Multi-decadal impacts of effluent loading on phosphorus sorption capacity in a restored wetland
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Date
2025
Authors
Mi, Chenxi
Soued, Cynthia
Bortolotti, Lauren E.
Padiou, Pascal
Page, Bryan
Denny, Mariya
Bogard, Matthew J.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Elsevier
Abstract
Natural wetlands are widely used and cost-effective systems for the passive remediation of phosphorus (P)-rich surface waters from various effluent sources. Yet the long-term biogeochemical impacts of effluent loading on wetland P retention capacity are unclear. Here, we had a unique opportunity to document the spatio-temporal evolution of sediment P sorption over a ∼25-year period of constant municipal and industrial effluent loading, as part of a wetland restoration and wastewater treatment strategy in one of the largest restored wetlands in Canada. Sediment P sorption experiments across Frank Lake's three basins revealed a wide spatial variation in sorption capacity, closely linked to sediment geochemistry gradients (Ca, Fe, and Mn). Relative to a similar study ∼25 years prior, P sorption capacity has become exhausted near the effluent inlet, but remarkably, remains elevated throughout the rest of the wetland. Compared to other prairie wetlands and global aquatic ecosystems, Frank Lake has a greater capacity overall to retain P through sediment sorption. Given the paucity of long-term (multi-decade) data on wetland response to effluent loading, we provide key insights into the dynamics of wetland P cycling in human-dominated watersheds.
Description
Open access article. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) applies
Keywords
Restored wetlands , Municipal effluent , Sediment geochemistry , Phosphorus sorption , Hydrological connectivity , Remediation , Frank Lake wetland
Citation
Mi, C., Soued, C., Bortolotti, L. E., Badiou, P., Page, B., Denny, M., & Bogard, M. J. (2025). Multi-decadal impacts of effluent loading on phosphorus sorption capacity in a restored wetland. Environmental Research, 264(1), Article 120256. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2024.120256