Christopher J. Martinez, Ph.D
Efficacy and Transient Storage of Municipal Treatment Wetlands.

This project was conducted to evaluate the impact of pollutant residence times and flow patterns through the Orlando Easterly Wetland on nutrient removal
Christopher J. Martinez, Ph.D
279 Frazier Rogers Hall
PO Box 110570, University of Florida
Gainesville, FL 32611
Phone: (352) 392-1864 x279
Fax: (352) 392-4092
Email: chrisjm@ufl.edu

efficacy. This project was conducted to evaluate the impact of residence times and flow patterns through the Orlando Easterly Wetland on nutrient removal efficacy.

Residence time distribution analysis of bromide tracer tests revealed and quantified inefficiencies (short circuiting and dead zones) in the hydraulic performance within individual treatment cells and the wetland system under the operating conditions studied.
The model one-dimensional transport with inflow and storage (OTIS) was then calibrated to results from the bromide tracer to quantify short-circuiting of the treatment volume and temporary storage of tracer in isolated, low-flow regions. The OTIS model results indicated the presence of three distinct hydraulic ‘zones’ of the wetland. The first, an actively flowing main channel; the second, a temporary storage zone where water and constituents are exchanged with the main flow channel; and the third, completely isolated, ‘dead’ water.
The results of this work has been published in 3 journal articles. One detailing the results of the tracer analysis (link), another on the application of the OTIS model (link), and a follow-up study that quantified 'rejuvenation' of the wetland (link).