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Multiyear Water Quality Performance and Mass Accumulation of PCBs, Mercury, Methylmercury, Copper, and Microplastics in a Bioretention Rain Garden
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Researchers conducted a multiyear study of a bioretention rain garden near San Francisco Bay and found it effectively reduced concentrations of PCBs, mercury, methylmercury, copper, and microplastics in stormwater runoff, though mass accumulation of contaminants in the rain garden substrate increased over time.
A multiyear water quality performance study of a bioretention rain garden located along a major urban transit corridor east of San Francisco Bay was conducted to assess the efficacy of bioretention rain gardens to remove pollutants. Based on data collected in three years between 2012 and 2017, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and suspended sediment concentrations (SSCs) were reduced (>90%), whereas total mercury (Hg), methylmercury (MeHg), and copper (Cu) were moderately captured (37%, 49%, and 68% concentration reduction, respectively). Anthropogenic microparticles including microplastics were retained by the bioretention rain garden, decreasing in concentration from 1.6 particles/L to 0.16 particles/L. Based on subsampling at 50- and 150-mm intervals in soil cores from two areas of the unit, PCBs, Hg, and MeHg were all present at the highest concentrations in the upper 100 mm in the surface media layers. Based on residential screening concentrations, the surface media layer near the inlet would need to be removed and replaced annually, whereas the rest of the unit would need replacement every 8 years. The results of this study support the use of bioretention in the San Francisco Bay Area as one management option for meeting load reductions required by San Francisco Bay total maximum daily loads, and provide useful data for supporting decisions about media replacement and overall maintenance schedules.
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Microplastics in Field-Installed Bioretention Systems: Vertical Distribution and Retention from Stormwater
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Scientists tested rain gardens (special planted areas that filter stormwater runoff) to see if they can trap tiny plastic particles that wash off city streets and parking lots. They found these systems do catch microplastics before they reach rivers and drinking water sources, with most plastic pieces getting trapped deep in the soil layers. This research suggests that installing more rain gardens in cities could help reduce the amount of microplastics that end up in our water supply.
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Researchers investigated how polyethylene microplastics interact with heavy metals in bioretention cells designed to treat stormwater runoff. They found that microplastics bind to heavy metals and influence their movement through the water-soil-plant system, affecting overall pollutant removal efficiency. The study provides important insights into how the co-presence of microplastics and metals in urban runoff complicates green infrastructure performance.
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Researchers evaluated a pilot rain garden facility with 13 bioretention filters incorporating sorbent materials including waste-to-energy bottom ash, biochar, and Sphagnum peat mixed with sandy loam, testing their ability to remove microplastics from highway stormwater over 48 months using pyrolysis-GC/MS analysis. They found that the innovative filters effectively reduced microplastic concentrations across all 13 target polymers, with polyisoprene and styrene-butadiene rubber among the highest-concentration contaminants in the stormwater inflow.
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Researchers investigated plastic pollution in urban stormwater bioretention systems and found these green infrastructure features both accumulate microplastics from road runoff and risk leaching plastic particles into groundwater, raising concerns about their role as pollution pathways.
Field assessment of engineered bioretention as microplastics sink through site characterization and hydrologic modeling
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A field study of bioretention cells — garden-like stormwater filters used in green infrastructure — found that their soils contained 7 to 10 times more microplastics than background soils, with polypropylene and polyethylene dominating. This confirms that bioretention systems are effective at capturing microplastics from urban runoff, but it also raises questions about what happens to the accumulated plastic over time and whether it eventually leaches back into groundwater.
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