Metal accumulation and hydraulic performance of bioretention systems after long-term operation

Purpose

Stormwater bioretention systems are widely used to treat diffuse infiltration of runoff from paved surfaces and roofs. Substantial questions remain about the hydraulic performance and the accumulation of pollutants in systems over the long term. Data of metal accumulation of systems with operational times >10 years currently is limited. This study deals with the accumulation of metals in a variety of long-term operational bioretention systems (11–22 years) to derive further operation recommendations for the water authorities.

Materials and methods

The hydraulic conductivity of the bioretention systems in field was measured using a double ring infiltrometer. Media soil samples from 22 diverse designed systems were collected across the surface and at intervals up to a depth of 65 cm to determine the spatial accumulation of Zn, Cu, Pb and Cd. Leaching experiments of selected bioretention media soils were derived to assess the metal leachability by water.

Results and discussion

The hydraulic performance of most bioretention systems still met the technical guidelines of Germany even after long-term operation. Considerable metal accumulation occurred in the topsoil (0–20 cm). Median concentrations of all metals are highest at the soil surface (0–10 cm), decreasing with increasing depth. High concentrations were determined at the inflow points of the runoff waters, whereas concentrations at more than 1.5 m distance from the inflow were only slightly increased compared to the initial soil concentrations. Leachability tests have shown that most of the metals deposited in bioretention soils are only slightly water soluble. No concentrations exceeding the threshold values of the German Soil Contamination Ordinance for the pathway soil to groundwater could be determined.

Conclusions

The hydraulic conductivity of the bioretention systems is given even well after long-term operation. Most of the metal accumulation is concentrated in the top 20 cm; concentrations decrease rapidly and mostly reach background/initial concentrations after depths of 30 cm. The water-soluble metals are all below the trigger values of the German Soil Act. This underlines the strong retention capacity of long-term bioretention systems after long-term operational times.