Wet season nitrogen export from a residential stormwater pond

PLoS One. 2020 Apr 1;15(4):e0230908. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0230908. eCollection 2020.

Abstract

Stormwater runoff is recognized as a cause of water quality degradation because it may carry nitrogen (N) and other pollutants to aquatic ecosystems. Stormwater ponds are a stormwater control measure often used to manage stormwater runoff by holding a permanent pool of water, which reduces the peak flow, magnitude of runoff volume, and concentrations of nutrients and pollutants. We instrumented the outlet of a stormwater pond in an urban residential neighbourhood in Florida, United States to (1) investigate the concentration and composition of N forms during the summer rainy season (May to September 2016), and (2) determine the bioavailability of organic N in the stormwater pond with a bioassay experiment. A total of 144 outflow water samples over 13 storm events were collected at the outlet of the stormwater pond that collects runoff from the residential catchment. Samples were analysed for various inorganic N [ammonium (NH4-N), nitrate (NO3-N)], and organic N forms [dissolved organic nitrogen (DON), and particulate organic nitrogen (PON)]. Flow-weighted mean concentration of total N (TN) in pond outflow for all collected storm events was 1.3±1.42 mg L-1, with DON as the dominant form (78%), followed by PON and NO3-N (each at 8%), and NH4-N (6%). In the bioassay experiment, organic N (DON+PON) was significantly decreased by 25-28% after 5 days of incubation, suggesting that a portion of the DON carried from the pond outflow to receiving water bodies may be bioavailable. These results suggest that efforts to mitigate stormwater N outflows from urban ponds should incorporate both inorganic and organic N in management plans.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Cyclonic Storms
  • Ecosystem
  • Environmental Monitoring / methods
  • Florida
  • Nitrates / analysis*
  • Nitrogen / analysis*
  • Ponds / chemistry*
  • Rain
  • Seasons
  • Urban Renewal
  • Water Movements
  • Water Pollutants, Chemical / analysis
  • Water Quality

Substances

  • Nitrates
  • Water Pollutants, Chemical
  • Nitrogen

Grants and funding

This project was funded by grants from Florida Department of Environmental Protection and Center for Landscape Conservation and Ecology of the University of Florida and by a PhD Fellowship to Jariani Jani from the Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia.” The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or presentation of the manuscript.