Search

• Urban stormwater reflects anthropogenic contamination. • Bioretention cell treatment of stormwater does not increase microbial hazards. • Biofiltered stormwater microbiome indices correlate with rainfall and water quality. • Beta diversity community structure of stormwater changes after biofiltration. • Bioretention technology sustains microbial and improves physical water quality. Bioretention cells (BRCs) control stormwater flow on-site during precipitation, reducing runoff and improving water quality through chemical, physical, and biological processes. While BRCs are effective in these aspects, they provide habitats for wildlife and may face microbial hazards from fecal shedding, posing a potential threat to human health and the nearby environment. However, limited knowledge exists regarding the ability to control microbial hazards (e.g., beyond using typical indicator bacteria) through stormwater biofiltration. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to characterize changes in the bacterial community of urban stormwater undergoing bioretention treatment, with the goal of assessing the public health implications of these green infrastructure solutions. Samples from BRC inflow and outflow in Columbus, Ohio, were collected post-heavy storms from October 2021 to March 2022. Conventional culture-based E. coli monitoring and microbial source tracking (MST) were conducted to identify major fecal contamination extent and its sources (i.e., human, canine, avian, and ruminant). Droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) was utilized to quantify the level of host-associated fecal contamination in addition to three antibiotic resistant genes (ARGs): tetracycline resistance gene (tetQ), sulfonamide resistance gene (sul 1), and Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase resistance gene (bla KPC). Subsequently, 16S rRNA gene sequencing was conducted to characterize bacterial community differences between stormwater BRC inflow and outflow. Untreated urban stormwater reflects anthropogenic contamination, suggesting it as a potential source of contamination to waterbodies and urban environments. When comparing inlet and outlet BRC samples, urban stormwater treated via biofiltration did not increase microbial hazards, and changes in bacterial taxa and alpha diversity were negligible. Beta diversity results reveal a significant shift in bacterial community structure, while simultaneously enhancing the water quality (i.e., reduction of metals, total suspended solids, total nitrogen) of urban stormwater. Significant correlations were found between the bacterial community diversity of urban stormwater with fecal contamination (e.g. dog) and ARG (sul 1), rainfall intensity, and water quality (hardness, total phosphorous). The study concludes that bioretention technology can sustainably maintain urban microbial water quality without posing additional public health risks, making it a viable green infrastructure solution for heavy rainfall events exacerbated by climate change. This is special type of abstract that is so short and could be inserted after main abstract of article, as a blurb or inserted as annotations into a Table of contents [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Watershed-scale green infrastructure did not alter microbiome or resistome. • Stormwater microbiome and resistome shift with season and rainfall characteristics. • Fecal contamination is associated with stormwater microbiome and resistome shifts. • Stormwater carries potentially clinically relevant, antibiotic-resistant bacteria • Molecular methods and Escherichia coli results were not well correlated. Since stormwater conveys a variety of contaminants into water bodies, green infrastructure (GI) is increasingly being adopted as an on-site treatment solution in addition to controlling peak flows. The purpose of this study was to identify differences in microbial water quality of stormwater in watersheds retrofitted with GI vs. those without GI. Considering stormwater is recently recognized as a contributor to the antibiotic resistance (AR) threat, another goal of this study was to characterize changes in the microbiome and collection of AR genes (resistome) of urban stormwater with season, rainfall characteristics, and fecal contamination. MinION long-read sequencing was used to analyze stormwater microbiome and resistome from watersheds with and without GI in Columbus, Ohio, United States, over 18 months. We characterized fecal contamination in stormwater via culturing Escherichia coli and with molecular microbial source tracking (MST) to identify sources of fecal contamination. Overall, season and storm event (rainfall) characteristics had the strongest relationships with changes in the stormwater microbiome and resistome. We found no significant differences in microbial water quality or the microbiome of stormwater in watersheds with and without GI implemented. However, there were differences between the communities of microorganisms hosting antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in stormwater from watersheds with and without GI, indicating the potential sensitivity of AR bacteria to treatment. Stormwater was contaminated with high concentrations of human-associated fecal bacterial genes, and the ARG host bacterial community had considerable similarities to human feces/wastewater. We also identified 15 potential pathogens hosting ARGs in these stormwater resistome, including vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VRE) and multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In summary, urban stormwater is highly contaminated and has a great potential to spread AR and microbial hazards to nearby environments. This study presents the most comprehensive analysis of stormwater microbiome and resistome to date, which is crucial to understanding the potential microbial risk from this matrix. This information can be used to guide future public health policy, stormwater reuse programs, and urban runoff treatment initiatives. