Colorado Gulch Wetlands Bench Test

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Colorado Ui~lch Ii'etlanc~s Beach Test Tech»~cal ~1len~oranc~rin~ Table 1-Substrate Desi n Reci es Relatiee Proportion of Substrate Composition Limestone Sa~~°dust Woodehips Alfalfa Hay Manure Cell 1 30° 0 10° 0 40° 0 10° 0 10° o Ce112 30°~0 0°0 50°~0 10°~0 10°~0 Cell 3 30° 0 25° 0 25° 0 10° 0 10° o Cell 4 30° 0 40° 0 10° 0 10° 0 10° o Control 30°0 19°ro 31°ro 10°ro 10°ro Substrate ingredients will be «eighed out on a laboraton- scale in a tared (zeroed) five-gallon bucket. The subsequent «~eights will be recorded in pounds. The ingredients ~~ill be thoroughly homogeiuzed b~- mivng and tighth compacted into the five cells three inches below the fill line. Fresh cow manure ~~~ill be placed as the top layer of each cell to introduce the bacteria necessai-~- for an anaerobic/reducing enviromnent. Cells will then be saturated one inch above the substrate ~s~ith Colorado Gulch water and allo« ed to incubate for twenty- da~-s. 2.3 Flow Through ~f Cells and Water• Qualit~~: The cells ~~-ill be fed approiimately 3 gallons of rays, untreated «ater from the Colorado Gulch ~~~ater reservoir tank by a peristaltic pump on a daily basis. Each day, ~~-ater quality «~ill be measured from the outflo~~- tube from each cell and the holding tank. hnmediatel~- after draining three gallons from each cell, Redoi readings (measured in millivolts) were obtained using a Myron L Company Ultrameter II 6P «-ater quality meter. The probe ~~as submerged in the cell water for five seconds or until readings have stabilized (~10%) before recording. Measurements of pH, temperature (°C), and Specific Conductance ~s~ere then taken, using Hach Sension 5 and Sension 1 water quality meters. Daily- calibrations of these instnunents were checked ~s ith a reference buffer solution. Drained water ~~ as discarded outside of the CMC NRM Atrium (Greenhouse) in a storm water drain. The same ~s~ater quality parameters were then taken from the Colorado Gulch water holding tank. 2.4 Daily Re filling of Colorado Crulch Holding-Ta~rk: In order to provide water representative of Colorado Gulch ~~~ater that ~s i11 flo~~~ into the «etland complei, «~ater from Colorado Gulch ~s i11 be collected on a dai1~- basis. The five test cells required a total of approzimateh- 15 gallons (3 gallon/cell) of Colorado Gulch ~s ater daily. in order for flo« through procedures to be carried out. Therefore, approiimately 20 gallons of Colorado Gulch water «~ill be collected prior to the daily water quality measurements. The refill process «ill be done ~sith a separate 300-gallon holding tank stored outside of the CMC NRM Atrium, and agas-po~~~ered ~s ater pump. The outside holding tank is placed in the bed of a CMC NRM vehicle, and transported to the road crossing Colorado Gulch just above it's confluence ~s-ith the Lake Fork. Here, the pump ~s-ill be fastened to the required hoses and Colorado Gulch ~~-ater is pumped directhr from the stream into the holding tank. Upon return to the CMC campus the ~s-ater collected from Colorado Gulch ~s-ill be introduced into each cell via peristaltic pump in order to gauge flow. Effluent ~~ ater not collected for sampling purposes will be disposed of into stone ~~ ater drains on campus. 8 CMC NRM