major events, but there can be effective control for water quantity for small (2- to 5-years in particular) storm events.

Bioretention is one of low-impact development measures, which widely used not only because it can reduce stormwater runoff total volume, decrease peak flow rate and delay peak flow time, but also can remove the runoff pollutants. Infiltration is an important hydrological process for bioretention to evaluate its runoff total volume reduction and pollutants removal. So, it is important to find an optimal infiltration model that can well describe the infiltration performance of bioretention. The Horton, Philip and Kostiakov infiltration models were selected to compare their accuracy when using for describe the infiltration characteristics of bioretention, and the errors between the different models simulate results and experiment results were assessed via the maximum absolute error (MAE), bias and coefficient of determination (R2). The experimental results showed that Horton model is fitting well and flexible under different experiment conditions, especially when the hydraulic head was 10 cm, with MAE of 0.50–0.81 cm/h, bias of 0.1–0.23 cm/h and R2 of 0.98–0.99. R2 of the Philip and Kostiakov models were all over than 0.87 at the initial infiltration period, but the model fitting accuracy decreased significantly with infiltration time elapse. Furthermore, the total runoff volume capture ratio and emptying time were advanced used to evaluate the flexibility of Horton model, and the Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency coefficients of them were over than 0.61 and 0.58, respectively. Therefore, the Horton model can be optimal selected to describe the infiltration process of bioretention and for its hydrological evaluation.

The use of bioretention areas is common in urban stormwater management, but their performance varies significantly depending on rainfall characteristics and design conditions. In this study, a pilot experiment using bioretention columns with different media (commercial activated carbon and river sediment-derived biochar) investigated the influence of rainfall on bioretention performance. The results indicated that the runoff volume retention ratio (Rv), which included the runoff purified and discharged at the bottom of the column, and the runoff retained in media during rainfall event, decreased significantly with increases in the rainfall event return period (p 0.05). The addition of adsorptive material, such as activated carbon and biochar, may not be the key factor for improving nitrogen and COD removal under heavy rain that exceeds the 2-yr return period. The bioretention performance of phosphorus removal from urban stormwater runoff could be improved by replacing or adding media with high adsorption capacity, but these improvements would not be significant under heavy rain that exceeds the 2-yr return period. The results provide some reference for evaluating bioretention performance and optimizing bioretention design in the future.

Simulated storm events were applied to four large bioretention columns to approximate 1.6 years of equivalent volume in Edmonton, Alberta’s typical climate. Summer, winter, and spring runoff were simulated in temperature-controlled laboratories with a range of −20 °C to +20 °C. During summer less porous bioretention media (i.e. loam soil) effectively weakened peak flows by >83% for 1:2 year events while more porous bioretention media (i.e. sandy loam soil) maintained hydraulic conductivities >9.1 cm/h. Winter operation consisted of all columns being subjected to −20 °C and then 1 °C repeatedly. Events were applied at an air temperature of 1 °C and, although frozen initially, more porous media experienced faster water breakthrough and ponding disappearance in winter indicating that hydraulic performance during intermittent warming periods in winter may be achievable. All columns’ hydraulic performance rebounded quickly in the subsequent summer. All columns successfully managed 1:2 year events in terms of infiltration rate, ponding depth and duration. Preliminary results also showed that both media have the potential to manage less frequent (1:5 and 1:10 year) events.

Low impact development practices (LID) as alternative measures of urban drainage can be used within the approach of resources recycling and co-management. This study evaluates the potential contribution of a bioretention system to flood control, non-potable water demands (NPD) and resources co-management. Bioretention setups were tested experimentally under variable conditions to identify operational key-factors to multiple purposes. Additionally, the efficiencies obtained for laboratory scale were extrapolated for household and watershed scale, quantifying the indicators of water demand reduction (WDR), energy demand reduction (EDR) and carbon emission reduction (CER) for hybrid systems with LID. The laboratory results indicated that the use of a bioretention with a submerged zone can improve the quality of the water recovered for reuse, while maintaining the efficiency of runoff retention and peak flow attenuation. Comparing the bioretention effluent quality with the Brazilian standards for stormwater reuse, the parameters color, turbidity, E. coli and metals were above the limits, indicating the necessity of a better treatment for solids particles and disinfection. Expanding the analysis to watershed scale, the bioretention helped to reduce NPD demands up to 45%, leading to a reduction in energy demand and carbon emission from the centralized water supply system. HIGHLIGHTS Bioretention prototype is evaluated for flood resilience and non-potable water demands.; Bioretention setups are tested under variable rainfall, soil saturation and head losses.; Water reuse for non-potable demands require better pollutant removal rates.; Stormwater harvesting decreases water stress, energy demands and carbon emission.; Monetary savings through stormwater harvesting were obtained.