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban stormwater represents a substantial source of nutrients and sediment to aquatic ecosystems. Green infrastructure (GI), including bioretention and permeable pavement, is an increasingly utilized method to treat stormwater pollutants. Using soil and plants as natural filters, these systems are effective at the site scale, but little evidence exists regarding their performance at the watershed-scale. Blueprint Columbus is an effort by the City of Columbus, Ohio, USA to retrofit GI to eliminate sanitary sewer overflows and remove 20% of total suspended solids (TSS) from existing developed areas. Changes in water quality resulting from the combined effects of many GI practices installed in 11.5 and 47.8 ha treatment watersheds were quantified using a paired-watershed approach. Based on water quality data collected by automated samplers over a 3.5-year period, significant reductions in particulate and dissolved nutrients as well as sediment were observed following the installation of GI in both treatment watersheds compared to the control. Total nitrogen (TN), phosphorus (TP), and TSS concentrations decreased by 13.7–24.1%, 20.9–47.4%, and 61.6–67.7%, respectively. Runoff attenuation by GI contributed to pollutant load reductions of 24.0–25.4% (TN), 27.8–32.6% (TP), and 59.5–78.3% (TSS). Orthophosphate concentrations and loads increased in the watershed with bioretention only but significantly decreased in the treatment watershed with bioretention and permeable pavement. Reductions in TSS concentration were similar (within a margin of 5%) to the percent of the watershed imperviousness treated by GI. Results demonstrate that GI was effective in reducing runoff event mean concentrations and loads at the watershed-scale. [Display omitted] • Measured impacts of watershed-scale green infrastructure (GI) on stormwater quality. • Paired watershed approach using 2 treatment (GI) and one control (no GI) watersheds. • Orthophosphate reduced in watershed with permeable pavement and bioretention. • TSS concentration reductions within 5% of the watershed impervious area treated. • Nutrient and TSS loading reduced by ≥24% and ≥60%, respectively, in GI watersheds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Four-year monitoring hydrologic changes in four sewersheds within Columbus, OH USA. • Paired watershed approach to assess impacts of green infrastructure (GI) retrofits. • Reductions in peak flow rates, increases in lag-to-peak following GI implementation. • Additional improvements to infrastructure increased inflows, countering GI benefits. Cities across the world are implementing green infrastructure (GI) retrofits to manage stormwater, but limited research has been performed to quantify the hydrologic impact of these efforts at the watershed-scale. To fill this knowledge gap, this study aimed to monitor and evaluate the impact of GI stormwater control measures (SCMs) on sewershed-scale runoff hydrology across multiple treatment sewersheds with varying GI implementation. A paired watershed approach was applied in which a control (i.e., no GI), and three treatment sewersheds (208 bioretention cells and 8,400 m2 of permeable pavement in total) were monitored from 2016 to 2019 in Columbus, Ohio, USA. Further infrastructure changes, such as lining sanitary sewer laterals to prevent infiltration and inflow of stormwater, were anticipated to counterbalance the hydrologic improvements provided by the GI retrofits by routing more stormwater to the storm sewers. Significant decreases in runoff depths and peak flow rates (35–62% and 40–58% respectively) and increases in lag-to-peak (6–64%) were observed in the treatment sewersheds following the installation of GI retrofits. Compared to the control sewershed, the treatment sewersheds had slight increases (1–3 mm) in runoff thresholds and lower runoff coefficients post-GI. Following additional infrastructure changes, increases in volume and rate of flows were observed, but hydrologic indicators did not significantly differ from pre-GI levels (i.e., no net impact of the overall project on runoff hydrology). These responses indicated that sewershed-scale GI implementation successfully mitigated peak flow rates; however, the additional infrastructure improvement projects appear to have neutralized volume reductions by routing additional stormwater to the GI. Results confirm the impacts of sewershed-scale GI retrofits; however, research investigating the optimization of GI retrofit location, climate change impacts, and GI design, construction, and maintenance to maximize benefits of distributed SCMs in urban areas should be further explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The discharge of excess nutrients to surface waters causes eutrophication, resulting in algal blooms, hypoxia, degraded water quality, reduced and contaminated fisheries, threats to potable water supplies, and decreases in tourism, cultural activities, and coastal economies. An understanding of the contribution of urban runoff to eutrophication is needed to inform management strategies. More broadly, the seasonality in nutrient concentrations and loads in urban runoff needs further analysis since algal blooms and hypoxia are seasonal in nature. This study quantifies the variation of nutrients and sediment in stormwater runoff across seasons from four urban residential sewersheds located in Columbus, Ohio, USA. An average of 62 runoff events at each sewershed were sampled using automated samplers during stormflow and analyzed for nutrients and total suspended solids (TSS). Spring total nitrogen concentrations had a significantly (p < 0.05) higher median concentration (2.19 mg/L) than fall (1.55 mg/L) and summer (1.50 mg/L). Total phosphorus concentrations were significantly higher in spring (0.22 mg/L) and fall (0.23 mg/L) than summer (0.15 mg/L). TSS concentrations were significantly higher in the spring (74.5 mg/L) and summer (56.5 mg/L) than the fall (34.0 mg/L). In contrast, seasonal loading differences for nutrients or sediment were rare because runoff volume varied in such a way as to offset significant concentration differences and significant seasonality in rainfall intensity. Annual pollutant loadings were similar in magnitude to other residential and even some agricultural runoff studies. Although nutrient loads are the key indicator for determining algal biomass, nutrient concentrations are important for real-time algal growth. Future research efforts should be focused not only on understanding how seasonal urban concentrations and loads impact coastal eutrophication, but also developing improved watershed management focused on critical periods. Improved designs for stormwater control measures need to account for seasonality in pollutant discharge. Image 1 • Measured stormwater quality from four residential catchments in Ohio, USA. • Seasonality of nutrients and sediment was observed in residential stormwater runoff. • Springtime pollutant concentrations were higher across all sewersheds. • Runoff pollutant loads of TSS and ammonia were elevated in spring. • Designing for seasonality may require reexamination of stormwater control measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]