2015ConferencepaperBribieLakesACaseStudy

See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: Lakes: A Case Study in using FloatingWetland Treatment Systems to Treat UrbanRunoffCONFERENCE PAPER · OCTOBER 2015READS184 AUTHORS, INCLUDING:Christopher WalkerUniversity of the Sunshine Coast3 PUBLICATIONS 2 CITATIONS SEE PROFILEDarren DrapperDrapper Environmental Consultants6 PUBLICATIONS 112 CITATIONS SEE PROFILETerry LuckeUniversity of the Sunshine Coast63 PUBLICATIONS 151 CITATIONS SEE PROFILEAll in-text references underlined in blue are linked to publications on ResearchGate,letting you access and read them immediately.Available from: Terry LuckeRetrieved on: 05 March 2016BribieLakes:ACaseStudyinusingFloatingWetlandTreatmentSystemstoTreatUrbanRunoffMichaelNielsenManagerofAnalyticalServices,UniversityoftheSunshineCoast,FacultyofScience,Health,EngineeringandEducation,SippyDowns,QueenslandAustraliaE-mail:[e-mail]onmentalManager,CoveyAssociatesPtyLtd,Maroochydore,QueenslandAustraliaAdjunctSeniorLecturer,UniversityoftheSunshineCoast,SchoolofScienceandEngineering,SippyDowns,QueenslandAustraliaE-mail:[e-mail]ndDevelopment,SPELEnvironmentalPtyLtd,CarolePark,QueenslandAustraliaE-mail:[e-mail]er,UniversityoftheSunshineCoast,SchoolofScienceandEngineering,SippyDowns,QueenslandAustraliaE-mail:[e-mail]978-1-922107-67-1AbstractFloatingWetlandTreatmentSystems(FWTS)havethepotentialtoprovidesignificantlygreaterstormwaterpollutionremovalratesperunitareacomparedtoconstructedwetlandsorothertreatmentsystems.AsFWTSdonotrequireadditionalearthworksorlanduptake,theycanalsoofferthisincreasedpollutionremovalperformanceatsignificantlylowercosts.Inaddition,theuseoffloatingwetlandsinstormwaterretentionpondsdoesnotaffecttheirhydrologicalprocessesorperformance.ThispaperdescribesaninnovativeresearchstudycurrentlyunderwayonBribieIslandinQueensland,Australiatoevaluatetheperformanceofafloatingwetlandsystemusedtotreatthestormwaterrunofffroma10haurbancatchment.Theexperimentaldesignofthestudyisuniqueonanumberoflevels.Firstly,theexperimentaldesignofthestudyallowstheperformanceofthenewfloatingwetlandsystemtobemonitoredandanalysedduringstormevents.Theexperimentaldesignalsoincorporatesanarrayofimpermeablebaffleswhichdirectsallofthestormwaterrunoffthroughthefloatingwetlands,eliminatingtheshort-circuitingproblemsexperiencedinpreviousstudies.Thisapproacheffectivelymakesthefloatingwetlandanon-linetreatmentsystem.Thissetupenablesreal-timewatersamplingtobeaccuratelyundertakentoevaluatethepollutionremovalperformanceofthesystemPreviousstudyresultssuggestthatFWTSareeffectiveinremovingpollutantswheninflowpollutantconcentrationsaresufficientlyhigh.However,aswithalltreatmentsystems,theefficacyisreducedwheninfluentpollutantconcentrationsarelow.PreliminarystudyresultsindicatethatthecatchmentrunoffpollutantconcentrationsaresignificantlylowerthanthoseexpectedforQueenslandurbancatchments.Thishasthepotentialtosignificantlyaffectthestudyresults.Thispaperdiscussestheseandotherstormwatermonitoringissues.BribieLakes:ACaseStudyinusingFWTStoTreatUrbanRunoffNielsen2015WSUD&IECANielsen,Walker,Drapper&Lucke2of91.INTRODUCTIONWaterSensitiveUrbanDesign(WSUD)hasbecomeaprominentapproachtomanagingandmitigatingtheeffectsofurbanrunoff.TwokeyprinciplesofWSUDaretointegrateurbanplanningandstormwatermanagementpracticestoprotectandconservetheurbanwatercycleandensuringthaturbandevelopmentsaresensitivetonaturalhydrologicalandecologicalprocesses.Constructedwetland,bioretentionandothervegetated/detentionsystems(e.g.vegetatedswalesandsedimentbasins)havebeentheprincipalapproachesusedtotreatstormwaterrunoff,thoughinrecentyears,proprietarydevices(e.g.grosspollutanttrapsandfiltercartridges)havealsobeenintegratedintotreatmentstrategies.ThispaperdescribesaresearchstudythatisunderwayinSEQtoassessthepotentialforfloatingwetlandtreatmentsystems(FWTS)tobeanewmeansoftreatingurbanrunoffinAustraliaFWTShavebeenusedinaquaticenhancementprojectsforover20yearsinternationallytotreateffluentandtoprovideand/orimprovewaterhabitats(BurgessandHirons,1992;Kerr-Upaletal.,2000;HeadleyandTanner,2008;Sukiasetal.,2011).AnumberofearlyFWTSprovidedhabitatforaquaticwaterfowl(Kerr-Upaletal.,2000),whileotherprojectsfocusedontheremovaloftotalsuspendedsolids(TSS)pollutantsfromminetailings(BurgessandHirons,1992;SmithandKalin,2000).FWTSsimulatethenaturallyoccurringwatertreatmentprocessesthattakeplaceinnaturalfloatingwetlandislands.Naturalfloatingwetlandsdevelopwhenlargequantitiesoffloatingorganicmatter,sediment,andwetlandplantscombinetoformabuoyantisland.Thisprovidesanidealsurfaceforrootedmacrophytespeciesplantstogrow.ArtificialFWTSaresupportedbyafloatingmedium,typicallycomprisedofwovenplastic,matting,orfibreglass,whereplantrootsgrowdirectlyintothewatercolumn,similartoahydroponicsystem.Astheplantrootsgrowthroughthefloatingmediumandintothewaterbelow,theyprovideanextensives