Management of urban stormwater runoff represents one of the most pressing environmental challenges facing New Mexico in the coming decades. Degradation of freshwater ecosystems is largely driven by pollutants transported in stormwater, yet conventional management practices emphasize rapid conveyance rather than treatment. RainCatcher Inc., a Santa Fe–based firm, has developed and implemented innovative Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) systems intended to infiltrate runoff and biologically treat contaminants. The primary barrier to advancing these systems is funding to rigorously evaluate their performance using biochemical and stable isotope techniques.
GSI treats runoff from impervious surfaces as a resource, enabling infiltration while reducing pollutant loads through integrated plant–soil processes. Prior studies identified polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) as common contaminants in Santa Fe stormwater. Toluene was detected across all study sites, making it a suitable tracer compound for GSI research.
Decomposer fungi, particularly white rot fungi (WRF), are well documented for their ability to degrade lignin and structurally similar aromatic compounds, including PAHs. We are currently integrating the WRF Pleurotus ostreatus (oyster mushroom) into all GSI installations in Santa Fe County. This project proposes monitoring the fate of toluene within these systems to quantify fungal-mediated bioremediation.
In partnership with the University of New Mexico’s Biology, Civil Engineering, and Biochemistry Departments, this study will use carbon-13 labeled toluene to trace degradation pathways at the UNM Center for Stable Isotopes.