Comparison of heavy metal loads in stormwater runoff from major and minor urban roads using pollutant yield rating curves

Trace metal export by stormwater runoff from a major road and local street in urban Sydney, Australia, is compared using pollutant yield rating curves derived from intensive sampling data. The event loads of copper, lead and zinc are well approximated by logarithmic relationships with respect to total event discharge owing to the reliable appearance of a first flush in pollutant mass loading from urban roads. Comparisons of the yield rating curves for these three metals show that copper and zinc export rates from the local street are comparable with that of the major road, while lead export from the local street is much higher, despite a 45-fold difference in traffic volume. The yield rating curve approach allows problematic environmental data to be presented in a simple yet meaningful manner with less information loss.     

Characteristics of the event mean concentration (EMC) from rainfall runoff on an urban highway

The purpose of this study was to investigate the characterization of the event mean concentration (EMC) of runoff during heavy precipitation events on highways. Highway runoff quality data were collected from the 7th highway, in South Korea during 2007-2009. The samples were analyzed for runoff quantity and quality parameters such as COD_cr, TSS, TPHs, TKN, NO₃, TP, PO₄ and six heavy metals, e.g., As, Cu, Cd, Ni, Pb and Zn. Analysis of resulting hydrographs and pollutant graphs indicates that the peak of the pollutant concentrations in runoff occurs 20 min after the first rainfall runoff occurrence. The first flush effect depends on the preceding dry period and the rainfall intensity. The results of this study can be used as a reference for water quality management of urban highways.     

Precipitation as the Primary Driver of Variability in River Nitrogen Loads in the Midwest United States

Nitrogen (N) losses from agricultural lands in the Midwest United States are contributing to the expansion of the hypoxic zone in the Gulf of Mexico. This study evaluated the importance of inter‐annual variability in precipitation, land cover, and N fertilizer use on NO₃ + NO₂‐N loads in seven United States Midwestern Rivers using the backward stepwise regression analysis. At the annual scale, fluctuations in the current and previous years’ precipitations explained much of the variation in streamflow, baseflow, and N‐load. Previous years precipitation effects were associated with fillable soil porosity. In some years, higher residual soil N from previous dry years also contributed to an increase in N‐load. Area under soybean production (SOY), a surrogate for replacement of prairies and small grains was generally not a significant explanatory variable. Fertilizer use from 1987 to 2012 was also not a significant explanatory variable in the annual analysis. Precipitation in both the current and previous months and previous year were important in explaining variation in monthly streamflow, baseflow, and N‐load. SOY was significant in one or two months from June to August, but had a higher p‐value than precipitation. We conclude recent increases in river N‐loads are primarily due to wet climate and minimally due to the changes in land cover or N fertilizer use. Under current cropping systems and agronomic N application rates, tile water remediation will be necessary to reduce river N‐loads.     

A Tool for Automated Load Duration Curve Creation1

Abstract: A recent study by the Texas Bacteria Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Task Force has recommended the use of load duration curves as a primary tool in calculating bacterial TMDLs. This method is attractive because it effectively integrates flow regimes into TMDL analyses, clearly communicates data through a method that is understandable to the general public, and has been successfully applied in TMDL studies in other states. To ease the creation of load duration curves, an automated load duration curve creation tool called LDCurve has been created within a Microsoft Excel framework. Web services and a webscraper are used to retrieve U.S. Geological Survey streamflow data and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality water quality data. Data are imported to the spreadsheet, combined to create flow and load duration curves, and plotted. Final steps result in a preliminary estimate of the overall load reductions needed to meet water quality standards in the modeled segment. LDCurve is currently only applicable in the state of Texas, but may be updated to model water quality throughout the nation using analogous web services from the EPA STORET database. By using automated data retrievals and computations, the LDCurve tool reduces the amount of time required to create curves and calculate load reductions to a matter of minutes. LDCurve and all supporting materials are available online for free download at: http://tools.crwr.utexas.edu/LDCurve/ .     

