Bioretention cells (BRCs) are stormwater control measures that integrate water quantity and quality management. Previous research primarily focused on the performance of cells less than two years old, before potential clogging and sorption site saturation. To assess long-term effectiveness, this project evaluated the performance of a BRC after seven years to determine reductions in flow rate, flow volume, suspended solids, nitrogen, phosphorus, and fecal indicator bacteria (FIB). These observations were compared with analyses conducted immediately postconstruction. Inflow and outflow water samples were collected for sediment, nutrients, and FIB. Soil media samples were collected from multiple depths and analyzed for denitrifying bacteria. Results indicate the BRC remains effective at reducing storm flows, nutrients, and FIB. These reductions were correlated to outflow volume, rather than storm characteristics. The majority of denitrifying bacteria were present in the top media layers, despite the presence of an internal water storage layer for denitrification. This finding suggests denitrification primarily occurs at anoxic microsites in the upper layers and that a lack of carbon at deeper depths may limit significant microbial growth.

Increasing human populations and global climate change will severely stress our water resources. One potential unforeseen consequence of these stressors is accelerated stream channel erosion due to increased stream temperatures and changes in stream chemistry, which affect the surface potential and hence the stability of soil colloids. The objectives of this study were to determine the effect of water temperature, pH, and salinity on streambank erosion rates; determine how erosion rates vary with clay mineralogy; and, explore the relationship between zeta potential and erosion rate. Remolded samples of natural montmorillonite- and vermiculite-dominated soils were eroded in a recirculating hydraulic flume under multiple shear stresses (0.1–20 Pa) with different combinations of water temperature (10, 20, and 30 °C), pH (6 and 8), and deicing salt (0 and 5000 mg/L). The results show that erosion rates significantly increased with increasing water temperature: a 10 °C increase in water temperature increased median erosion rates by as much as a factor of eight. Significant interactions between water pH and salinity also affected erosion rates. In freshwater, erosion rates were inversely related to pH; however, at high salt concentrations, the influence of pH on erosion rates was reduced. Results of this study clearly indicate water chemistry plays a critical role in the fluvial erosion of cohesive streambanks and suggest that channel protection efforts should include controls for stream temperature, in addition to peak flow rates, to maintain channel stability.

Fluvial erosion of cohesive soil is mediated by interactions between soil physical, biological, and chemical characteristics such as soil aggregate stability and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). While labile organic matter (OM) stimulates microbial EPS production and significantly improves soil aggregate stability in agricultural soils, these interactions remain unexplored in streambank soils. The study goal was to quantify the impact of OM on aggregate stability, EPS, and fluvial erosion rates of cohesive streambank soil. Increasing amounts of 1‐mm sieved dry grass were incorporated at rates of 0, 1, and 4 g per 100 g of 2‐mm sieved silt‐loam soil (treatments T0, T1, and T4, respectively). Samples (eight replicates per treatment) were matured in a greenhouse for 50 days prior to flume erosion testing. EPS carbohydrates were significantly (p < 0.05) lower in T1 (324 ± 63 μg/g) compared to T0 (388 ± 37 μg/g) and T4 (376 ± 44 μg/g). EPS proteins were significantly higher in T1 (194 ± 15 μg/g) and T4 (223 ± 61 μg/g) compared to T0 (101 ± 20 μg/g) and positively correlated with mean weight diameter (MWD), a measure of soil stability against slaking. MWD was 16% and over 100% higher for T1 and T4, respectively, than for T0. Similarly, the average soil erodibility coefficient of T1 and T4 was 25% and 61% lower than the erodibility of T0; however, only the reduction for T4 was significant. The data presented here underscore the important role labile OM plays in improving soil physical stability and increasing the resistance of cohesive soil to fluvial erosion of streambanks.

Despite decades of research in the field of cohesive soil scour, a major challenge in water resource engineering is an understanding of the fundamental processes governing the erosion of cohesive streambank soils. Given that cohesive soil erodibility is affected by many factors simultaneously, it is necessary to study these factors independently to obtain insights into the erosion process. Three natural soils with different mineralogies were chosen for this study: montmorillonite‐dominated fat clay, vermiculite‐dominated lean clay, and kaolinite‐ and illite‐dominated silty sand. The soils were remolded at maximum dry densities and optimum moisture contents and subjected to 15‐min erosion tests in a laboratory flume. Erosion tests were performed at water temperatures of 15 and 25°C and corresponding soil temperatures of 0, 15, and 25°C, and 15, 25, and 40°C. Test results show that, irrespective of soil type, erosion rate increased with an increase in water temperature but decreased with an increase in soil temperature. When soil and water temperatures were equal, there was no significant change in erosion rate (α = 0.05). Further analyses showed that, irrespective of soil type, erosion rate was a function of the difference in soil and water temperatures and not either temperature alone, indicating that the important thermal factor in the erosion process was the difference in soil and water temperatures. These results show the importance of accounting for soil and water temperatures in erosion studies and suggest that the use of stormwater control measures to control runoff temperatures may be necessary to combat streambank degradation resulting from urbanization.Core Ideas: Fluvial erosion of cohesive streambanks is affected by soil and water temperatures. Soil and water temperatures have a coactive effect on cohesive streambank erosion. Increases in stream temperature increase fluvial erosion rates of cohesive banks. Increased streambank temperature reduces fluvial erosion rates of cohesive soils. Urban stormwater runoff temperatures should be reduced to maintain channel stability.