Influence of compost application rate on nutrient and heavy metal mobility: Implications for stormwater management.

Amending soils with compost has become increasingly common in stormwater management practices. Compost can be a source and sink for nutrients and heavy metals, and it is important to understand the effect of compost on pollutant leaching under different hydrologic conditions. The objectives of this study were (a) to quantify the distribution coefficient (Kd ) of PO4 -P and metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn) for compost-soil blends and (b) to examine how compost rate alters leaching patterns of nutrients (NH4 -N, NO3 -N, PO4 -P) and metals from compost-soil blends. Material consisted of a sandy loam subsoil, a yard-waste compost, and compost-soil blends at 20 or 50% compost by volume. Materials were tested in sorption-desorption experiments using simulated stormwater (SW); columns with the materials were also leached with either SW or deionized (DI) water. As compost rate increased, the Kd decreased for PO4 -P and Cr but increased for Cd, Cu, Ni, and Zn. The addition of compost reduced the sorption of PO4 -P and Cr, potentially making it a source of these pollutants. Simulated stormwater did not increase the amount of pollutants retained compared with DI water for compost blends, except for 100% compost columns. Nitrate was the only constituent that had a negative removal efficiency, suggesting the compost was a source of NO3 -N. Column media retained >70% of the metals from the added stormwater solution. These results suggest that yard-waste compost blends at ≤50% have the potential to retain certain pollutants from infiltrating stormwater, but this effect may decline after several storm events.

Reducing roadside runoff: Tillage and compost improve stormwater mitigation in urban soils.

Soils adjacent to urban surfaces are often impaired by construction activities that degrade the natural structure and function of the soil, resulting in altered physical, hydraulic, and vegetative properties that limit the infiltration, storage, and filtration of stormwater runoff. A management approach to enhance the efficacy of vegetated roadside soils for runoff control is the use of compost in conjunction with tillage to improve soil conditions and facilitate improved hydrological function, the establishment of vegetative biomass, and increased nutrient and pollutant attenuation. The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of soil improvement measures to reduce runoff volumes and improve water quality along roadsides over time. The effects of tillage with and without compost on 1) bulk density and infiltration rates, 2) runoff volumes, and 3) runoff water quality were evaluated during multiple storm events along two long-established interstate roadsides in North Carolina during 2015 and 2017. Experimental plots were established in the grassed areas adjacent to roads and consisted of an untreated control, tillage only, and tillage amended with compost. Tillage alone did not reduce runoff in roadside soils, however, tillage with compost did improve runoff capture. The patterns in hydrologic performance within and among sites suggests that the incorporation of compost in tilled soils may influence storage potential through different effects on soil properties, such as decreasing bulk density or improving vegetation establishment, thereby increasing evapotranspirative withdrawals, depending on soil texture. Tillage increased sediment concentrations in runoff, however, net export of sediments was reduced with the inclusion of compost due to the reduction of runoff quantities compared to undisturbed areas and tillage alone. Control and treatment plots were equally effective in reducing dissolved nutrient and metal concentrations, however, the improved hydrologic performance in plots with compost decreased net nutrient and metal export in most storms. The results of this study suggest that the incorporation of compost in compacted urban soils may provide significant improvements for biological and physical soil properties that affect stormwater interception and infiltration.

The effects of compost incorporation on soil physical properties in urban soils - A concise review.

Incorporation of compost into soil can significantly alter soil physical properties, nutrient dynamics, and vegetation establishment. Strategic compost application to disturbed, degraded urban soil may provide benefits to soil properties. This review compared twenty-five peer-reviewed studies that evaluated changes in soil bulk density, infiltration rate, hydraulic conductivity, and water retention where compost was incorporated into urban soils. A wide range of compost rates and incorporation depths were evaluated in these studies across many soil types. Compost incorporation generally reduced bulk density, enhanced infiltration and hydraulic conductivity, and increased water content and plant available water, compared to unamended controls. In the four studies on runoff water quality, compost incorporation often resulted in higher initial nutrient content in runoff water, but also enhanced grass growth and reduced sediment loss. Few studies evaluated multiple compost application rates or incorporation depths, and the ways in which compost application rates were reported varied widely between studies making it difficult to directly compare them. Four studies investigated the long-term effects of compost incorporation, and there was no clear pattern of why some soils display enhanced physical properties over time and others do not. Compost was largely reported to have a positive effect on degraded urban soils. Little research has focused on the longevity of compost in urban soils after one application, and thus, this would be a valuable topic of further investigation.

Hydrologic and water quality performance of two aging and unmaintained dry detention basins receiving highway stormwater runoff.

