Assessment of the Short and Long Term Effectiveness of Bioretention Cells Treating Paved Surface Runoff in Lenexa Kansas

Runoff from roads and parking lots can contain high levels of heavy metals, suspended solids, and organic contaminants. Mitigating the negative impact of these contaminants in storm water runoff has become a priority issue to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA). The City of Lenexa has developed an integrated systems approach to stormwater management that incorporates ecologically based treatment systems, including bioretention cells, to treat stormwater runoff. However, there is little available data showing the performance of these systems under hydrological, climate and meteorological conditions typically found in the Great Plains region. In this project, we will monitor the effectiveness of a bioretention cell located in Lenexa, KS at improving runoff water quality from a four-lane arterial road. This project will include monitoring of influent water quality to, and effluent water quality from, the bioretention cell and planting of sample plots of mixed wetland and upland vegetation on the cell surface. Additionally, we will conduct laboratory experiments at the bench and mesocosm scale to examine key aspects of bioretention cell performance, including the long-term effects of contaminant loading from the road runoff and the impact of different vegetative plantings on contaminant removal. This project will aid in determining strategies for the use of low-impact ‘best management practices’ in treating stormwater runoff from road and parking lots, in the development of guidelines for how to plant and maintain these systems, and in quantifying how this runoff can impact local receiving waters in the absence of treatment.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Sponsor Organizations:

  University of Kansas, Lawrence

  Transportation Research Institute
  2117 Learned Hall, 1530 W 15th Street
  Lawrence, KS  United States  66045
• Performing Organizations:

  University of Kansas, Lawrence

  Transportation Research Institute
  2117 Learned Hall, 1530 W 15th Street
  Lawrence, KS  United States  66045
• Principal Investigators:

  Young, Brian

  Peltier, Edward

• Start Date: 20080300
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• Source Data: RiP Project 16737

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Contaminants; Detention basins; Heavy metals; Research projects; Runoff; Water quality
• Uncontrolled Terms: Suspended solids
• Geographic Terms: Kansas
• Subject Areas: Highways; Hydraulics and Hydrology; I15: Environment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01460027
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: University of Kansas, Lawrence
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Jan 3 2013 1:17PM