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ABSTRACT
Storm water ponds treat polluted run-off from urban areas, highways and agricultural land. Vegetation plays a key role
in water treatment, but further understanding is required to identify how vegetation density and spatial distribution
within a pond affect the residence time, an important parameter with respect to water treatment. This paper presents
results from a preliminary study where the residence time distribution and discharge of a water treatment pond were
measured at two stages within the vegetations seasonal growth cycle, representing the minimum and maximum states of
the vegetations density. The results show clear and significant differences between the residence time distribution for the
two cases, and highlight the need for further work on the topic.
Keywords: Residence times; Residence time distribution; Storm water ponds; Vegetation
1
Three tests were conducted, in March 2008, November
2008 and April 2009. For each test, the residence time
distribution and discharge of the pond were measured. In
addition, a vegetation survey was conducted during
Spring 2009.
The Residence Time Distribution (RTD) was measured by
injecting a florescent dye, Rhodamine WT, into the ponds
inlet and measuring the dye concentration at the outlet as Outlet Fluorometer
a function of time from injection. The concentration was
measured using a Turner Designs SCUFA fluorometer,
which recorded a time series of the cross-sectional mean
concentration of dye at the pond outlet. In addition to the
residence time distribution measured at the pond outlet, a
further 3 fluorometers were installed within the pond for
the test conducted in November 2008. One fluorometer
was installed in the ponds Upper-Zone and two
fluorometers were installed in the Lower-zone (See Figure
2 and 3).
Outlet Weir
0m
Location 1 m
Location 2
m 2.8 m
2
vegetation is at minimum and maximum level of density
respectively. Tests conducted on March 2008 and April
2009 compare conditions under which vegetation levels
are similar (at minimum level) but the discharge was
contrasting, as summarised in Table 1.
Nominal
Date Vegetation Discharge Residence
Test
(m/y) Configuration (l/s) Time
(hours)
Min. Level of
3 4/09 1.6
emergent with 351
some submerged.
3
Figure 7. Residence time distribution for Test 1 (March 08, Figure 10. Comparison between dimensionless residence time
minimum level of vegetation, Q = 9 l/s). distributions for Tests 1-3, where t is time, Q is discharge and v is
pond volume.
4
Figure 11. Dye moving through the pond, demonstrating
preferential flow path around vegetation patch.
Short
Mean
Circuting
Residenct (t50/tn)
Test Parameter
time (tM) (hours)
(t16/t50)
(hours)
(hours)
1 43 0.42 0.59
Further insight into Test 2, the case where the flow field is
complex due to the dense vegetation, can be gained by
considering the results from the instruments located
within the pond. Figure 16. Residence time distribution for Test 2 from Lower-
zone of pond, location 1.
Figure 15 shows the residence time distribution from the
instrument within the ponds Upper-zone, and Figure 16
and 17 show the residence time distributions from the two
instruments within the ponds Lower-zone.
Figure 15 shows a complex and unconventional residence
time distribution within the ponds Upper-zone, which
cannot easily be interpreted through conventional solute
transport theory. It can be noted from Figure 2 that the
instrument used to measure this distribution was placed
near several patches of vegetation, and thus could
possibly be significantly affected by the complex flow
field created by the surrounding vegetation, leading to the
unconventional residence time distribution.
Figures 16 and 17 are the results from the Lower-zone,
and show an intermediate residence time distribution
between the Upper-zone and the outlet instruments. The
residence time distribution is more conventional, but still
shows irregular characteristics, such as the large spikes on
the tails of the distributions occurring at approximately 40
Figure 17. Residence time distribution for Test 2 from Lower-
hours.
zone of pond, location 2.
6
locations but at different transverse locations, highlights complex flow field created in the pond by the vegetation
the spatial variation of the dye plume in the transverse patches and the ponds geometry.
direction, further suggesting that solute transport through
Further results for the highly vegetated case, where the
highly vegetated ponds is not a simple 1D problem.
residence time distribution was measured within the
From all the tests considered it can be seen that for Tests 1 pond, suggest even more un-conventional residence time
and 3, where vegetation is minimal, the residence time distributions prior to the outlet, with transverse variation
distribution conforms to a fairly standard rising in the profile also demonstrated. These results further
limb/exponential tail type distribution. As such, the support the conclusion that for highly vegetated ponds
system can be understood though simple approximations the flow field created by the vegetation is complex and
such as the complete mixing distribution proposed by 3D.
Danckwerts (1953) for a well-mixed reservoir.
The data presented demonstrated the need for 3D
However, for Test 2, where high levels of vegetation are modelling to better understand and predict the mixing
present, the residence time distribution is more complex. processes occurring due to the complex flow fields created
Here some portion of the distribution represents parts of by natural vegetation patterns in water treatment ponds.
the system that are short-circuiting due to the presence of
vegetation and preferential flow paths associated with 5. FURTHER WORK
complex flow fields. It is unclear why a delay in first
arrival time occurs compared to the minimum vegetated Further work will attempt to establish a 3D CFD model
cases, however, it may be that this phenomenon is again for the flow fields and corresponding mixing processes
due to the complex flow field created by the vegetation. In within vegetated stormwater ponds, which have been
addition, data collected in Upper and Lower-zones of the shown to be necessary by this preliminary study.
pond further suggests that the flow field is complex and The CFD model will utilise a coarse cell size
3D, and cannot be easily approximated through a simple (approximately 150 mm cube) to simulate the hydraulics
set of 1D assumption. and mixing processes of ponds, where each cell will have
The results presented in this paper demonstrate that when a local longitudinal, transverse and vertical mixing
vegetation is present at a significant density and coefficient and bulk porosity (simulating the vegetation
associated distribution patterns, a full understanding of within the cell).
the 3D flow field inside the pond created by the The assumed parameters (longitudinal mixing coefficient,
vegetation is required to understand and model mixing transverse mixing coefficient and bulk porosity) will be
processes. It is clear that good pond design needs to rely validated against a comprehensive and detailed set of
on modelling approaches that can incorporate the effects new laboratory data. The laboratory data will be obtained
of the 3D flow field created by the vegetation, as opposed by conducting tracer and hydraulic tests on sample
to simple parameters such as the nominal residence time. vegetation sections taken from donor water treatment
A possible methodology to enable this is through 3D ponds at several times (at least four i.e. once per season)
Computation Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modelling of through the seasonal growth cycle. Emergent, submerged
vegetated ponds. A possible methodological approach to and floating vegetation will all be tested for these
produce an appropriate, validated CFD model for this parameters.
purpose is discussed further in Section 5. The code will be further validated against a more
compressive set of tracer tests conducted in several real
4. CONCLUSIONS stromwater ponds, at several times through the seasonal
growth cycle.
Results are presented from 3 tracer tests on an agricultural
water treatment pond in Lyby, Southern Sweden. Tests The final validated code can then be used with a variety of
were conducted to compare a case of minimal and vegetation densities and distribution to establish the
maximum vegetation in the pond at a similar discharge, sensitivity of the residence time distribution to different
and at a high and a low discharge for minimum vegetation patterns through the seasonal growth cycle.
vegetation. The code can be used as a predictive tool to increase
understanding of solute transport in vegetated ponds, and
The test conducted at contrasting discharges for minimal
to inform the future design of real world stormwater
vegetation levels showed that whilst it took considerably
ponds.
longer for the tracer to exit the system for the lower
discharge case, the distribution of the residence times was
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7
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