SOUTHERN REGIONAL WATER RESOURCE PROJECT
PROJECT POOL PROPOSAL FORM
Program Team: Nutrient Management
Project Title: Low Cost Stormwater Treatment Structures Demonstration and Education
Requested Budget: $42,516
Project Leader (name, affiliation, mailing address, telephone, e-mail):
Amy L. Shober, University of Florida, IFAS, Gulf Coast REC, 14625 CR 672, Wimauma, FL 33598.
Phone: (813) 633-4150; Email: alshober@ufl.edu
Other Investigators and Collaborators (name, affiliation, mailing address, telephone, e-mail):
Chad Penn, Oklahoma State University, Department of Plant and Soil Science, 368 Agricultural
Hall, Stillwater, OK 74078. Phone: (405) 744-2746. Email: chad.penn@okstate.edu
Andrew Sharpley, University of Arkansas, Soil and Environmental Sciences Department, 115
Plant Science Building. Fayetteville, AR 72701. Phone:(479) 575-5721. Email:
sharpley@uark.edu
Gurpal Toor, University of Florida IFAS, Gulf Coast REC, 14625 CR 672, Wimauma, FL 33598.
Phone: (813) 633-4152; Email: gstoor@ufl.edu
Jason Warren, Oklahoma State University, Department of Plant and Soil Science, 368
Agricultural Hall, Stillwater, OK 74078. Phone: (405) 744-1721. Email:
jason.warren@okstate.edu
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JUSTIFICATION
Describe the relevance of the project to the Southern Regional Water Program.
Land managers face increased pressure to reduce non-point source nutrient pollution
originating from agricultural and urban land uses. Prevention of non-point source pollution in
impaired watersheds in the Southern Region is needed to comply with increased regulations to
protect water resources. For example, Florida land managers will soon be required to meet the
EPA numeric nutrient criteria values of total nitrogen and phosphorus for lakes, streams, and
water bodies. Agricultural and turf systems are known to be two major non-point sources of
nutrients to surface waters. This project seeks to: 1) demonstrate innovative, low-cost options
for reducing stormwater inputs of nutrients (mainly phosphorus) to surface water bodies from
agricultural and urban land uses (at the urban-rural interface) and 2) educate watershed
stakeholders (farmers and land managers) to reduce non-point source pollution using low-cost
options.
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OBJECTIVES
List the specific objective(s) of the project.
The objectives of this project are to:
1. Demonstrate the efficacy of low-cost treatment structures to capture nutrients from
stormwater runoff from three non-point sources: vegetable production, poultry
production, and turf.
2. Develop extension materials to describe the proper design, use and maintenance of
stormwater treatment structures.
3. Conduct field days at each treatment site to educate stakeholders about the use and
efficacy of stormwater treatment structures.
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METHODOLOGY
Briefly indicate how the project will achieve the objectives described above.
Objective 1: Demonstrate the efficacy of low-cost treatment structures to capture nutrients from
stormwater runoff from three land uses.
Structures will be constructed to capture stormwater runoff from three non-point sources: 1) a
commercial tomato farm (vegetable production) in Ruskin, FL; 2) a poultry house in Washington
County, AR; and 3) a large turf area situated at the urban-rural interface near Stillwater, OK.
Commercial Tomato Production Stormwater Treatment – Ruskin, FL
Geotextile bag filters will be used to remove nutrients (N and P) from stormwater runoff that is
carried via a suite of drainage ditches at a 400 acre commercial tomato production farm in
central Florida. Tomatoes at this site are irrigated using seepage irrigation, where the water
table is maintained between 18 and 24 inches deep by continuously providing water to the
lateral ditches. This method of irrigation is inefficient and can exacerbate runoff losses during
storm events. The geotextile bags will be filled with a mixture of materials including iron
humate (a by-product of titanium mining with a high P sorption capacity1) or another locally
available P sorption material (such as water treatment residuals). Bags will be stacked and
situated in a treatment train fashion to allow stormwater to be channeled and filtered through
several sets of filter bags. Samples will be manually collected at inflow and outflow channels
and analyzed for various organic and inorganic forms of N and P, and selected trace metals.
