Quantitative insights into phosphorus loadings and speciation in urban catchments

Abstract

Phosphorus (P) loadings in stormwater runoff drained from urban landscapes causes eutrophication in aquatic ecosystems downstream of urban areas. Many recent research have addressed urban P dynamics to improve understanding about magnitudes and speciation of P in urban watersheds. We quantified P export and forms in four research sites including three urban sewersheds and a stormwater pond, all located within the drainage basin of Lake Ontario. P speciation laboratory analyses were conducted on water and sediment samples taken from our sites to measure a suite of P species, including total P (TP), total dissolved P (TDP), dissolved reactive P (DRP), dissolved unreactive P (DUP), particulate P (PP), and particulate reactive P (PRP). Using multiple linear regression (MLR) models, we quantified annual loadings of these P species, which appeared to be close to the lower limit of ranges reported in the literature. Average loadings among urban catchments were 0.54 kg ha-1 yr-1 for TP, 0.064 kg ha-1 yr-1 for TDP, 0.007 and 0.045 kg ha-1 yr-1 for DRP and DUP, 0.46 kg ha-1 yr-1 for PP, and 0.16 kg ha-1 yr-1 for PRP. Results indicated that larger catchment-scale loadings of reactive P species (DRP and PRP) were exported as residential development increased. We also found that the pond retained all P species significantly (77-94%), which, according to mass balance and sequential P extraction analyses, was attributed to both sedimentation and chemical precipitation of P with calcium mineral phases. Findings in our study imply that, due to loadings’ variability imposed by land-use characteristics, urban P management options need to vary from a catchment to another. Furthermore, enhancing the formation of calcium phosphate and other redox-stable mineral phases could be explored as a best management practice in existing and new ponds for improving P retention.