Nutrient Leaching from Compost: Implications for Bioretention and Other Green Stormwater Infrastructure

This scientific journal article by Stephanie Hurley and others evaluates the nutrient leaching potential of different compost products. This research highlights the importance of saturation as an influencing factor on the nutrient leaching potential of different composts and compost-amended bioretention soils. The study found that all seven compost products that were analyzed leached ammonium and phosphate at increasing concentrations over time, from 10 min to 10 days of saturation. This suggests that compost applications in wet settings, such as within green stormwater infrastructure, riparian areas, and floodplains have a greater chance of leaching soluble nutrients.