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Dr. Humphrey Oversees Durham Stream Bioreactor Project

Over the past two weeks, Dr. Charles Humphrey has been working with Guy Iverson (PhD student) and Christa Sanderford (MS Environmental Health student) to oversee a stream bioreactor project in Durham, NC. The reactor should help reduce stream bank erosion and also help reduce nutrient and bacteria transport. The bioreactor installation included excavating 2-3 feet of stream bed and replacing the material with a 1.5 feet layer of wood chips,  6 inches of engineered media that adsorbs pollutants, and then large stones.  The reactor is over 200 ft long. Below are pictures showing the installation process of the bioreactor.

Christa Sanderford (MSEH student) and Guy Iverson (PhD student) observe the stream bank erosion prior to the start of the bioreactor project.

 

Dr. Humphrey and Guy Iverson (PhD student) oversee the excavation of soil during the early phase of the bioreactor project.

 

About 2-3 feet of stream bed is excavated at the early phase of the project.

 

Excavated materials are being replaced with a layer of wood chips and engineered media that adsorbs pollutants at this phase of the project.

 

A layer of large stones were placed during the final stage of the project.

 

The bioreactor project installation is completed.