Dry detention basins (DDBs) are a type of stormwater control measure (SCM) designed to provide flood storage, peak discharge reduction, and some water quality improvement through sedimentation. DDBs are ubiquitous in the urban environment, but are expensive to maintain. In this study, two overgrown DDBs near Raleigh, NC, receiving highway runoff were monitored for up to one year to quantify their water quality and hydrologic performance. Both basins, B1 and B2, have not received vegetation maintenance since construction in 2007. Flow-weighted composite samples were collected during storm events and analyzed for nutrients (Total Phosphorus (TP), Ortho-phosphorus (OP), Ammonia-N (NH3), NO2-3-N (NOX), and Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (TKN)), total suspended solids (TSS), and total Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn. An annual water balance was also conducted to quantify runoff volume reduction. Despite low influent concentrations from the highway, significant removal efficiencies were found for all constituents except NH3 in B1. TP, OP, NOX, TSS, and Zn were reduced in B2. Both basins achieved greater than 41% volume reduction through soil infiltration and evapotranspiration, resulting in significant pollutant load reductions for all detected constituents, between 59% and 79% in B1 and 35% and 81% in B2. This study provides evidence that overgrown and unmaintained DDBs can reduce pollutant concentrations comparable to those reported for maintained DDBs, while reducing more volume than standard DDBs. Moreover, carbon sequestration likely increases while maintenance costs decrease.

Insights from using in-situ ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy to assess nitrogen treatment and subsurface dynamics in a regenerative stormwater conveyance (RSC) system.

Regenerative stormwater conveyance (RSC) is a recently developed stormwater control measure that marries the concepts of bioretention and stream restoration. RSC mitigates stormwater runoff by converting surface flow to subsurface seepage using a series of pools and riffles built over a sand media bed. Subsurface seepage flows through media and exits the RSC beneath the outlet weir. Previous studies on RSC pollutant mitigation have focused on surface flow discharges from the RSC. To date, no known research has been conducted on the potential pollutant contributions of RSC seepage, despite the fact that this water also enters receiving waters. This research used Multi-Point Sampling coupled with in-situ ultraviolet-visual spectroscopy to measure nitrogen in seepage during simulated storm events (n = 9) at a field-scale RSC in Raleigh, North Carolina. Calibrations between light absorbance and concentrations were acceptable (Nash-Sutcliffe coefficient > 0.65) for nitrate and total ammoniacal nitrogen (TAN) and very good (Nash-Sutcliffe coefficient > 0.90) for total Kjehdahl nitrogen (TKN). Early storm simulations revealed some initial nutrient flushing from the substrate, which subsided by the third simulation. Overall, subsurface seepage nitrate, TAN, and TKN concentrations were lower by 29%, 57%, and 4% relative to storm inflow concentrations, respectively. Computed subsurface nitrogen concentrations demonstrated temporal variability, highlighting dynamic transport and biogeochemical transformations in saturated and unsaturated conditions. Nitrogen concentrations were lower in seepage than in surface flow; however, due to the high volume of runoff converted to seepage, nitrogen loads discharged in seepage can be larger than those of surface flow. Further research is needed to examine subsurface pollutant reductions under varying hydrologic and seasonal conditions.

A multi-year study of tillage and amendment effects on compacted soils.

Constructing roads and buildings often involves removal of topsoil, grading, and traffic from heavy machinery. The result is exposed, compacted subsoil with low infiltration rate (IR), which hinders post-construction vegetation establishment and generates significant runoff, similar to impervious surfaces. Our goal was to assess tillage and adding amendments for improving density and maintaining perviousness of subsoils compacted during construction. The effects of tillage with and without amendments on (1) soil compaction, (2) IR, and (3) vegetative growth at five sites in North Carolina, USA were evaluated over a period of up to 32 months. The sites, representing a range of soil conditions, were located at three geographic regions; one in the Sandhills (located in Coastal Plain), one in the mountains, and three in the Piedmont. Amendments varied by site and included: (1) compost, (2) cross-linked polyacrylamide (xPAM), and (3) gypsum. Bulk density (BD) and soil penetration resistance (PR) tests were used to characterize soil physical condition. The IR was measured using a Cornell Sprinkle Infiltrometer. Vegetative growth was evaluated by measuring shoot mass and vegetative cover at all sites and root density at the Piedmont sites. Tillage decreased BD and PR compared to the compacted soil at four out of five sites for observations ranging from 24 to 32 months. Compost was applied to four sites prior to tillage and reduced BD in two of them compared to tillage alone. The IR in the tilled plots was maintained at about 3-10 times that of the compacted soil among the five sites over the monitoring periods. Adding amendments did not increase IR relative to tillage alone except at one Piedmont site, where compost and xPAM increased IR at 12 months and compost at 24 months after site establishment. Vegetative responses to tillage and amendments were inconsistent across sites. Results suggest that tillage is a viable option to reduce bulk density and increase infiltration for areas with compacted soils where vegetation is to be established, and that the effect is maintained for at least several years.