As a form of pollution source control and a low-impact development measure, bioretention is a convenient, economical, and effective method for the removal of heavy metals from stormwater runoff, which can adapt to the randomness and uncontrollability of non-point source pollution. However, few studies have assessed the performance of bioretention in the simultaneous removal of multiple heavy metals and the impact of heavy metal migration on the bioretention life cycle. In this study, the removal rates of various heavy metals: copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), lead (Pb), and cadmium (Cd), were enhanced using a biochar modified bioretention cell, as compared to the traditional sandy soil bioretention process. Following treatment with the biochar modified bioretention cell, the average concentrations of Cu, Zn, Pb, and Cd were 55%, 61%, 19.66%, and 36.43% lower than the traditional sandy soil bioretention effluent, respectively. These results show that biochar significantly improves the removal of heavy metals by the bioretention process, especially Cu and Zn. This study also evaluated the effect of biochar on the inhibition of heavy metal migration in the filler material, by sampling and analysing the filler and retained water at different filler depths, then repeating the filler leaching experiment after simulated rainfall. The content of heavy metals at a filler depth of 45 cm in the traditional sandy soil bioretention system, was significantly higher than in the biochar modified bioretention system, showing that biochar plays an important role in the inhibition of heavy metal migration.

Urban stormwater has become a persistent concern on a global scale due to its adverse environmental implications. It is the prime vector of aquatic contaminants worldwide that causes pollutants when water bodies drain. Bioretention systems are increasingly used to alleviate setbacks associated with stormwater run-off in urban locales. It has played a substantial role in the implementation of low impact development (LID), a concept that addresses urban stormwater problems caused by land changes and development. The use of LID technologies is an innovative approach. However, it is beset with challenges, such as the insufficiency of data on rainfall distribution and difficulty in interpreting data. To address these research gaps, the present study developed a fuzzy rough set data algorithm for bioretention systems. Event mean concentration calculations and fuzzification of rainfall were performed to produce a rough set-based decision rule. Using the Weibull probability distribution, fuzzification of rainfall and parameter data, rule induction, and Preece testing, bioretention design considerations were determined. The bioretention characterizations generated evident pollutants present in the catch basin before and after filtration. In addition, the bioretention characterization conducted in this study was able to reduce the number of tests needed for rainfall identification based on the different attributes.

Best management practices (BMP) seek to mimic the pre-development hydrological behavior by increasing infiltration and reducing runoff. However, its use worldwide is still scarce. This work presented a methodology for prioritizing areas for the allocation of BMP to counteract the negative effects of urbanization. It was proposed the allocation of bioretention cells, rain gardens, permeable pavement, green roof, and native vegetation landscaping. The Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) was used to assess the efficiency of the practices used. The methodology for prioritizing areas identified places that most need intervention. This study showed that 93.7% of the studied catchment had a high and medium susceptibility to runoff generation. The methodology suggested that 54.2% of the catchment received some kind of BMP. The native vegetation landscaping was the most recommended practice. Despite the use of the BMP, some flooding points remained in the catchment, however, they decreased from 42 to 28. The runoff’s depth reduced from 85 to 23 mm while the infiltration increased from 12 to 38 mm. The methodology favored the upper areas of the catchment. It can be concluded that the allocation of the proposed practices showed good applicability. This work also allows local managers to take measures aiming the sustainability and water security and serves as a basis for future work and applications in other urban catchments.

The removal of heavy metal ions from stormwater runoff is a global issue. One of the critical solutions is the selection of innovative adsorbent used in stormwater bioretention systems. The potenti...

In Singapore, active, beautiful, clean waters design features (ABCWDFs), such as rain gardens and vegetated swales, are used as a sustainable approach for stormwater management. Field monitoring studies characterising the performance of these design features in the tropical region are currently limited, hampering the widespread implementation of these systems. This study characterised the performance of individual ABCWDFs in the tropical climate context by monitoring a rain garden (FB7) and a vegetated swale (VS1) that were implemented in a 4-ha urban residential precinct for a period of 15 months. Results showed that total suspended solids (TSS), total phosphorus (TP) and total nitrogen (TN) concentrations were low in the new residential precinct runoff, leading to poor removal efficiency despite the effluent concentrations of individual ABCWDFs that were within the local stormwater treatment objectives. Average TSS, TP and TN EMCs of four sub-catchment outlets were lower (23.2 mg/L, 0.11 mg/L and 1.00 mg/L, respectively) when compared to the runoff quality of the major catchments in Singapore, potentially demonstrating that the ABCWDFs are effective in improving the catchment runoff quality. Findings from this study can help to better understand the performance of ABCWDFs receiving low influent concentrations and implications for further investigations to improve stormwater runoff management in the tropics.

Although biofilters and bioretention controls have been extensively studied and are encouraged as effective stormwater controls, there is remaining uncertainty concerning their long-term pe...

The need to develop a sustainable approach to stormwater management is rapidly becoming a priority as urban development and climate change alters urban hydrologic cycles. Green infrastructu...

Bioretention system is an effective way to solve the problem of urban water environment pollution. In this paper, the difficulty of the existing biological retention system to effectively remove dissolved heavy metals was studied. By comparing the adsorption effect of acid quartz sand filler layers with nano-hydroxyapatite (N-HAP), medical stone, nano-carbon, and biochar, the conclusion is drawn from the static and cylinder dynamic experiments that N-HAP has the best effect of removing Cu2+ and Zn2+, and the effect is long lasting. The scanning electron microscopy results showed that the N-HAP particles were rough and the surface was more rod-shaped, which increased the specific surface area of the N-HAP particles, promoted the complexation and electrostatic interaction of the additives and heavy metal solutions, and facilitated the adsorption of heavy metals. The research results help to improve the technology of filler matrix modification.

