Assessment of Total Suspended Solids and Total Phosphorus Removal by Wetlands and Best Management Practices in Lincoln, Nebraska

Authors

Deborah Marik, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Date of this Version

Fall 2018

Abstract

The availability and quality of local surface and ground water, as well as water in the world’s oceans is essential to all. Urbanization brings with it changes in landscape that decreases soils capacity for infiltration of rain, and increase contaminants found in runoff conveyed to surface waters including oceans. Stormwater runoff occurs with small to large size rain events, flowing over a diverse range of impermeable surfaces removing and carrying with it total suspended solids (TSS) and total phosphorus (TP). For these reasons, best management practices (BMPs) were developed, and integrated into existing and future development. The objective is to identify what forms of wetlands and BMPs are used in Lincoln, Nebraska for stormwater management; assessing effectiveness in treatment of stormwater runoff. This assessment will examine the use of BMPs in preventing or reducing runoff by increasing infiltration of rainwater into soil, and investigate the efficiency of wetlands and BMPs in removing TSS and TP. Finally, it will evaluate the influence of flow rate on the effectiveness of wetlands and BMPs water adsorption rate.