Phosphorous water quality model evaluation and comparison for natural and constructed wetlands

Three phosphorous water quality models were evaluated at three wetland treatment sites across the US. The three models included: the mass balance model with first order areal uptake, the Vollenweider based model, and the detailed ecosystem model. The three sites included: Boney Marsh, Florida, Jackson Bottom Experimental Wetlands, Oregon, and the Des Plaines River Wetland Demonstration Project, Illinois. The two criteria used to compare the models were predicted outflow phosphorous concentration and annual phosphorous retention. The mass balance model with first order areal uptake provided the smallest average percent error for outflow concentration. The Vollenweider based model provided the smallest average percent error for annual phosphorous retention. The detailed ecosystem model yielded the highest percent error in both outflow concentration and annual phosphorous retention.

Phosphorous water quality model evaluation and comparison for natural and constructed wetlands Conference Paper