Foating Wetlands Remove Nitrogen and Phosphorus from Gainesville, Florida Stormwater Pond

Pictured below is the  Floating Wetland in Tumblin Creek Park, Gainesville, Florida.  The system is fashioned around a 53mm recycled PPE platform - and contains Florida Native Aquatic plants.

The root mass below the platform cleans water with a variety of mechanisms, including - expansive root system surface area for microbes to digest nutrients, and for the plants themselves to uptake the nutrients and sequester in upper leaf biomass.  The biomass is then harvested annually.

University of Florida scientists are studying the platforms to determine the efficiency of the systems and test results are extremely positive.  Call Kevin for more information today!

Launching 3 Floating Wetlands at UF - Floating Wetlands and Clean Water

Launching 3 ACF Floating Wetlands in Gainesville March 2010

Click the above link for the video!

Seattle's New Streetside Stormwater Designs

Great article here - click here -  on using roadside swales & wetlands for stormwater treatment. 

Also be sure to check out the design guidelines found on the second page of the article.  Excellent resource! 

Importance of Capturing the First Flush of Stormwater - Florida's Stormwater

Here is a picture of the stormwater ditch running alongside Dean Road in Jacksonville, Florida last week after a short rainfall event - probably less than one half inch total.  Notice the obvious oil and grease sheen across the surface of the water.  The distance from the particular spot the photo was taken to the St. Johns River tributaries is very short - less than a mile.

Capturing the first flush of stormwater running off any road or street is crucial.  Modular Wetlands and streetside landscaping are excellent ways to employ plants in preventing pollution.

Most of us don't realize how much the first flush carries into our stormsystems.  Intercepting the pollution at the source is important.

Nutrients in Stormwater - Article from the Miami Herald

Many views exist on nutrients in stormwater - the causes, the solutions, the impacts and more.  I believe it is always good to read and understand different perspectives.   The Miami Herald Article here contains many thoughts - and depending upon how the reader makes his or her livelihood and their respective eco-political views - they may or may not agree.

Miami Herald Article - NEW EPA WATER RULES WORTH EVERY PENNY

However, we here in Florida will be faced with a new statewide Unified Stormwater Rule this year and/or EPA's version of the same.

As Floridians, we should take the time to understand the factors contributing to how our rivers and lakes and waterbodies became the focus of environmental attention, and become proactive in keeping our natural resources in a healthy state - leave our planet a better place than when we arrived.

Environmental responsibility and clean water - lets all do our part - beginning wiht uinderstanding the issues...

Kevin

Curbs and Stormwater - Options for Swale Treatment

During a meeting in Orange Park, FLorida this morning a senior PE expressed her dismay at Landscape Architectural review by cities and municipalities and the requirement for curbs.

Acknowledging safety issues, those involved in the discussion all agreed ways of routing stormwater directly into swales for quality and quantity treatment was an important part of sustainable stormwater BMP design.

Having read the recent article on how Philadelphia is proposing to use stormwater for urban landscape irrigation (great article) - I mentioned the program and passed along the link to the resource.

I am always looking at the design of new plant-based stormwater technologies and whenever I happen across the successful integration of landscape and stormwater I take pictures and share here on the blog.

The photos here are of the stormwater treatment system in the UNF visitors parking lot adjacent the nature center. Stormwater flows from the parking lot, interestingly adjacent to an ADA ramp into a curb lined swale within the interior of the parking lot. The stormwater both infiltrates into the ground under the swale and flows down-gradient into a central landscape island doubling as a pond.

Curb cuts along the gradient allow stormwater to enter the swale from the asphalted parking lot.

One idea for carrying the design to the next level would be the installation of a non-woven geosynthetic wrapped underground volume storage system under the swale. OF course, groundwater levels dictate the quantity of underground storage, however I have seen systems with H-20 loading capabilities (Atlantis Drain Cell) that are only 2" in thickness - ranging up to several feet (stackable).

Stormwater, Landscape and Parking combined - the new paradigm in site design.

Kevin

Stormwater Brings Beauty - Cypress & Stormwater Treatment

The above Stormwater Pond was constructed and planted in 1996 and is celebrating 13 years of existence. The cypress were about three years old when planted so they are approximately 16 years old now. Cypress was chosen due to a low leaf litter rate (it is one of my favorite trees), its ability to withstand drought and floods, & because Florida's wildlife utilizes the tree for food and shelter.

When we looked at the site initially there were no wetlands or native water sources available - no surface water or groundwater to hydrate a constructed wetland. During design the team integrated a system that allows enough water to be conserved in the pond to allow for wetland plant establishment and provide an anaerobic environment capable of allowing denitrification.

The site here is downtown Tallahassee near the corner of Park Avenue and Magnolia Drive - the City of Tallahassee allowed the developer more site development density in exchange for a created wildlife habitat - the new paradigm in site development - combination of landscape and stormwater.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, however I'd say this small cypress wetland provides wonderful landscape beauty along with habitat where habitat is needed and especially clean water! With the new Florida Unified Stormwater Rule coming up soon, maybe more and more of these created wetlands will be built, serving to remove pollutants and nutrients, clean stormwater, provide habitat and a sense of place in the Urban Core.

Remember the Atlantis Mini RainTank when your site has a high groundwater level. The Mini-module or 'half RainTank" is only 9.36" in height yet holds a full 2.36 Cubic Feet of volume. Exfiltration systems are 'Green', recharging the surficial ground area with much needed water. Moreover, the Atlantis RainTanks are manufactured from post-consumer recycled material, making them environmentally friendly and 'LEED' compliant. Call ACF today to learn more. 800-448-3636.