Improving the Quality of Urban Stormwater with Innovative Treatment Technologies from the Lab to Watershed Scale

Improving the Quality of Urban Stormwater with Innovative Treatment Technologies from the Lab to Watershed Scale PDF Author: Jordyn Michelle Wolfand
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

Book Description
Urban runoff, or stormwater, poses engineering challenges including increased flood risk and water quality impairment. Stormwater control measures (SCMs) are increasingly used to both mitigate the negative effects of stormwater and capitalize on stormwater as a valuable water resource. SCMs have been shown to provide water quantity benefits such as decreased peak flow and increased groundwater recharge. But the ability of SCMs to reduce pollutants is variable, prompting researchers and practitioners to develop enhanced SCMs with modified geomedia, plant and fungal processes, or hydraulic conditions to provide increased and more reliable pollutant removal. Examples of enhanced SCMs include open surface wetlands, biochar-amended biofilters, and detention ponds with real-time controls. This dissertation focuses on how these next generation SCMs can provide laboratory- and watershed-scale benefits. Chapter 2 investigates the use of wood-decay fungi to enhance biodegradation processes in stormwater at the laboratory scale. Batch studies indicate that the wood-decay fungi are capable of degrading the urban-use pesticide fipronil. Chapters 3 and 4 investigate the impacts of enhanced SCMs on stormwater quality at the watershed scale. Chapter 3 examines effects of implementing enhanced SCMs on fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) pollution in the Ballona Creek Watershed (Los Angeles County, CA). Chapter 4 examines urban-use pesticide occurrence in runoff and subsequent watershed-scale management of pesticides with SCMs in the San Diego River (San Diego County, CA). This work reveals enhanced SCMs provide water quality benefits in the laboratory that are scalable to the watershed level. Further, water managers should consider water quality and quantity goals concurrently when designing SCM networks.

Innovative Urban Wet-Weather Flow Management Systems

Innovative Urban Wet-Weather Flow Management Systems PDF Author: Richard Field
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 9781566769143
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 702

Book Description
The 20th century's automobile-inspired land use changes brought about tremendous transformations in how stormwater moves across the modern urban land-scape. Streets and parking areas in the average urban family's neighborhood now exceed the amount of land devoted to living space. Add parking, office and commercial space, and it's easy to understand how modern cities have experienced a three-fold increase in impervious areas. Traditional wet weather collection systems removed stormwater from urban areas as quickly as possible, often transferring problems downstream. Innovative Urban WetWeather Flow Management Systems does two things: It considers the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of urban runoff; then describes innovative methods for improving wet weather flow (WWF) management systems. The result of extensive research, Innovative Urban Wet-Weather Flow Manage-ment Systems looks most at how to handle runoff in developments of the 21st century: the confl icting objectives of providing drainage while decreasing stormwater pollutant discharges; the impact of urban WWF on surface and groundwater, such as smaller urban stream channels scoured by high peak flows; sediment transport and the toxic effects of WWF on aquatic organisms; the effectiveness of WWF controls-including design guidelines and source and downstream controls-are an important issue. Innovative Urban Wet-Weather Flow Management Systems looks at how source controls like biofi ltration, created through simple grading, may work in newly developing areas, while critical source areas like an auto service facilities, may need more extensive treatment strategies. Focusing WWF treatment on intensively used areas, such as the 20 percent of streets that handle the bulk of the traffic, and under utilized parking areas is also considered. Developing a more integrated water supply system-collecting, treating, and disposing of wastewater, and handling urban WWF-requires innovative methods, such as a neighborhood-scale system that would recycle treated wastewater and storm water for lawn watering and toilet flushing, or use treated roof runoff for potable purposes.

Urban Stormwater Management in the United States

Urban Stormwater Management in the United States PDF Author: Committee on Reducing Stormwater Discharge Contributions to Water Pollution
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309134455
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 587

Book Description
The rapid conversion of land to urban and suburban areas has profoundly altered how water flows during and following storm events, putting higher volumes of water and more pollutants into the nation's rivers, lakes, and estuaries. These changes have degraded water quality and habitat in virtually every urban stream system. The Clean Water Act regulatory framework for addressing sewage and industrial wastes is not well suited to the more difficult problem of stormwater discharges. This book calls for an entirely new permitting structure that would put authority and accountability for stormwater discharges at the municipal level. A number of additional actions, such as conserving natural areas, reducing hard surface cover (e.g., roads and parking lots), and retrofitting urban areas with features that hold and treat stormwater, are recommended.

