Improving Water Quality With Phosphorus Removal StructuresChad Penn1, Josh Payne1, Delia Haak2, Josh McGrath3 , Jeff Vitale1, and Garey Fox1
1Oklahoma State University 2Illinois River Watershed Partnership 3University of Maryland
Department of Plant and Soil Science
[email protected], 405 744 2746
• Loss of dissolved phosphorus (P) from agricultural, horticultural, urban, and recreational lands to water bodies can promote eutrophication.
• Current best management practices are ineffective in reducing dissolved P losses.
• Soils built up with P will continue to release dissolved P in runoff for many years after fertilizer applications cease.
Industrial by-products
Disposal $$
Poor water quality
Highly sorptive
Use industrial by-products as P sorbing materials (PSMs) to
filter pollutants in runoff
+
=
clean water
polluted water
By-product layer with retained contaminant
Periodically replace the spent material
• contaminants are actually removed from watershed
•removal can be quantified for credit purposes
Landfill space
Runoff Filtration Success Stories
Funding provided by
What are the issues? Computer program for designing P removal structuresCurrent Construction
Site hydrology
1. Peak flow rate
2. Annual flow volume
3. Dissolved P level
+Model
P removal & lifetime
1. Target P removal (%)
2. Target lifetime
+
PSM characterization
1. P sorption
2. Safety
3. Physical properties
Design parameters
1. Area
2. Mass of PSM
3. Depth of PSM
Input Output
Plant optimum soil test P level
Chesapeake Bay Watershed, Centreville, Maryland: Poultry farm runoff
• Runoff captured in pond
• Pond drainage filters through metal boxes containing steel slag
• Initially removed 100% of P; cumulative removal to date is 25%
Stillwater, Oklahoma
• Residential and golf course runoff
• Structure treats 150 acres with steel slag
• Initially removed 100% of P
• Cumulative removal to date is 25%
• Currently testing more sorptive material in structure
Green CreekGreen Creek
flowflowdirectiondirection
poultry poultry houseshouses
proposed proposed structure structure locationlocation
Eastern Oklahoma Poultry Farm
• High peak flow rates: 16 cfs
• Runoff from around poultry houses
• Illinois River Watershed
• Currently designing for target cumulative removal of 45% over 1 year
$$
Economic Justification
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