Comparing Properties of Water Absorbing/Filtering Media for Bioslope/Bioswale DesignStatus: CompleteReport Date: 11/30/2017 Summary: Researchers evaluated peat, muck and taconite tailings for use in bioswales and bioslopes along Minnesota highways by conducting laboratory and field tests of their capacity to absorb water, retain pollutants and support plant growth. They found that peat has high potential to replace commercial compost in MnDOT standard bioslope and bioswale design, and that taconite tailings performed comparably to the sand currently specified in MnDOT designs, with the additional benefit of removing phosphates. Final Deliverables: Comparing Properties of Water Absorbing/Filtering Media for Bioslope/Bioswale Design (Report #2017-46) Technical Summary (Research Summary) Related Materials: Managing Stormwater Runoff With Recycled Peat and Taconite Tailings (Blog Post) Related Research: Development and Regionalization of In Situ Bioslopes and Bioswales Continued Monitoring of Stormwater Effluents from Filter Media in Two Bioslope Sites Project Personnel: Principal Investigator: Kurt Johnson Co-Principal Investigator: David Saftner, Meijun Cai Technical Liaison: Dwayne Stenlund Project Coordinator: Daniel Warzala Panel Members: Andy Johnson - District 1 David Fairbairn - MPCA Kurt Johnson - U of M Duluth Michele Micke - District 1 Patrick Huston - District 1 Tara Carson - Environmental Stewardship Todd Campbell - District 1