This study investigated the decontamination performance of a bioretention system using a sand-based filler constructed using sand and peat soil. The filler was constructed according to a simple proportioning method that considers water turnover time and organic content. Different inorganic constituents were added to the filler including zeolite, volcanic rock, coal slag, vermiculite and perlite to further improve the decontamination effect. Total suspended solids (TSS), total phosphorus (TP), ammonium nitrogen (

Bioretention systems and selection of effective filter media are very important in implementation of sponge cities. The current study was carried out to find proper composition of filter media using locally available materials, which acclimate to the special/local climate, environmental and geographical conditions in Yangtze River Delta region. Results revealed that sand with discontinuous gradation and containing a certain amount of clay led to unsatisfactory hydraulic performance (hydraulic conductivity ranged from 423 mm/h to 1,054 mm/h, and 1,500 mm/h to 29 mm/h). In contrast, a mixture of locally available sand, which consisted of continuous gradation of coarse sand (40–70%, by mass), fine sand (0–40%, by mass), very fine sand (10–60%, by mass) and nutrient soil (0–3%, by mass), had a hydraulic conductivity ranging from 200 to 400 mm/h and relatively stable structure. During the 70 days' flooding test, the hydraulic conductivity changed in the first 20 days due to the migration of particles (mainly

Bioretention, initially designed for treating discontinuous runoff pollution, faces considerable challenges in its trade-off between the hydraulic retention time (HRT) and its treatment capacity. In this study, six enhanced submerged media together with four HRTs were designed for bioretention cells to treat the highly nitrogenous river water in Tai lake basin in Yangtze River delta, China. Results revealed that bioretention with activated carbon has the highest removal of nitrate (NO3−-N) (93–96%) compared with surfactant-modified activated carbon (SMAC), surfactant-modified zeolite (SMZ), zeolite, fly ash and ceramsite. Although the SMAC had the best absorption for NO3−-N and could desorb NO3−-N when its concentration was low in the submerged layer, the desorbed surfactant could inhibit the growth of denitrifying bacteria, which leads to low removal efficiency (49–66%). The dynamic balancing of NO3−-N desorption and denitrifying system restrain in the SMAC device was observed and explained. The best activated carbon-gravel proportion in the submerged layer was 1:1 (150 mm). Such design could ensure the stable and efficient NO3−-N removal rate (93–94%) under high inflow concentration (28.9 mg/L) and high hydraulic loading (8.2 cm/h).

Bioretention cell (BRC) and an enhanced system combining bioretention cell with microbial fuel cell (BRC-MFC) were used to treat domestic wastewater. Nitrogen removal characteristics and permeation characteristics of two systems were investigated by adjusting influent carbon/nitrogen ratio (C/N = 2–20). Results showed that nitrification and denitrification performances were mainly influenced by organic matter and system combination, which further effected the nitrogen removal. When optimal operating parameters were: electrode space of 30 cm, hydraulic load of 1.0 m3/(m2·d) and inlet/reaction time of 1/8 in BRC-MFC system, chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen (TN) and NH4+ removal efficiencies still reached 97.63, 64, and 42.26%, respectively and achieved high removal efficiency of organic matter and nitrogen simultaneously compared to the BRC system. Efficient supply of electron and phylogenetic diversity of bacterial communities in BRC-MFC process was the main reason to achieve deep denitrification removal. After the V3-V4 variable region of 16S rRNA gene was sequenced by the Miseq high-throughput sequencing method, introduction of MFC enhancement technology affected the microbial community structure in the system. The presence of MFC contributed to an increase in community diversity (from 14 to 19 phyla). The results provide a simple method without kinetic energy for simultaneous denitrification and steady infiltration of bioretention.

Bioretention systems, which mimic natural hydrology and reduce volume of stormwater runoff, are a preferred solution for meeting water balance objectives, but lack of knowledge about the long-term performance of these systems hinders their wider adoption. This study was a field survey of mature (>3 years and up to 10 years post-construction) bioretention cells across Ontario, Canada. The survey involved visual inspections, determination of soil physical parameters and soil-water interaction parameters, infiltration capacity testing and synthetic drawdown testing. Results indicate that infiltration capacity remains above the recommended minimum of 25 mm/hr, likely due to high content soils and development of soil structure due to biological factors over time. The drawdown times for three sites ranged from 5 minutes to 6 hours, much less than the maximum allowed drawdown time of 24–48 hours. Ksat (saturated hydraulic conductivity) was only moderately negatively correlated with age, and where data existed on KSat at the beginning of operation, KSat improved for six out of nine sites. Soil-water interaction properties more closely resembled loam soils than sandy soils, which may be due to the development of a soil structure over time. We recommend conducting visual inspections regularly over infiltration capacity testing for quick determination of maintenance needs. HIGHLIGHTS Hydrology of bioretention continues to perform well over long-term (up to 10 years).; Media infiltration rates remain high and increased for 6/9 sites.; Drawdown times much faster than design.; Soil structure developed over time likely contributes to more water holding capacity available for plant uptake.

