Effect of sampling duration on the performance evaluation of a stormwater wetland

In this study, the effect of sampling duration on the performance estimate for a stormwater wetland over both rainy and dry days was evaluated for the appropriate design of sampling duration. As the cumulative percentage volume (Vp), the ratio of cumulative stormwater volume concerning time to the total stormwater volume, varied between 60 and 100%, generally, the inflow total suspended solids, turbidity and total chemical oxygen demand (TCOD) event mean concentrations (EMCs) did not vary significantly, whereas the total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) EMCs were relatively stable. Compared to the inflow, the corresponding outflow EMCs changed much less as Vp changed. And these variations both from inflow and outflow EMCs did not result in significant changes in the removal efficiencies. The investigation during the dry days between two consecutive storm events showed that outflow pollutants did not change to a considerable extent after 1 day of the previous rainfall event. This study identifies the possibility of shortening the rainy sampling duration, because the performance of stormwater wetlands is usually estimated based on removal efficiencies rather than pollutant concentrations. Also, the sampling during dry days should be performed at least 1 day after a rainfall event.