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Treatment processes for metals in industrial storm water can be cost prohibitive. Therefore, passive remediation strategies using natural materials and microbial processes have the potential to provide affordable solutions for removing metals from aqueous waste streams, which is important from regulatory and environmental quality perspectives. Our research explores the key chemical, biological and physical processes promoting removal of hexavalent chromium (Cr) from an industrial storm water treatment system by association with granular organic peat media. In this installation chromium is primarily in the water soluble and carcinogenic hexavalent form, chromate. Prior to treatment, chromate is converted to Cr (III) via an oxidation-reduction reaction using iron sulfate (Fe (II) SO 4). The resulting Cr (III) is less water soluble than chromate, making Cr precipitation as hydroxides likely. The removal capacity for Cr (III …