In this work, a silane modifier with benzyl substitutes (OFS-B) and linear substitutes (OFS-L) was used to modify bentonite clay and soil, and the results were characterized by Fourier transform-infrared absorption spectroscopy (FT-IR) and powder-X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. A contact angle analysis was performed to determine the wettability of modified clay and soil. The findings revealed that silane-modified OFS-L clay and soil produced wettable surfaces, while OFS-B exhibited hydrophobic properties. These clays and soils were used in a bioretention system for Cd (II) removal. In the study, seven different types of bioretention systems, including natural, OFS-L, and OFS-B modified clay and soil, as well as natural, OFS-L, and OFS-B modified soil, were applied to Cyperus alternifolius plants without an additional layer. The removal capacity of Cd (II) was measured in the following order: modified clay &gt, modified soil &gt, original clay/soil &gt, no layer, i.e., 99.48%, 92.22%, 88.10/78.5%, and 30.0%, respectively. OFS-L removed more Cd (II) than OFS-B during the modification. OFS-L now improves the bioavailability and accumulation of Cd (II) in the plant (18.5 µg/g) and has a higher chlorophyll-b concentration (1.92 mg/g fresh weight) than other systems. The wettable clay exhibited clay leaching into the various levels of the bioretention system. In the bioretention system, benzyl substituted clay prevented the penetration of water and formed a Cd (II) agglomeration. When compared to non-wettable modifiers, these results indicated that wettable clay material could be a capable material for removing Cd (II).

Stormwater biofilters and bioretention controls have been extensively studied and are commonly encouraged as effective stormwater controls. Most of these controls incorporate media to enhan...

This study was conducted to determine if soil indices for phosphorus availability can be applied to bioretention systems. We tested a broad range of composts and biosolids in combination wi...

Microbial transformation is a vital mechanism to internally treat nitrogen (N) within bioretention cells (BRCs); nitrifying and denitrifying microorganisms are the main drivers of permanent nitrogen removal. The limited research of the characteristics of nitrifying and denitrifying microbes in different layers during dry periods has prevented further understanding of nitrogen behavior in bioretention cells. In this paper, high-throughput sequencing technology and qPCR were used to analyze the microbial community and the abundance of six functional genes in soil and water samples of a layered BRC. This study found that the microbial community structure of the gravel layer was distinguished from that of the other three layers. With the extension in the dry period, the amount of microbial species shared by all four layers increased, showing a convergent succession of microorganisms. The nitrification and denitrification functional genes mainly existed in the upper layer of the bioretention cell; in addition, the abundance of the functional genes in the sand layer increased after rainfall and peaked at about 24–48 h, after which the abundance decreased and became steady. Correlation analysis indicated that the abundance of nitrification and denitrification functional genes was significantly affected by TOC, ammonia nitrogen concentration and nitrate nitrogen concentration.

The traditional bioretention systems possess a remarkably low nitrogen and phosphorus removal effect. The removal rate fluctuates greatly, and even appears as negative removal of nitrogen and phosphorus. Four simulated bioretention experimental columns with different bilayer media, packing composition and structure were constructed. Based on the traditional fillers, the modified composite fillers with hydroxy-aluminum and modified vermiculite sludge particle (HAVSP) were added. The traditional filler (C1) and the modified composite filler (C2) were added respectively, moreover saturated zones were set up to enhance the effect of nitrogen and phosphorus removal. Removal of nutrients from experimental columns by simulated runoff efficiency was evaluated and compared. In addition, the effect of media depth on phosphorus retention and denitrifying enzyme activity in bioretention columns was also evaluated. The experimental column #2 filled with C2 had the optimum removal effect on TP (93.70%), however, the removal effect of TP by filling C1 experimental columns was insufficient (57.36%). Designed to remove nitrate (NO3−-N) and total nitrogen, the experimental column #4 showed the best performance (83.54% and 92.15%, respectively). In this study, we propose a fold-flow bioretention system by filling HAVSP in combination with saturated zones. The runoff water quality can be effectively improved, and a new bioretention cell configuration can be provided for efficient stormwater treatment. HIGHLIGHTS Proposing a novel bioretention system by installing a fold-flow board and combining with saturated zones.; Filling hydroxy-aluminum vermiculite sludge particle and setting a bilayer filler inside the structure of the bioretention system.; Evaluating the effect of media depth on phosphorus retention and denitrifying enzyme activity in bioretention columns.

Low impact development (LID) practices are able to mitigate the detrimental effects of urbanization and climate change due to their salient design features. LID can restore the hydrology of urban areas to the pre-development functions by using distributed stormwater control and natural hydrological features. LID can help to achieve the goal of sustainable development as it promotes effective urban stormwater management. This review covers a comprehensive list of LID practices, namely bioretention cell, green roof, infiltration trench, permeable pavement, rain barrel or cistern, rooftop disconnection and vegetative swale. For each type of the LID, the recent advances covering the aspects of principles, design, performance, advantages and disadvantages and costs are systematically reviewed. Additionally, although LID has been quite broadly applied and demonstrated success in urban stormwater management in many countries, there are still some main challenges during the implementation such as clogging and water quality. Meanwhile, this review also highlights the great opportunities for further developments for LID practices to realize their wider practical application. Finally, future research directions are provided in order to give critical insights into potential future works to advance this field of research.

