Phytoremediation of Lead and Arsenic in Residential Soils

by Carolyn Salisbury

Chairperson of the Supervisory Committee:
Professor Kristina Hill
Department of Landscape Architecture
2003

The question this professional project thesis seeks to answer is whether phytoremediation is a viable cleanup method for heavy metal-contaminated soil at the residential scale in the Seattle area. The focus is on lead and arsenic as they are the most common contaminants found in residential soils.

The audience is intended to be property owners throughout the region, someone interested in finding out more information about phytoremediation or contamination, or a landscape architect interested in researching whether the technology of lead and arsenic phytoremediation is applicable to a site he or she may be working on. Because of this wide range of people, I chose to distribute the information as a website in addition to this thesis itself, so that it can be accessible to the most people possible.

The project considers the importance of the residential scale, heavy metal contamination and its relationship to humans and ecological systems, and conventional remediation solutions. Finally, it presents phytoremediation as an applicable and advantageous solution for the residential scale. A compiled plant list makes the technology easier to imagine as a possibility, and a short section on design theory looks at how phytoremediation might inform a designed landscape. The website looks more specifically at the process of phytoremediation. For example, where and how to get soil tested, where to take the plants after harvest, and sources for finding out more information about a specific property. These are some of the pages within the website that make phytoremediation a real possibility for a property owner.

The conclusion to this project is that the application of phytoremediation to the residential scale seems entirely feasible as well as exciting in its expressive potential, usefulness, and healing properties.