The iron enhanced sand filter (IESF) has more than 150 full-scale installations across Minnesota since 2009. The purpose of an IESF is to adsorb phosphate in stormwater runoff, which accounts for a substantial percentage of total phosphorus. The PIs are currently involved in an MPCA work-order contract to RESPEC to collect, aggregate, analyze and interpret data on a limited number of IESFs. The results of that work will be used to identify key factors potentially affecting the performance of IESFs. This proposal will greatly expand this data set by interviewing owners, design engineers and maintenance personnel about their experience with IESFs and developing and implementing a field measurement program in order to collect the necessary information to complete this assessment of proper design, construction, maintenance and lifetime of these innovative systems and the subsequent performance. We will then be able to develop improved guidance for IESF design, construction, maintenance and expected media life to improve performance of IESFs, disseminate information and guidance on IESFs, and provide tools to direct proper design and maintenance and to determine IESF life expectancy in various applications.
The project team proposes to generate lessons learned from the interviews, new knowledge with the field measurement program and perform a meta-analysis of the existing and newly-collected data on IESFs. With this knowledge, stormwater practitioners can design, site, and construct IESFs with confidence that they will perform as expected, and with predictive knowledge of maintenance needs and the life expectancy of IESF media.
Projected outcomes
- Identify important predictive parameters in existing and newly-collected data on IESF performance and maintenance in Minnesota.
- Improve models to predict lifespans of various IESF applications (filter basins, pond-perimeter trends, ditch check dams, etc.)
- Develop guidance on design, construction, and maintenance and disseminate knowledge to the practicing stormwater community.