Using the USEPA’s Storm Water Management Model version 5.1.012 (SWMM), a case study of a street right-of-way bioretention system (ROWB) configured as a storage node is compared against SWMM...

Bioretention systems are a popular type of Sustainable Drainage System (SuDS). However, their largest single component, the fill media, is often a non-sustainably sourced material. This study evaluates a bioretention fill media comprising 100% recycled waste components. The fill media components come from multiple waste streams, quarry waste from the construction sector, crushed glass and green waste compost from domestic waste, and sugar-beet washings from the food processing sector. The hydraulically important physical characteristics of the recycled fill media were evaluated against reported literature examples of bioretention fill media, alongside UK and international guidance documentation. The particle size distribution of the recycled fill media was found to be unlike that seen in the literature and was also not compliant with the UK’s CIRIA ’The SuDS Manual’ guidance (d≥6 mm = 45% vs. 0% target). However, this did not result in any additional non-compliance, with laboratory-derived saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks=101 mm/h) and porosity (ϕ=44%) within recommended ranges (100≤Ks≤300 mm/h, ϕ&gt, 30%). SWMM was used to predict the performance of a bioretention system installed with the recycled fill media compared to UK guidance configured systems. It was found that the recycled fill media would have similar performance to a UK guidance compliant system, irrespective of its particle size distribution. Further work is required to validate the predicted performance of the recycled media.

Six bioretention filter columns were designed to study the effects of the bioretention system on surface runoff reduction through rainfall simulation water distribution experiments, and the relationship between the physicochemical properties of contaminated fillers and microbial community structure was analyzed. Results show that (1) the water volume and load reduction effect of traditional bioretention soil media (BSM) + 5% water treatment residue (WTR) was better than that of traditional bioretention soil media; (2) soil moisture content (SMC), carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, Cd, and Cu increased after the water distribution test, while the change of Zn in the filter columns varied; (3) species richness decreased after the experiment. In terms of microbial community structure, the top 10 dominant phyla did not change. At the genus level, Arthrobacter replaced Sphingomonas as the most abundant flora after the experiment; (4) the effects of the physicochemical properties of contaminated fillers on microbial community structure in terms of pH were not clear, but total organic carbon(TOC), total phosphorus(TP), and SMC greatly influenced the microbial community structure, while the influence of heavy metals on the relative abundance at the phylum and genus levels was not uniform.

The FullSWOF-ZG (Full Shallow Water Overland Flow with infiltration determined by Zones and Grate-inlet submodules) program was used to simulate the road-bioretention (RB) stripe and evaluate the performance of the RB stripe with three types of curb inlet. The program was revised from the open-source FullSWOF-2D program and the validation results indicated FullSWOF-ZG predicts the RB stripe performance accurately. The model cases of 27 RB with different longitude slopes (S0), cross slopes (Sx), and curb inlet lengths (Lci) for the undepressed, composite depressed, and local depressed curb inlets were established in this study. Therefore, 81 cases in total were simulated to explore the curb inlet type and design parameter’s influence on the RB stripe performance. Overall, it was found that the bioretention control efficiency will increase with the S0 decrease, Sx increase, and Lci increase. The composite depressed curb inlet was the most efficient to intercept the road runoff into the bioretention strip, the next best is the local depressed curb inlet, and the undepressed curb inlet was the least efficient. The curb inlet and grate inlet combination in composite depressed curb inlet cases were able to deal with all the road surface runoff for the small longitudinal slope (S0 = 0.1% and 0.3%) to relieve the road local flood inundation.

Green stormwater infrastructure (GI) imitates the hydrology of undeveloped land to mediate the impacts of stormwater runoff, but research is lacking that characterizes the performances of d...

Green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) is increasingly used to reduce stormwater input to the subsurface stormwater network. This work investigated how GSI interacts with surface runoff and stormwater structures to affect the spatial extent and distribution of roadway flooding and subsequent effects on the performance of the traffic system using a dual-drainage model. The model simulated roadway flooding using PCSWMM (Personal Computer Stormwater Management Model) in Harvard Gulch, Denver, Colorado, and was then used in a microscopic traffic simulation using the Simulation of Urban Mobility Model (SUMO). We examined the effect of converting between 1% and 5% of directly connected impervious area (DCIA) to bioretention GSI on roadway flooding. The results showed that even for 1% of DCIA converted to GSI, the extent and mean depth of roadway flooding was reduced. Increasing GSI conversion further reduced roadway flooding depth and extent, although with diminishing returns per additional percentage of DCIA converted to GSI. Reduced roadway flooding led to increased average vehicle speeds and decreased percentage of roads impacted by flooding and total travel time. We found diminishing returns in the roadway flooding reduction per additional percentage of DCIA converted to GSI. Future work will be conducted to reduce the main limitations of insufficient data for model validation. Detailed dual-drainage modeling has the potential to better predict what GSI strategies will mitigate roadway flooding.

Bioretention systems for collecting, filtering, and treating pollutants (e.g., heavy metals) in stormwater runoff have recently attracted increased attention from the scientific community. ...

