Efficiency of an infiltration basin in removing contaminants from urban stormwater

The efficiency of a Stormwater Infiltration Basin (SIB) to remove contaminants from urban stormwater was assessed in the current investigation. The SIB, installed in an urban suburb in eastern Sydney (Australia), was monitored over seven rainfall events to assess the removal efficiency of the remedial device for total suspended solids (TSS), nutrients (TP, TKN, Nox, TN), trace metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn), organochlorine pesticides and faecal coliforms (FC) from stormwater. The weighted average concentration (WAC) of TSS in the stormwater effluent from the SIB was reduced by an average of 50%, whereas the WAC of Cu, Pb and Zn were also reduced by an average 68%, 93% and 52%, respectively. However, the WAC of Cr, Fe, Mn and Ni displays either similar concentrations as the stormwater influent (Cr and Mn), or substantially higher concentrations (Fe and Ni), due possibly to leaching of fine-grained zeolite clay particles in the filtration bed. The mean removal efficiency of the SIB for total phosphorus (TP) and total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) was 51% and 65%, respectively. In contrast, the average WAC of oxidisable nitrogen (nitrate and nitrite nitrogen or Nox) is about 2.5 times greater in the effluent (1.34 ± 0.69 mg L-1) than in the incoming stormwater (0.62 ± 0.25 mg L-1). The WAC of total nitrogen (TN) was similar for stormwater at the in-flow and out-flow points. The SIB was very efficient in removing FC from stormwater; and the WAC of almost 70000 cfu (100 mL)-1 at inflow was reduced to <2000 cfu (100 Ml)-1 at the outflow, representing a mean removal efficiency of 96%. Due to the low concentrations of Cd, organochlorine pesticides and PAHs in the stormwater, it was not possible to assess the efficiency of the SIB in removing these contaminants.