**STEP researchers developed a study to examine the effectiveness of reactive media amendments as a means of enhancing phosphorus retention in a bioretention cell draining a 1150 m<sup>2</sup> parking lot in the City of Vaughan. For testing purposes, the bioretention was divided into three hydrologically distinct cells: (1) with a high sand, low phosphorus media mix (control); (2) with a proprietary reactive media (Sorbitve™) mixed into the sandy filter media, and (3) with a 170 cm layer of iron rich sand (aka red sand) below the sandy filter media. Outflow quantity and quality from each cell was measured directly, while inflows and runoff quality were estimated based on monitoring of an adjacent asphalt reference site over the same time period. The results found that the Sorbitve™ and the Iron rich (red) sand cells had lower concentrations of Total Phosphorus (among other contaminants) in its effluent outflow, and the TP measured was below the CCDME guideline of 0.03mg/L in both years monitored for Sorbitve™ (2016 & 2017) and 2017 for the cell with Iron rich (red) sand. Both cells had median concentrations lower than the control media cell used in the study by at least 68% for TP (STEP, 2019<ref>STEP. 2019. Improving nutrient retention in bioretention - Technical Brief. Prepared by Toronto and Region Conservation Authority. Published in 2018. https://sustainabletechnologies.ca/app/uploads/2019/06/improving-nutrient-retention-in-bioretention-tech-brief.pdf</ref> | **STEP researchers developed a study to examine the effectiveness of reactive media amendments as a means of enhancing phosphorus retention in a bioretention cell draining a 1150 m<sup>2</sup> parking lot in the City of Vaughan. For testing purposes, the bioretention was divided into three hydrologically distinct cells: (1) with a high sand, low phosphorus media mix (control); (2) with a proprietary reactive media (Sorbitve™) mixed into the sandy filter media, and (3) with a 170 cm layer of iron rich sand (aka red sand) below the sandy filter media. Outflow quantity and quality from each cell was measured directly, while inflows and runoff quality were estimated based on monitoring of an adjacent asphalt reference site over the same time period. The results found that the Sorbitve™ and the Iron rich (red) sand cells had lower concentrations of Total Phosphorus (among other contaminants) in its effluent outflow, and the TP measured was below the CCDME guideline of 0.03mg/L in both years monitored for Sorbitve™ (2016 & 2017) and 2017 for the cell with Iron rich (red) sand. Both cells had median concentrations lower than the control media cell used in the study by at least 68% for TP (STEP, 2019<ref>STEP. 2019. Improving nutrient retention in bioretention - Technical Brief. Prepared by Toronto and Region Conservation Authority. Published in 2018. https://sustainabletechnologies.ca/app/uploads/2019/06/improving-nutrient-retention-in-bioretention-tech-brief.pdf</ref> |