Acute toxicity of polyacrylamide flocculants to early life stages of freshwater mussels.

Polyacrylamide has become an effective tool for reducing construction-related suspended sediment and turbidity, which are considered to have significant adverse impacts on aquatic ecosystems and are a leading cause of the degradation of North American streams and rivers. However, little is known about the effects of polyacrylamide on many freshwater organisms, and prior to the present study, no information existed on the toxicity of polyacrylamide compounds to native freshwater mussels (family Unionidae), one of the most imperiled faunal groups globally. Following standard test guidelines, we exposed juvenile mussels (test duration 96 h) and glochidia larvae (test duration 24 h) to 5 different anionic polyacrylamide compounds and 1 non-ionic compound. Species tested included the yellow lampmussel (Lampsilis cariosa), an Atlantic Slope species that is listed as endangered in North Carolina; the Appalachian elktoe (Alasmidonta raveneliana), a federally endangered Interior Basin species; and the washboard (Megalonaias nervosa), a common Interior Basin species. We found that median lethal concentrations (LC50s) of polyacrylamide ranged from 411.7 to >1000 mg/L for glochidia and from 126.8 to >1000 mg/L for juveniles. All LC50s were orders of magnitude greater (2-3) than concentrations typically recommended for turbidity control (1-5 mg/L), regardless of their molecular weight or charge density. The results demonstrate that the polyacrylamide compounds tested were not acutely toxic to the mussel species and life stages tested, indicating minimal risk of short-term exposure from polyacrylamide applications in the environment. However, other potential uses of polyacrylamide in the environment (e.g., wastewater treatment, paper processing, mining, algae removal) and their chronic or sublethal effects remain uncertain and warrant additional investigation. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:2715-2721. Published 2017 Wiley Periodicals Inc. on behalf of SETAC. This article is a US government work and, as such, is in the public domain in the United States of America.

Simple systems for treating pumped, turbid water with flocculants and a geotextile dewatering bag.

Pumping sediment-laden water from excavations is often necessary on construction sites. This water is often treated by pumping it through geotextile dewatering bags. The bags are not designed to filter the fine sediments that create high turbidity, but dosing with a flocculant prior to the bag could result in greater turbidity control. This study compared two systems for introducing flocculant: passive dosing of commercial solid biopolymer (chitosan) and injection of dissolved polyacrylamide (PAM) in a length of corrugated pipe connected to the bag. The biopolymer system consisted of sequential porous socks containing a "charging agent" followed by chitosan in the corrugated pipe with two levels of dosing. The dissolved PAM was injected into turbid water at a flow-weighted concentration at 1 mg L(-1). For each treatment, sediment-laden turbid water in the range of 2000 to 3500 nephelometric turbidity units (NTU) was pumped into the upstream of corrugated pipe and samples were taken from pipe entrance, pipe exit, and dewatering bag exit. Without flocculant treatment, the dewatering bag reduced turbidity by 70% but the addition of flocculant increased the turbidity reduction up to 97% relative to influent. At the pipe exit, the low-dose biopolymer was less effective in reducing turbidity (37%) but it was equally effective as the high-dose biopolymer or PAM injection after the bag. Our results suggest that a relatively simple treatment with flocculants, either passively or actively, can be very effective in reducing turbidity for pumped water on construction sites.

Flocculated sediments can reduce the size of sediment basin at construction sites.

Due to stringent water quality regulations on stormwater discharges, there is increasing interest in chemically-assisted settling of suspended sediments at construction sites. This study investigated settling characteristics of flocculated sediment by polyacrylamide (PAM) in a top-loading settling tube. Studied sediment materials were obtained from construction sites in North Carolina, USA: Coastal Plain loamy sand (CPLS), Piedmont sandy clay loam (PSCL), Piedmont silt loam (PSL), and Mountain clay loam (MCL). The four different sediment suspensions mixed with and without dissolved PAM were introduced to the top of the column individually. During a 1-h settling period, samples were taken at 1-m depth from surface at various times and analyzed for total suspended solids (TSS). Flocculated sediment by PAM greatly increased its settled TSS fraction up to 95-97% only in 1-min settling period compared to those of unflocculated sediment (16-72%). The settling improvement by PAM was profound in the finer-textured soils (PSL and MCL) by increasing their median particle settling velocity (>2 cm s(-1)) compared to unflocculated counterparts (<1.1 cm s(-1)). Estimated surface area requirement of sediment basin suggested that the basins receiving flocculated sediment could be reduced in size (surface area) by 2- to 4-times compared to those receiving unflocculated sediment. Our results suggests that current sediment basin design could be modified when chemically-assisted settling is implemented, taking up less space and cost in construction sites.

