SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: CASE STUDY – The Storm-water Pond

1. What function(s) does the storm-water pond serve?

The storm-water pond functions as an “artificial” wetland to take care of run-
off from streets and and lawns in the surrounding neighbourhood. When the
water makes it to Uxbridge Brook, most of the contaminants and other waste
have been trapped or cleansed, leaving the clean water of the brook mostly
unharmed. Storm-water ponds also act as reservoirs for water to ease
flooding and droughts.
2. How does the pond mitigate (to make less severe, serious, or critical)
contaminants that are found in run-off from the surrounding
neighbourhood?
The pond allows solid contaminants to settle to the bottom of the pond, and
those that are dissolved to be absorbed and used by the plants. Some
contaminants (such as phosphorus from fertilizers) may even act as
nutrients to the plants and benefit the “artificial” ecosystem.
3. Nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen are also found in run-off water.
How are they used by organisms in the storm-water ecosystem?
The dissolved nutrients, most likely from fertilizer, are absorbed by the
plants to be used to aid in functions inside the plant itself. Cat tails,
bulrushes, dogwoods and willows do this and thus profit from the run-off
while preventing it from reaching cleaner waters where it may harm fish or
other animals who cannot tolerate these products.