Enhancing the Storm Water Treatment Performance of Constructed Wetlands and Bioretention Basins

Enhancing the Storm Water Treatment Performance of Constructed Wetlands and Bioretention Basins PDF Author: Isri R. Mangangka
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 9811016607
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 87

Book Description
This book identifies the key hydrologic and hydraulic factors which influence the performance of stormwater quality treatment systems such as constructed wetlands and bioretention basins. Mathematical relationships derived using conceptual models underpinned by fundamental hydraulic theory are presented to predict treatment performance. The key highlights of the book will include the identification of the linkages between influential hydrologic and hydraulic factors for constructed wetlands and bioretention basins to support more accurate prediction of treatment performance and effective design of these types of stormwater treatment systems. Furthermore, this book will showcase an innovative approach for using conceptual models to analyze stormwater treatment system performance.

Wet-Weather Flow in the Urban Watershed

Wet-Weather Flow in the Urban Watershed PDF Author: Richard Field
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 1420012770
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 400

Book Description
According to the National Resources Defense Council, stormwater runoff rivals or exceeds discharges from factories and sewage plants as a source of pollution throughout the United States. The Environmental Protection Agency identifies urban stormwaters as the second largest source of water quality damage in estuaries and a significant contributor t

Role of Rainfall and Catchment Characteristics on Urban Stormwater Quality

Role of Rainfall and Catchment Characteristics on Urban Stormwater Quality PDF Author: An Liu
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 9812874593
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 102

Book Description
The key highlights of the book include an innovative rainfall classification methodology based on stormwater quality to support the planning and design of stormwater treatment systems. Additionally, this book provides a practical approach to effective stormwater treatment design and development of a methodology for rainfall selection to optimize stormwater treatment based on both its quality and quantity. The case study presented in this book evaluates how pollutant buildup on urban surfaces and stormwater runoff quality varies with a range of catchment characteristics based on different rainfall types. The information presented will be of particular interest to practitioners such as stormwater-treatment designers, urban planners and hydrologic and stormwater-quality model developers since the outcomes presented provide practical approaches to and recommendations for urban stormwater-quality improvement. Readers will benefit from a state-of-the-art critical review of literature on urban stormwater quality, an in-depth discussion on stormwater-quality processes providing guidance for engineering practice such as stormwater treatment design and model development, a comprehensive overview on the application of multivariate data analysis techniques and a paradigm of the integrated use of commercial models and mathematical equations to undertake a comprehensive, urban stormwater-quality investigation.

Stormwater Management for Smart Growth

Stormwater Management for Smart Growth PDF Author: Allen P. Davis
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9780387260488
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 392

Book Description
Current trends in stormwater management add pollution control to existing priorities of flood protection and peakflow limits. From a fundamental overview of supporting information on water quality, statistics and hydrology to detailed sections devoted to treatment and management practices, this book examines the latest treatment practices and techniques for improving stormwater quality to protect against stream, river and estuary degradation.

Refining Urban Stormwater Pollution Characterization and Prediction to Better Design, Locate, and Maintain Stormwater Control Measures