A year-long bioretention container study in Maryland, USA, measured the relationship between three plant species (Eutrochium dubium, Iris versicolor, and Juncus effusus) and N ( NO3- , NO2- , NH4+ , total nitrogen [TN], total dissolved nitrogen [TDN], dissolved organic nitrogen, particulate organic nitrogen [PON]) and total phosphorus (TP) removal from synthetic stormwater. Statistically significant removal was only found for NO3- and TP. Plant-independent NO3- removal occurred 9 months after planting, and then changed to removal only by the least-densely planted Juncus treatment. Removal in higher-density Juncus plantings was suspected to be limited by preferential pathways created by high root density. Juncus' low-density NO3- removal success correlates with its high growth rate, root mass and length, and large biomass, matching previous literature. TP removal was plant-independent. Shoot harvesting of one plant of each species after 1 year would remove 0.61 g N. Of the plant species in this study, Juncus effusus is most highly recommended for bioretention for its nutrient removal dynamics and year-round green aesthetics. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Only the one-Juncus density treatment had significant NO3- removal. All Juncus treatments as well as non-Juncus treatments prevented the PON, TN, or TDN export seen in the No-plants control. TP removal was plant-independent. Juncus had the greatest biomass increase and biomass N. Shoots contain the majority of biomass N for each plant species. Juncus and Iris had high survivorship. Joe Pye had low survivorship. These, and all other study results, need field-scale verification.

Bioretention systems have been found to be potential candidates for the removal of various pollutants/nutrients from rainfall or stormwater runoff. Despite bioretention has been widely developed for the removal of nutrients from stormwater, effective removal of both phosphorus and nitrogen is still a challenge. Hence, in this study, bioretention systems modified by alkaline solid waste media have been reported for the effective removal of nutrients. Six different types of solid wastes were first assessed using leaching and adsorption tests, and then the bottom ash from a refuse incineration plant was selected as a modifier. The bottom ash was mixed with soil to form a special media as the filter layer in the bioretention systems. The nutrient removal efficiencies of the modified bioretention systems were evaluated and also compared with those of the unmodified control. For this purpose, the design of the modified filter media with a saturated zone was combined to enhance the simultaneous removal of nitrogen and phosphorus. The effect of different rainfall intensities and nutrient concentrations in stormwater runoff on the removal efficiency of nutrients was evaluated. The results indicated that the modified bioretention with bottom ash modified soil media and saturated zone could exhibit the excellent removal efficiency of nitrogen and phosphorus from stormwater runoff. The extent of removal of total nitrogen, total Kjeldahl nitrogen, and total phosphorus was found to be 58–70%, 66–82% and 82–97%, respectively. The performed correlation analysis showed that the bioretention cell using the special media could simultaneously enhance the removal of phosphorus and nitrogen. As a part of this study, the adsorption isotherms of phosphorus removal by the modified bioretention systems have also been determined. Finally, the implications and opportunities for deploying modified bioretention systems for optimizing water-energy nexus and stormwater management were illustrated. In overall, this study demonstrated that the modified bioretention systems could substantially enhance the removal efficiencies of nutrients from stormwater runoff.

Cities across the world are increasingly utilizing green infrastructure practices as part of their stormwater management programs. Bioretention areas have become a popular green infrastructure practice due to their widespread success in improving water quality and reducing runoff generated from impervious surfaces. Several studies have demonstrated that pollutant removal performance can be improved when plants are included in bioretention design; however, while numerous benefits of trees in urban areas have been identified, little knowledge of their contributions to stormwater management in green infrastructure currently exists. To address this need, a controlled mesocosm experiment was conducted to characterize the degree of stormwater treatment provided by bioretention columns planted with one of three native tree species commonly found across the eastern United States (Acer rubrum – red maple, Pinus taeda – loblolly pine, and Quercus palustris – pin oak). Tree pollutant removal performance was compared to nonvegetated mesocosms using a semi-synthetic stormwater mixture applied to the mesocosms over a period of 17 weeks. The hydrologic benefits of each species were characterized using data-logging scales placed below the mesocosms to compare evapotranspiration (ET) rates and drainage in each configuration. Differences in pollutant removal between tree species were largely not significant, indicating the dominant role of the bioretention media in mitigating dissolved and particle-bound constituents. Mesocosms planted with red maple (Acer rubrum) had significantly greater average ET rates (3.2 mm d−1) than all other configurations, attributable to plant development and increased growth and canopy size. All mesocosms planted with trees had significantly higher ET rates than the nonvegetated mesocosms, illustrating the role of transpiration in bioretention hydrology which, depending on species, accounted for 8.2–37.5% of average daily water losses from the mesocosms during testing. These results suggest that trees contribute to bioretention hydrology through evapotranspiration, and that significant differences between species exist and are likely related to growth rate.