Granular and Dissolved Polyacrylamide Effects on Erosion and Runoff under Simulated Rainfall.

Polyacrylamide (PAM) has been demonstrated to reduce erosion under many conditions, but less is known about the effects of its application method on erosion and concentrations in the runoff water. A rainfall simulation study was conducted to evaluate the performance of an excelsior erosion control blanket (cover) and two PAM application methods. The treatments were (i) no cover + no PAM (control), (ii) cover + no PAM, (iii) cover + granular PAM (GPAM), and (iv) cover + dissolved PAM (DPAM) applied to soil packed in wooden runoff boxes. The GPAM or DPAM (500 mg L) was surface-applied at a rate of 30 kg ha 1 d before rainfall simulation. Rainfall was applied at 83 mm h for 50 min and then repeated for another 20 min after a 30-min rest period. Runoff samples were analyzed for volume, turbidity in nephelometric turbidity units (NTU), total suspended solids (TSS), sediment particle size distribution, and PAM concentration. The cover alone reduced turbidity and TSS in runoff by >60% compared with the control (2315 NTU, 2777 mg TSS L). The PAM further reduced turbidity and TSS by >30% regardless of the application method. The median particle diameter of eroded sediments for PAM treatments was seven to nine times that of the control (12.4 µm). Loss of applied PAM in the runoff water (not sediment) was 19% for the GPAM treatment but only 2% for the DPAM treatment. Both GPAM and DPAM were effective at improving groundcover performance, but DPAM resulted in much less PAM loss.

Check dam and polyacrylamide performance under simulated stormwater runoff.

High levels of turbidity and fine suspended sediments are often found in stormwater discharges from construction sites even when best management practices (BMPs) for sediment control are in place. This study evaluated turbidity reduction by three check dam types: 1) rock check dam representing a standard BMP, 2) excelsior wattle representing a fiber check dam (FCD), and 3) rock check dam wrapped with excelsior erosion control blanket (rock + excelsior ECB) representing an alternative FCD. Three check dams (all same type) were installed in a lined, 24-m ditch on a 5-7% slope and three consecutive simulated stormwater flows were run in the ditch. Additional tests were performed by adding granular polyacrylamide (PAM) on the check dams in the same manner using two sediment sources differing in clay content. Without PAM treatment, significantly higher effluent turbidity (>900 nephelometric turbidity units (NTU)) exited the ditch with rock check dams than with excelsior wattles or rock + excelsior ECBs (<440 NTU). The extent of sediment deposition between the check dam types was in the order of excelsior wattle > rock + excelsior ECB > rock check dam, indicating better water pooling behind the wattle. The PAM treatment reduced turbidity substantially (>75% relative to no PAM treatment) for all check dam types and it was very effective in excelsior wattles (<57 NTU) and rock + excelsior ECBs (<90 NTU) even during the third storm event. This study demonstrates that the passive treatment of runoff with PAM on FCDs (or rock + excelsior ECB) in construction site ditches can be very effective for sediment retention and turbidity reduction.

Turbidimetric determination of anionic polyacrylamide in low carbon soil extracts.

Concerns over runoff water quality from agricultural lands and construction sites have led to the development of improved erosion control practices, including application of polyacrylamide (PAM). We developed a quick and reliable method for quantifying PAM in soil extracts at low carbon content by using a turbidimetric reagent, Hyamine 1622. Three high-molecular weight anionic PAMs differing in charge density (7, 20, and 50 mol%) and five water matrices, deionized (DI) water and extracts from four different soils, were used to construct PAM calibration curves by reacting PAM solutions with hyamine and measuring turbidity development from the PAM-hyamine complex. The PAM calibration curve with DI water showed a strong linear relationship ( = 0.99), and the sensitivity (slope) of calibration curves increased with increasing PAM charge density with a detection limit of 0.4 to 0.9 mg L. Identical tests with soil extracts showed the sensitivity of the hyamine method was dependent on the properties of the soil extract, primarily organic carbon concentration. Although the method was effective in mineral soils, the highest charge density PAM yielded a more reliable linear relationship ( > 0.97) and lowest detection limit (0.3 to 1.2 mg L), compared with those of the lower charge density PAMs (0.7 to 23 mg L). Our results suggest that the hyamine test could be an efficient method for quantifying PAM in environmental soil water samples as long as the organic carbon in the sample is low, such as in subsurface soil material often exposed at construction sites.