Performance of experimental bioretention cells during the first year of operation

Detailed data on the long-term performance of bioretention cells (BC) for stormwater management are sparse. This research aimed at setting up and testing an infrastructure that will provide the data on hydrologic and chemical performance of BC. Two identical experimental BC’s were built. The monitoring methodology monitoring was developed and tested during a first growing season with the first BC supplied with natural rainfall, while the second BC was used for ponding experiments. Key layer of the BCs, a biofilter, was composed of sand, compost and topsoil. Both BCs are equipped with sensors monitoring the components of water balance and the water potential of the biofilter. High levels of total suspended solids were detected in the outflow. The runoff coefficient for the entire period of the growing season was 0.72 in the first BC and 0.86 in the second BC, while the peak outflow reduction for individual rainfall episodes ranged between 75% to 95% for the first BC and 19% to 30% for the second BC. Saturated hydraulic conductivity of the biofilter in the first BC decreased by two orders of magnitudes after the first year of operation. Retention curves of the biofilter changed due to material consolidation.