Algal Communities as a Biological Indicator of Stormwater Management Pond Perfomrance and Function

摘要

An investigation into phytoplankton and periphyton algal communities of two recently costructed stormwater management ponds suggests that stormwater impacts on biological communities are reduced during passage through the ponds, providinga degree of protection for biological communities in their receiving waters. In both ponds, disturbance effects from the incoming stromwater on algal community richness and evenness appear to be greatest in the sediment forebay and are reduced in the main pond. However, the nature of the disturbance in the two systems cna be seen to be fundamaentally different from a biological perspective, with Rouge Pond functioning primarily to reduce toxins harmful to algal communities (e.g. , heavy metals), and Harding Pond acting to reduce nutrients.