Bioretention is an effective technology for urban stormwater management, but the nutrient removal in conventional bioretention systems is highly variable. Thus, a pilot bioretention column experiment was performed to evaluate the nutrient control of systems with commercial activated carbon and river sediment-derived biochar. Significant chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total phosphorus (TP) leaching were found with the addition of activated carbon and biochar, but total nitrogen (TN) leaching was significantly improved when activated carbon was used as the medium. During a semi-synthetic runoff experiment, the bioretention systems containing two types of fluvial biochar showed relatively better COD and TN control (average mass removal efficiencies and cumulative removal efficiencies) than commercial activated carbon. However, the average TP mass removal efficiency with commercial activated carbon (95% ± 3%) was significantly higher than biochar (48% ± 20% and 56 ± 14%). The addition of biochar in the media increased the nitrogen removal efficiency, and the addition of activated carbon significantly increased the phosphorous removal efficiency. Therefore, both biochar and activated carbon are effective materials for bioretention, and fluvial biochar provides an alternative approach to comprehensively utilize river sediment.

There is a need for enhanced guidance in siting distributed, infiltrative green infrastructure (GI) practices, especially in densely developed urban watersheds where retrofits come at a high cost. To maximize the hydrologic benefit of GI practices on urban streams, the disconnection of effective impervious areas (EIA), or those impervious areas hydraulically connected to the stormwater network, has been identified as a strategic management approach that is expected to have the greatest impact. The overall effect of full disconnection of spatially-identified EIA on watershed hydrology is uncertain because this type of full disconnection is rarely brought to full-scale implementation. In this study, spatial EIA identification is used to parametrize an urban runoff model using the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Storm Water Management Model (SWMM). The calibrated model is used to assess runoff reductions resulting from GI practices distributed through the watershed via different placement strategies, both spatially-informed and not. Full treatment of the spatially-identified EIA using bioretention cells was compared to two scenarios treating the same area of impervious surfaces, but with random placement either among all impervious areas or placement focused in areas of higher imperviousness. Model results indicate that substantially higher runoff reduction could be realized by targeting EIA, with a median runoff reduction of nearly 30% more than other treatment scenarios across storm events ranging from 1.27 to 20.7 mm using this strategic siting. Further improvements in optimizing distributed infiltrative GI practice placement are needed and targeting of spatially-identified EIA appears to be a viable method for increasing the hydrologic improvements realized through watershed scale implementations.

The intermittent nature of stormwater runoff impacts the treatment performance of biofilters, also known as stormwater biofiltration or bioretention systems and raingardens. During extended dry periods, which are common even in temperate climates, plants can perish, creating unattractive and non-functional systems that might leach pollutants during the next rainfall event. The current solution is to irrigate during long dry spells, which is costly and unsustainable as biofilters become more widespread. This paper presents the development of dual-mode biofilters, where stormwater and greywater are treated within the same system. Fifty columns, utilising eight plant species, including understory and climbing ornamentals, and designs with and without a carbon source in the submerged zone, were subjected to alternating greywater and stormwater inflows over five months. Six sampling events investigated treatment performance across these switching inflows and an extended dry period (atypical event). Good removal of total suspended solids (>83%), biochemical oxygen demand (>86%) and some heavy metals (e.g. lead >96%) were reported irrespective of design. Plant species selection was critical for the removal of nitrogen (2 to 79%) and phosphorus (12 to 75%) under dual-mode operation. However, following the extended dry period, plants with the lowest nutrient outflow concentrations also experienced some of the highest sediment and carbon concentrations, suggesting that a mixture of plant species may be beneficial for withstanding abnormal conditions. Differences between the treatment performance of designs with and without a carbon source were negligible, with potential benefits possibly negated due to the increased root mass that comes with age (systems were approximately two years old) and the release of carbon from root exudates. The results demonstrate the potential for dual-mode stormwater-greywater biofilters as an alternative to single-mode systems as they can provide effective treatment, along with greater volumes of treated water, while maintaining system performance throughout the year.

This review summarizes over 280 studies published in 2019 related to the characterization, control, and management of urban stormwater runoff. A summary of quantity and quality concerns is provided in the first section of the review, serving as the foundation for the following sections which focus on the control and treatment of stormwater runoff. Finally, the impact of stormwater control devices at the watershed scale is discussed. Each section provides a self-contained overview of the 2019 literature, common themes, and future work. Several themes emerged from the 2019 literature including exploration of substrate amendments for improved water quality effluent from stormwater controls, the continued study of the role of vegetation in green infrastructure practices, and a call to action for the development of new models which generate reliable, computationally efficient results under the physical, chemical, biological, and social complexity of stormwater management. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Over 280 studies were published in 2019 related to the characterization, control, and treatment of urban stormwater. Studies on bioretention and general stormwater characteristics represented the two most common subtopics in 2019. Trends in 2019 included novel substrate amendments, studies on the role of vegetation, and advancements in computational models.

