Presenter: Andy Erickson (University of Minnesota)
Phosphate is a major concern for freshwater resources in North America because it often contributes to or exacerbates harmful algal blooms in lakes.
Phosphate from urban landscapes, transported by stormwater runoff, was found to be a primary factor in surface water impairments by the USEPA in 2016, with nearly 3000 water bodies impaired for phosphate in the USA.
Many conventional and innovative stormwater treatment practices are ineffective at capturing phosphate, and some can even increase phosphate concentration from inflow to outflow.
In Minnesota, laboratory and field research over the last 20 years has endeavored to develop new ways to mitigate phosphate impacts to valuable water resources.
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Presenter Bio:
Andy Erickson, PhD, PE, is a Research Manager at St. Anthony Falls Laboratory and the University of Minnesota and registered professional engineer in Minnesota.
Dr. Erickson’s research pursues an understanding of water quality in urban and agricultural watersheds, assessment and maintenance of stormwater treatment practices, and developing new stormwater treatment technologies such as the Iron-Enhanced Sand Filter.
Dr. Erickson is lead author for the book, Optimizing Stormwater Treatment Practices: A Handbook of Assessment and Maintenance, and the editor of the University of Minnesota stormwater newsletter, UPDATES to approximately 1,900 email subscribers, and leads the Minnesota Stormwater Seminar Series for approximately 170 stormwater practitioners per month.
Dr. Erickson has given over 230 presentations, over 30 invited guest lectures, and over 40 one- and two-day professional trainings and workshops. Dr. Erickson is the Vice Chair of the ASTM international E64 Committee on Stormwater Control Measures and a member of the Water Environment Federation Stormwater Institute Advisory Board.