St Louis IKEA Phyto Buffer Zone pt2

The magic happens before the toxins and pollutants go into the St Louis storm water system.

Link  

Article 2 Plants as Water Protectors blog series

Article 5- Phytromediation Rafts with Electrokinetics
Article 4- Plants as Water Protectors
Article 3- Citizen Science Phytoremediation Research StLouis
Article 2- St Louis IKEA Phyto Buffer Zone pt2
Article 1- IKEAs lesser known environmental project

Plants and the Plant Roots phyto-extract the toxins that washes into the riparian buffer zone from the parking lot of the IKEA store in St Louis.

Elevated drainage point in buffer zone gives the phytoremediation plants root systems the time needed to absorb the toxins.

(part 1 citizen science) I didn't actually get down into the plants to inspect at close range for fear of being reported to the police and hauled to jail for trespassing.  I was close enough to guestimate the exit or outlet point height above the gravel bed root zone at around 12 -16 inches.

St Louis IKEA Riparian Buffer Zone Video 1

St Louis IKEA Riparian Buffer Zone video 2

I have been focusing on how the plant roots clean the water.  There are additional benefits on incorporating green spaces into a property design: Control Soil Erosion, Slow the amount of water entering the city sewer drains eliminating "overcrowding or Peak Loads", Reduce backups into Residential and Commercial properties, Improve aesthetics, Inexpensive (my 2nd favorite-phytoremediation is 1st).

Figure 1: Effects of Urbanization on the Hydrologic Cycle

The following CAD diagram provides a cross section of the unseen areas where the plant roots phytoextract the waterborne pollutants.

Riparian Buffer Zone (Download CAD File)

The Philadelphia Water (PWD) Stormwater Management Guidance Manual (the Manual, or SMGM) is a comprehensive resource for the development community in complying with the PWD Stormwater Regulations (Stormwater Regulations). The Stormwater Regulations require on-site stormwater management for development projects above a certain size, helping to improve the health and vitality of Philadelphia’s waterways along with the City’s own sizable clean water investments. Other types of construction activities may also trigger portions of the Stormwater Regulations, including demolition and voluntary stormwater retrofit projects. http://www.pwdplanreview.org/manual/introduction

The following land uses are considered to have a potential for contaminated soil, which may adversely affect the quality of groundwater discharging to surface water. These uses may qualify a project site, or portions of a project site, as a hotspot.

• Sites designated as Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act sites, also known as Superfund Sites,
• Auto recycler facilities and junk yards,
• Commercial laundry and dry cleaning facilities,
• Commercial nurseries,
• Vehicle fueling stations, service and maintenance areas,
• Toxic chemical manufacturing and storage facilities,
• Petroleum storage and refining facilities,
• Public works storage areas,
• Airports and deicing facilities,
• Railroads and rail yards,
• Marinas and ports,
• Heavy manufacturing and power generation facilities,
• Landfills and hazardous waste material disposal facilities, and
• Sites located on subsurface material such as fly ash known to contain mobile heavy metals and toxins.

Suggestion on Designing a Riparian Phytoremediation Buffer Zone for the St Louis Region: 

• Rainfall Distribution 50 years of rainfall data for St. Louis, indicates that 90 percent of all rainfall events are 1.14 inches or smaller. 
• Communities with large geographic areas may find it beneficial to obtain data from different areas in a community to account for variability in rainfall patterns. 
• Rainfall data sets and distributions can be derived from weather service organizations such as the United States Geological Survey (http://mo.water.usgs.gov/) Cumulative Rainfall Distribution for St. Louis, MO, 

Next post: How would a Phytoremediation Buffer Zone help Westlake Landfill.