Integrating biochar and native vegetation to maximize ecosystem services and their return-on-investment in a storm water management facility

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Across Canada - and much of North America - municipalities legally require all new developments to constructstorm water management facilities (SWMF) that accumulate all neighbourhood runoff water prior to drainageinto sewer systems and eventually natural water bodies. Residential development SWMFs reduce landscapewater flow and contamination into neighbouring communities by up to 80%. However, because SWMFoutflow is not treated prior to farther downstream entry, pollutants captured in SWMF water is transferred tonatural ecosystems. This has been found to have a variety of negative impacts on downstream environments,municipalities and their citizens. Globally and individually biochar and biodiversity have reduced pollutantlevels transferred downstream. This project has three questions about the optimal level of biochar applicationin rebuilt ecosystems: what level of biochar maximizes native vegetation establishment success; does it alsomaximize invasive species inhibition; and is this correlated to soil organic carbon, nitrogen and/or phosphorusstorage in the plants and soils to a level that can significantly reduce downstream pollutant water flow. Theoutcomes of this project will provide vital information needed to create protocols and guidelines to maximizethe water quality delivered from urban systems to protect natural water bodies and Canadians downstream.This research is relevant to the industrial partner as results from the research will guide their design of SWMFto minimize the cost and maximize the ecological function of such facilities. Results from this study will alsobe applicable across all Canadian boreal biome SWMF and other emerging provincial and territorialregulations.