Use of Vegetation to Mitigate Nutrient Discharges in Container Nursery Runoff

Use of vegetation to mitigate nutrient discharges in container nursery runoff was investigated. The total phosphorus (TP) measurements collected indicated that installation of wetland plants to the lower pond acted to limit the release of TP to Harrow Run. It was shown that there was a significant increase downstream after the retrofit. Another test was conducted to determine if the system acted to reduce the mean concentration difference between the pre- and post-retrofit measurements. The retrofit proved to be effective in reducing the average concentration of TP in the receiving waters. The results concluded that the nitrate-nitrite as nitrogen (NO sub(2) + NO sub(3)-N) measurements in Harrow Run did not show that the constructed wetland was effective at reducing the load.