Using biofilm as a novel approach to assess stormwater treatment efficacy

Contaminants associated with stormwater are among the leading causes of water quality impairment in urban streams. Multiple device treatment systems are commonly installed with the aim of reducing contaminant loads within stormwater discharge. However, the in situ performance of such systems remains poorly understood. We investigated the efficacy of an advanced stormwater treatment system by monitoring biofilm associated metals and biofilm bacterial community composition at multiple locations through the treatment system (which included rain gardens, grassy swales, a stormwater filter and a wetland) and in the receiving stream above and below the stormwater discharge. Changes in bacterial community composition were assessed by Automated Ribosomal Intergenic Spacer Analysis (ARISA) and concentrations of biofilm associated metals monitored by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). Significant differences in bacterial community composition were detected throughout the stormwater network. Bacterial communities gradually changed towards a community more similar to that within the receiving stream and the discharge of treated stormwater had little effect on the composition of bacterial communities in the receiving stream, suggesting the effective conditioning of water quality by the treatment system. Concentrations of some biofilm-associated metals declined following sequential treatment, for example copper (73% reduction), zinc (48% reduction) and lead (46% reduction). In contrast, levels of arsenic, cadmium, chromium and nickel were not reduced by the treatment system. We demonstrate that biofilm bacterial community composition is a sensitive indicator of environmental changes within freshwater ecosystems and an efficient indicator to monitor water quality in enclosed stormwater networks where traditional biological indicators are not available.