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Plant communities in wetlands and biofilters

Plant communities in wetlands and biofilters. Richard F. Ambrose University of California, Los Angeles. Los Angeles area biofilters. Green Streets Elmer Avenue Hope Street Oros Street Riverdale Avenue Bicknell Avenue Baldwin Avenue Rain Gardens Culver City Carson Westside Park

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Plant communities in wetlands and biofilters

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  1. Plant communities in wetlands and biofilters Richard F. AmbroseUniversity of California, Los Angeles

  2. Los Angeles area biofilters • Green Streets • Elmer Avenue • Hope Street • Oros Street • Riverdale Avenue • Bicknell Avenue • Baldwin Avenue • Rain Gardens • Culver City • Carson • Westside Park • Other • Lynwood Green Street Rain Garden Other

  3. Elmer Avenue

  4. After Construction Before Construction Watershedhealth.org

  5. Elmer Avenue Design Elements Parkway bioswales Catch basin Infiltration gallery www.lafoundation.org

  6. Before and After Rain www.lafoundation.org

  7. UCLA Biofilters

  8. Issues • VEGETATION • Maintenance • Monitoring Jackson Ave rain gardenPhoto: B. Winfrey

  9. Vegetation • Native species • Maximize ecological value • Tolerate seasonal rainfall • Aesthetics • Effectiveness • Improving water quality, hydrology • Low maintenance

  10. Vegetation Selection in Los Angeles • Generally native species or “climate-appropriate” • Irrigation often used, but ideally would tolerate dry season without irrigation • Criteria for selection of particular species not generally stated • No data on effectiveness of different species or groups of species for improving water quality (in contrast to Australia) • No data on effects on biodiversity (including soil organisms) or other ecosystem services (e.g., carbon sequestration)

  11. Role of Plants in Biofilters

  12. Beldon and Morris 2011 Maintenance • Elmer Ave 2011 report: • Plant survival high • Sediments in east side • Some bare spots • 2013 observations November 2013 November 2013

  13. Maintenance • Biofilter design should minimize maintenance requirements • Selection of plant species could reduce maintenance • Roots can influence hydraulic conductivity • There may be a trade-off with pollutant removal • Some species can survive without supplemental water (and maintain attractive appearance)

  14. Monitoring • Need consistent monitoring of biofilterperformance • Need better availability of monitoring results • Need well designed experiments to evaluate different factors influencing biofilter effectiveness

  15. Future Plans • Vegetation • Influence of plant species and plant functional traits on biofilter performance • Mesocosms and field trials • Collaboration with Los Angeles agencies/UCLA • Comparison of Australian biofilter design and effectiveness with southern California biofilters • Collaborative studies in Australia • Vegetation management

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