Bioretention amendment with fungi study

U.S. Fish and Wildlife is partnering with Washington State University-Puyallup to evaluate improvements in the default bioretention soil mix (60 percent sand and 40 percent compost) capacity to reduce nutrient, bacteria, and metal pollutants when amended with fungal spores and plants. Toxicity to daphnids and zebrafish will be evaluated with the amended soils.

Study questions

The study’s sampling quality assurance project plan provides information on the sites and study design.

Do fungal and/or plant amendments improve the effectiveness of the default bioretention soil mix to reduce metal, fecal coliforms, and nutrient pollution from highway runoff?
Are the amended mixes still capable of preventing toxicity to aquatic organisms?

Study findings

Monitoring is underway through 2018.

Project tasks and deliverables

Scope of Work

Quality assurance project plan (QAPP) — Deliverable 1
Build and condition bioretention cells, baseline testing of materials
- Deliverable 2.1 & Deliverable 2.2 Interim report
Baseline water quality, sediment chemistry and cell conditions
Report on conditioned cell’s microbiology, chemistry, toxicity
- Deliverable 4.1
Monitoring — six month reports on flow, water quality and toxicity
- Deliverable 5.1
- Deliverable 5.2
- Deliverable 5.3
Report on interim results regarding accumulation/mobilization
- Deliverable 6.1
Final report, fact sheet and two presentations
- Deliverable 7.1a
- Deliverable 7.1b
- Deliverable 7.1c
- Deliverable 7.1d

Contact information

Brandi Lubliner
Stormwater Action Monitoring Coordinator
brandi.lubliner@ecy.wa.gov
360-407-7140