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STORMWATER RUNOFF QUALITY AND QUANTITY FROM TRADITIONAL AND LOW IMPACT DEVELOPMENT WATERSHEDS <br />Mean concentrations of nitrogen in runoff from all <br />watersheds in this study (Tables 3 and 4) were on the <br />low end of the broad ranges reported in a literature <br />review by Makepeace et al. (1995). <br />Nutrients — Phosphorus <br />Traditional Watershed. The mean concentration <br />of TP in runoff from the traditional watershed signifi- <br />cantly decreased (p < 0.001) by 79% in the postcon- <br />struction period when compared with values <br />predicted by the calibration equation (Table 3). Previ- <br />ous research reported that TP was associated with <br />suspended solids in urban stormwater (Mallin et al., <br />2002). In this study, TP concentrations in runoff from <br />the traditional watershed were also associated with <br />TSS concentrations during the postconstruction per- <br />iod (r = 0.698; data not shown). TP concentrations <br />likely decreased during the postconstruction period <br />because the TSS concentrations decreased, although <br />higher flows could also have diluted TP concentra- <br />tions. Mean TP concentrations (Table 3) were <br />between the concentrations reported by Dietz and <br />Clausen (2004) in Connecticut and those in the <br />NURP report (USEPA, 1983b). <br />Despite the decrease in stormwater TP concentra- <br />tions, the mass export of TP increased by 24 times in <br />the postconstruction period because the flow <br />increased (Table 3). In a Wisconsin study, feeder <br />streets (low traffic residential streets), lawn areas, <br />and residential driveways were important sources of <br />TP (Bannerman et al., 1993). Together, these sources <br />contributed more than 75% of the total load in resi- <br />dential areas. <br />Low Impact Development Watershed. In the <br />LID watershed, TP concentrations significantly <br />increased (p < 0.001) by more than ten times during <br />the postconstruction period (Table 4). Mass export of <br />TP also significantly increased (p = 0.01) by more <br />than three times in the postconstruction period <br />(Table 4). Spikes in the TP concentrations and <br />exports in the postconstruction period occurred <br />mostly during the growing season and autumn leaf <br />fall. This timing suggested that increases in TP were <br />likely due to fertilization of the grassed swales as <br />well as leaching from autumn leaves. Fertilizer appli- <br />cations from residential houses contribute to nutri- <br />ents in stormwater runoff (Myers et al., 1985), and <br />leaves have been reported to leach soluble phospho- <br />rus in stormwater (Cowen and Lee, 1973). <br />Interestingly, TP concentrations in runoff from the <br />LID watershed were greater than from the tradi- <br />tional watershed during the postconstruction period <br />based on a paired t -test (t = — 2.97, p = 0.004). Since <br />the primary conveyance of stormwater in the LID <br />watershed was from the grassed swales, perhaps they <br />alone may have contributed to the higher TP concen- <br />trations. Parking lot runoff in another study reported <br />higher TP concentrations from lots with grassed <br />swales compared with lots with no grassed swales <br />(Rushton, 2001). However, TP export from traditional <br />watershed runoff was still greater than export from <br />the LID watershed because the storm flow increased <br />significantly. <br />Metals — Cu, Pb, and Zn <br />Traditional Watershed. The concentrations of <br />Cu, Pb, and Zn in runoff from the traditional <br />watershed did not change significantly in the postcon- <br />struction period (Table 3). The NURP study (USEPA, <br />1983b) reported higher Cu and Pb concentrations <br />than those observed in this study (Table 3) with med- <br />ian EMCs of 33 µgA and 144 µgA, respectively. Lead <br />fuels were phased out in the early 1980s and lower <br />Pb concentrations would be expected. <br />Cu mass export in runoff from the traditional <br />watershed increased significantly (p < 0.001) by 90 <br />times, and the mass export of Zn significantly <br />increased (p < 0.001) by eight times during the post - <br />construction period (Table 3). Pb mass export did not <br />change significantly in the postconstruction period. <br />Increased mass exports of Cu and Zn from the tradi- <br />tional watershed were likely due to the significant <br />increase in storm flow in the postconstruction period. <br />Greater storm flow may have mobilized metals that <br />built up with sediment accumulation (Myers et al., <br />1985). Urban areas contribute heavy metals to runoff <br />through automobiles, roofs, and building siding <br />(Davis et al., 2001b). <br />Low Impact Development Watershed. Pb and <br />Zn concentrations in runoff from the LID watershed <br />significantly decreased (p < 0.001) by 67 and 77 %, <br />respectively, during the postconstruction period <br />(Table 4). Cu concentrations in runoff showed no sig- <br />nificant change between the calibration and postcon- <br />struction periods. Reductions of Pb and Zn <br />concentrations in this study were not as large as <br />those from a laboratory column study of bioretention <br />effectiveness, in which Davis et al. (2001a) reported <br />reductions of Pb ( >98 %) and Zn ( >98 %) concentra- <br />tions. However, in that study, the stormwater was <br />simulated and no runoff occurred because it was com- <br />pletely infiltrated by the bioretention areas. <br />The mass exports of Pb and Zn significantly <br />decreased by 79% (p = 0.006) and 81% (p = 0.01), <br />respectively, during the postconstruction period when <br />compared with values predicted by the calibration <br />JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN WATER RESOURCES ASSOCIATION 1005 JAWRA <br />