Poultry House Stormwater Reuse – Washington County, AR
Grassed waterways will be constructed to divert runoff from three poultry houses away from
streams into an excavated pond. Diverted stormwater will be reused as a source of water for
livestock or poultry houses. Ponds (NRCS Conservation Practice Code 378) have the potential to
effectively trap sediment and associated nutrients in runoff from agricultural lands. Dissolved P
as orthophosphate and dissolved inorganic N may be decreased by sorption to pond sediments
and biological uptake/denitrification, respectively. The collected stormwater will be analyzed
1
Leader, J.W., E.J. Dunne and K.R. Reddy. 2008. Phosphorus sorbing materials: Sorption dynamics and
physiochemical characteristics. Journal of Environmental Quality. 37:174-181.
monthly for P, N, and sediment as it enters the pond (inflow) and in the pond to determine the
nutrient/sediment trapping efficiency of the pond. Stormwater runoff from two additional
poultry houses will also be monitored as an untreated control. Flow monitoring equipment will
be installed at the pond overflow to measure any discharge during extremely wet periods of the
year (outflow).
Turf Stormwater Treatment – Stillwater, OK
A contained "filtration" structure will be constructed on a drainage ditch located at the urbanrural interface on Stillwater Country Club golf course. The dominant turf species on the golf
course is Bermuda grass and fescue, which is also the dominant forage in pastures and hay
fields throughout OK. Stormwater runoff from golf course is channeled via this ditch into
Stillwater Creek that frequently exhibits P concentrations exceeding 1 mg L-1. The filtration
structure will be filled with electric arc furnace slag, a waste material produced by the steel
industry that is widely available in Oklahoma. Our preliminary data suggests that this material
has a high P sorbing capacity with a short residence time and a high hydraulic conductivity
allowing for large volumes to water to be passed over a short period of time, which is extremely
important during high-flow storm events. The channeled stormwater will be collected at the
inflow and outflow of the filtration structure using an automatic sampler and analyzed for total
N, P, and coliforms (including E. coli). Similar structures have been shown to remove nearly
99% of dissolved P (as well as some heavy metals and sediment) from stormwater runoff when
installed in agricultural ditches2.
Objective 2: Develop extension materials to describe the proper design, use and maintenance of
stormwater treatment structures.
All stormwater treatment structures will be displayed to the public and serve as demonstration
units for extension purposes. Information about the treatment structures and results of the
water analysis from each of the three demonstration sites will be included in a website (see
outputs section). In addition, project participants will work closely with state extension
specialists to develop extension print and web-based materials for watershed stakeholders
(e.g., farmers, government officials, other land managers) that include details about the design,
use and maintenance of these structures.
Objective 3: Conduct field days at each treatment site to educate stakeholders about the use
and efficacy of stormwater treatment structures.
A field day will be held at each of the demonstration sites to showcase the stormwater
treatment structures. Local watershed stakeholders will be invited to attend the field day to
learn more about the proper design, use and maintenance of stormwater treatment structures.
2
Penn, C.J., R.B. Bryant, and P.A. Kleinman. 2007. Sequestering dissolved phosphorus from ditch drainage water.
J. Soil Water Cons. 62:269-272.
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OUTPUTS AND OUTCOMES
List the specific outputs (publications, curricula, websites, training events, conferences, etc.)
and outcomes (anticipated changes in water quality, audience knowledge or behavior, policy,
etc.) expected. Describe how outcome data will be collected.
Outputs
Extension materials developed as part of this project include:
1. Stormwater treatment structure design fact sheet
2. Stormwater treatment structure use and maintenance fact sheet
3. Guidance document for including stormwater structures in turf systems at the urbanrural interface
All extension materials will be peer-reviewed and regionally relevant. They will be distributed
to agricultural producers, government agency personnel, and extension personnel. A website
linked through the Southern Regional Water Program website to provide information about the
treatment structures at each of the demonstration sites. Results of the water analysis and
pictures of the treatment structures will be included in the website. The field days will provide
stakeholders the opportunity to observe the treatment structures and gain hands-on
experience of the use and maintenance of the structures.
Outcomes
The efficacy of stormwater treatment structures will be determined by monitoring pollutant
removal at the demonstration sites. This will allow for estimation of pollutants removed for
each agricultural system.
Extension activities using web-based technologies, field days, and extension publications will
educate stakeholders about the availability of industrial materials and their reuse as filtration
media in stormwater treatment structures. They will also learn about the construction and
maintenance of stormwater retention ponds as well as the reuse of the captured water as a
drinking source for livestock. Demonstration of these water treatment structures as viable
options to improve water quality will promote their construction in both the urban and
agricultural landscapes. Adoption of these technologies to controlling stormwater runoff from
intensive poultry production areas and urban landscapes (residential communities, golf
courses) will reduce pollutant transport to surface water bodies and help protection water
resources in Southern region.
To insure that the extension education efforts are effective, pre and post test surveys at
training events will evaluate knowledge gained by participants. Follow up surveys will assess
the usefulness of extension materials and determine if stormwater treatment structures are
being installed. In the long-term, this will lead to behavior change to protect our water
resources.
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