Refining Urban Stormwater Pollution Characterization and Prediction to Better Design, Locate, and Maintain Stormwater Control Measures PDF Author: Ian M. Simpson
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Environmental engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
While urban development provides many services to humanity, it also substantially impacts the environment and ecology of natural areas. Urbanization involves the conversion of forested and agricultural lands to impervious surfaces such as buildings, houses, roads, parking lots, and sidewalks. Stormwater runoff occurs when rainfall is not captured in depressional storage or is unable to infiltrate the soil surface. Land use changes may increase the generation and transport of pollutants and rate and volume of stormwater runoff, leading to increased pollutant load, flooding, in-stream erosion, and elevated stream temperatures. In urban areas developed prior to the Clean Water Act, stormwater is, in many cases, discharged without treatment. In recent decades, low impact development techniques, such as stormwater control measures (SCMs), have been increasingly adopted by municipalities to mitigate urban non-point source pollution. Efficacy of SCM retrofits run the gamut from success to failure. Thus, there is a need to fully understand the factors that affect stormwater quality and quantity to guide management. Urban land use and land cover (LULC) has been recognized as a strong influencer of stormwater quality and hydrology. Herein, I performed a meta-analysis utilizing stormwater quality data from the published literature spanning 360 unique urban watersheds. Furthermore, I monitored stormwater quality and hydrology from (urban and forested) watersheds in Ohio. Results indicate water quality can be further improved with a regionalization scheme. More specifically, regional climate substantially affected the quality of runoff. From the meta-analysis, it was observed that there is an absence of stormwater quality in certain regions of the world, one of which was the midwestern United States. Thus, stormwater models cannot be accurately calibrated or validated for this region. Analysis of local stormwater data (i.e., Dayton, Ohio metropolitan area) revealed LULC and rainfall patterns influenced the quality of runoff. Recent data also suggest stormwater quality is not temporally static (i.e., over years or decades), which opens various avenues for future research. Though design of SCMs is typically based on predicted runoff volume or peak flow rate, findings from water quality monitoring suggest placement of SCMs should also be considered in design (e.g., locate SCMs in hot spots for the generation of a pollutant of interest). Due to simplified hydrologic models, subjective parameter selection, and changing climatic patterns, the prediction of hydrologic responses contains large uncertainty. To bolster widely accepted models, I compared monitored hydrologic responses to predicted responses utilizing a variety of methodologies. Model performance varied with rainfall depth and watershed characteristics such and LULC and imperviousness. Thus, there was no one best model for every scenario, but the provided discussion will aide managers in selecting which model would provide the most accurate results under given circumstances. SCMs are often retrofitted with pollutants of concern in mind; however, these systems may provide treatment for other non-target pollutants. For example, stream temperature has been identified as the most important environmental cue to aquatic species behavior. Thermal impairments to receiving streams are commonly associated with impervious surfaces, yet ponds, wetlands, detention basins, and other noninfiltrating SCMs that are commonly retrofitted (or installed in new developments) further exacerbate stormwater temperature as they are subjected to solar radiation, often with little shading. Infiltrating SCMs such as bioretention and permeable pavements have shown promising reductions in stormwater temperature at the site-scale, but it is still unknown how a network of SCMs retrofitted at the watershed scale can ameliorate thermal impacts. My goal was to address this gap in knowledge to better inform other management strategies (e.g., riparian buffers, clustered imperviousness, underground storage/conveyance) that may need to be considered to protect cold-water ecosystems. Results indicate the best method of reducing thermal mass exported to receiving streams is through runoff volume mitigation, as runoff temperatures (monitored at watershed outlets) from watersheds with SCM retrofits were not different from watersheds without SCMs. It is commonly accepted in the literature that hydrologic mitigation is most critical for reducing the export of priority pollutants. In the final chapter of this dissertation, I addressed the effectiveness of five different maintenance techniques (two of which are new to the literature) to restore hydraulic function across five different permeable pavements by quantifying surface infiltration rates (SIRs) before and after maintenance activities. Three of the maintenance activities significantly improved SIRs, but results varied in effectiveness based on in-situ pavement conditions and operational factors. Thus, many maintenance take-aways were addressed such as performing maintenance during dry periods, topping up of joint aggregate after maintenance, and avoiding permeable pavement in high traffic/high speed areas.

Decision Making with Uncertainty in Stormwater Pollutant Processes

Decision Making with Uncertainty in Stormwater Pollutant Processes PDF Author: Buddhi Wijesiri
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 9811335079
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 82

Book Description
This book presents new findings on intrinsic variability in pollutant build-up and wash-off processes by identifying the characteristics of underlying process mechanisms, based on the behaviour of various-sized particles. The correlation between build-up and wash-off processes is clearly defined using heavy metal pollutants as a case study. The outcome of this study is an approach developed to quantitatively assess process uncertainty, which makes it possible to mathematically incorporate the characteristics of variability in build-up and wash-off processes into stormwater quality models. In addition, the approach can be used to quantify process uncertainty as an integral aspect of stormwater quality predictions using common uncertainty analysis techniques. The information produced using enhanced modelling tools will promote more informed decision-making, and thereby help to improve urban stormwater quality.

Urban Stormwater Hydrology

Urban Stormwater Hydrology PDF Author: Osman A. Akan
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 9780877629672
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 284

Book Description
This book and software package provides a concise, practical guide for those involved in studying, planning, and designing urban stormwater management practices. The emphasis is on engineering calculations rather than theory. Many facets of stormwater management, from rainfall analysis and design storm selection procedures to runoff calculations and the evaluation of wet ponds for long-term, efficient water quality control. The book presents broadly used conventional methods and innovative techniques that are in line with current trends and needs. The book also includes the Soil Conservation Service's TR-20 computer software and a new easy-to-follow user's guide. From the Preface There has been much interest in urban stormwater hydrology during the past two decades due to the widespread recognition of the adverse effects of urbanization on stormwater runoff. During this period, many individuals and organizations developed innovative techniques to estimate and control the quantity and the water quality of urban stormwater runoff.