Coastal Transportation Engineering Research And Education Center

Stormwater Treatment Wetlands for
coastal transportation corridors

Dr. Kevin D. White, Principal Investigator

As part of the Coastal Transportation Engineering Research and Education Center at USA , stormwater treatment wetlands are being evaluated for use as a BMP (Best Management Practice) for treating coastal highway runoff. Storm water wetlands are shallow engineered systems that include small ponds and shallow vegetated areas optimized to remove stormwater pollutants such as heavy metals, suspended solids, nitrogen, and oil and grease.

Storm Water Wetland Diagram

Storm Water Wetland Under Construction

Alternating pools with shallow and deep marsh areas reduce flow velocities and provide increased flow paths. Wetland vegetation, soils, and detritus provide surfaces for physical filtration, chemical adsorption, and biological remediation of pollutants. Design of these "plant-based" systems is based on allocating a defined stormwater treatment volume to wetland components of varying depths.

This research project is investigating design criteria and performance, so as to develop appropriate design recommendations.

Back to Research