Low impact development (LID) practices can mitigate adverse impacts of urbanization on hydrology and water quality by using decentralized designs to control stormwater runoff at the source. Most previous research has focused on LID impacts on stormwater runoff with little consideration given to baseflow or road salt pollution. This study describes a modeling approach to assess how effectively retrofitted LID technologies can reduce salt contamination. The model coupled the curve number approach with completely mixed reservoirs to simulate watershed hydrology and solute transport. The model was tested in Boone Creek Watershed (BCW), an urban headwater watershed in the Southern Appalachians. The model proves able to capture daily stream discharge and stream chloride (Cl−) concentrations satisfactorily. The model simulation with and without LID showed LID can decrease surface runoff and increase recharge, baseflow, and interflow. Furthermore, LID led to increased Cl− load in baseflow, interflow, and recharge. Cl− load in runoff and maximum stream Cl− concentration decreased when LID is implemented. The model was run with retrofitting scenarios of various LID practices including pervious pavement, swales, rain gardens/cisterns, bioretention systems, green roofs, disconnecting conveyances from impervious surfaces, and all LID practices combined in BCW. Implementing LID reduced storm runoff by 0.21–27.8% and increased groundwater recharge by 0.05–6.26%. Mean stream Cl− concentrations stayed unchanged while the maximum stream Cl- concentration decreased by 0.03–4.78% after LID practices were implemented. The results also suggest that pervious pavement might be the best retrofitting option, particularly in commercial and high-density residential areas in BCW and other similar urban watersheds. Overall, our study suggests that LID practices could mitigate stream salt contamination by dilution from enhanced groundwater recharge. Our study further suggests this model could be used as a quick screening tool to determine an effective strategy for implementing LID practices in urban areas.

To mitigate the harmful effects of stormwater runoff, many cities in the United States are constructing green stormwater infrastructure (GSI), yet the varied perceptions of GSI by local municipal m...

Bioretention can reduce surface runoff, slow down peak flow, and delay peak time by increasing the infiltration capacity of the underlying surface. The media structure directly affects the performance of bioretention systems. Four pilot tanks with different media configuration were built, and hydraulics and water volume reduction were studied though intermittent, simulated storm events. The results showed that water volume and peak flow reduction rate were the most stable and efficient for #1 (fly ash mixing sand, 1:1 by volume) than other systems, which were 58.6–67.9% and 72.0–86.4%, respectively. Partial least squares regression (PLS) was used to build a model for the relation between water volume reduction rate and its influencing factors (R2 = 0.76), and the factors that influence bioretention water volume reduction were ranked from strongest to weakest as follows: infiltration rate (IR) > submerged area height (SAH) > inflow volume (IV) > antecedent dry time (ADT). In addition, volume reduction rate exhibited a positive correlation with ADT and SAH, and a negative correlation with IR and IV. Three water transfer simulations with different infiltration rates were conducted using HYDRUS-1D under designed inflow conditions, and the minimum relative error is obtained for #1.

A column study was conducted to test the ability of bioretention soil mixtures (BSMs) to remove nutrients, metals, and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from stormwater collected from an urban highway. Infiltration rate, plant growth response, and turbidity of the effluent were also measured. The BSMs were made from a range of types and rates of composts and additional materials such as water treatment residuals, sawdust, and oyster shells. Sand was used as a control. Total N and P in stormwater measured 1.8 ± 1 and 0.08 ± 0.03 mg L. All treatments were a source of these nutrients. Metal concentrations in the stormwater were low, with mean Cu and Zn concentrations of 39.8 ± 19.1 and 173 ± 113 μg L, and Cd and Pb close to detection limits. All treatments absorbed Cu and Zn from stormwater with varying levels of removal efficiency. The three treatments tested removed 84 to 100% of the PAHs from the stormwater. In general, contaminant removal (N, P, and Zn) efficiency was not related to infiltration rate, with a slight decrease in Cu removal efficiency observed with increased infiltration rate ( = 0.32). These results indicate that the BSMs tested were a source of nutrients but were generally effective at removing metals and PAHs from stormwater.

Land cover changes associated with urbanization produce hydrological alterations, which often diminish infiltration, leading to increased runoff volumes, peak flows, and greater need for pollution control. A number of urban “green infrastructure” best management practices (BMPs) have been designed to capture and contain stormwater runoff near the source. Although implementation of such practices has slowly increased, lack of evidence about their effectiveness in reducing the quantity and improving the quality of stormwater runoff may still limit the degree to which they are implemented. The objectives of this study were to assess performance of three types of urban stormwater BMPs by measuring their soil characteristics, infiltration rates, runoff reduction, and water quality parameters compared to adjacent contributing areas. Three types of practices—bioretention cells, native landscaping (reconstructed prairie areas), and three-zone vegetated riparian buffers located in Ames and Ankeny, Iowa—were assessed by conducting infiltration tests and collecting soil and water samples. For the biocells in particular, practice surface areas were smaller in relation to their contributing areas than is recommended in current design criteria. On average, the bioretention cells and the buffers9 wooded zones had significantly lower soil bulk densities, higher infiltration rates, and smaller runoff volumes than those of contributing areas. Time-to-runoff was particularly high for bioretention cells. Infiltration characteristics of the native landscapes (reconstructed prairie) and buffer prairie zones we studied were not significantly different from those of the contributing areas. Total extractable hydrocarbon concentrations were elevated in the bioretention cells, while metals such as chromium (Cr) had greater concentrations in the contributing areas. Based on these findings, we recommend careful attention to sizing, particularly for biocells, and suggest routine incorporation of soil amendments (such as compost) to improve the performance of reconstructed prairie areas. Our findings also suggest that more widespread implementation of these source-control measures in retrofit of existing developments and/or in the design of newly urbanizing areas will be effective for reducing stormwater runoff volumes and improving water quality.