Effects of broadleaf woodland cover on streamwater chemistry and risk assessments of streamwater acidification in acid-sensitive catchments in the UK

Streamwater was sampled at high flows from 14 catchments with different (0-78%) percentages of broadleaf woodland cover in acid-sensitive areas in the UK to investigate whether woodland cover affects streamwater acidification. Significant positive correlations were found between broadleaf woodland cover and streamwater NO3 and Al concentrations. Streamwater NO3 concentrations exceeded non-marine SO4 in three catchments with broadleaf woodland cover>or=50% indicating that NO3 was the principal excess acidifying ion in the catchments dominated by woodland. Comparison of calculated streamwater critical loads with acid deposition totals showed that 11 of the study catchments were not subject to acidification by acidic deposition. Critical loads were exceeded in three catchments, two of which were due to high NO3 concentrations in drainage from areas with large proportions of broadleaved woodland. The results suggest that the current risk assessment methodology should protect acid-sensitive catchments from potential acidification associated with broadleaf woodland expansion.     

三峡水库蓄水至175 m后干流沉积物磷蓄积特征及释放潜力

为揭示三峡水库首次蓄水至175 m后,干流柱状沉积物磷的蓄积特征及其影响因素,于2010年10月下旬采集了三峡水库干流云阳至秭归等5个断面柱状沉积物样品,分析了沉积物粒径、有机质、矿物成分、总磷等理化特征,采用分级提取法分析了柱状沉积物各形态磷分布特征,并对三峡水库柱状沉积物磷的释放贡献率进行估算.结果表明,三峡水库干流柱状沉积物p H在7. 3～7. 8间,总体呈中性.沉积物组成以粉砂为主,含量为49. 4%～78. 6%,黏土为20. 6%～50. 6%,含砂量低于4. 4%,各断面中值粒径沿深度呈现出阶段性地增加或降低趋势.沉积物有机质含量为12. 94～53. 43 g·kg~(-1),从云阳至秭归断面沉积物有机质含量略有增加,碳氮比在4. 00～11. 64之间.三峡水库沉积物总磷为861. 86～1 024. 54 mg·kg~(-1),同一断面沉积物总磷垂向变化较小,且没有随深度变化呈现规律性变化趋势.三峡沉积物磷形态以钙磷为主,约占总磷含量的47. 83%～73. 90%,其余各形态磷所占比例较小.不同断面间磷形态垂向变化趋势差异较大.可交换态磷、铝磷及铁磷在个别断面表层0～4 cm范围内含量相对较高,而在16～20 cm处大部分断面沉积物各形态磷均不随深度发生变化.在同一深度下,不同断面生物可利用磷(可交换态磷、铁磷、铝磷之和,Bio-P)的含量及相对含量沿程分布趋势较为明显,从云阳至秭归断面均表现为沿程增加趋势. Bio-P相对含量为2. 78%～7. 05%,整体而言,三峡水库干流沉积物内源释放风险较小.沉积物生物可利用磷与有机质含量呈显著正相关(P 0. 05,N=50),有机质的分布和转化将影响三峡水库沉积物中磷的迁移和转化.     

2次降雨间隔时间对城市地表径流污染负荷的影响

2003～2005年通过对武汉市十里铺集水区12次降雨径流的水量和水质过程监测,研究了城市降雨径流污染负荷同2次降雨间隔时间的关系,探讨了城市地表状况、排水系统管理以及降雨特征在城市降雨径流污染负荷形成中的作用.结果表明,城市降雨径流污染负荷受2次降雨间隔时间和降雨径流量的共同影响.2次降雨间隔时间与初期降雨径流污染负荷存在显著的正相关关系 (p<0.01).汉阳地区城市地表卫生管理差和雨、污合流制的排水系统是城市径流污染负荷形成的主要原因.可以利用2次降雨间隔时间和降雨径流量预测城市降雨径流污染负荷.加强城市地表卫生管理和排水系统的管理,降低污染物在晴天累积的程度,从源头上减少污染物的数量,是有效控制城市降雨径流污染的首先途径.     

萨凡纳河流域TMDL计划执行案例研究

以美国萨凡纳河流域水质管理模式——最大日负荷量计划TMDL(total maximum daily load)执行案例为研究对象,简要分析了该计划内容、实施情况及效果评估,通过对该流域汞的TMDL计划的分析制定,提出了一些流域内河流汞分配的建议和方法,为今后我国在流域水环境的管理方面提供参考。     

潮汐河网水环境随机容量研究

根据潮汐河网水环境模型中水文及水质参数具有明显随机性的特点,本文建立了潮汐河网水环境随机模型,给出了随机参数的分布函数形式。用Monte-Carlo随机抽样法求解水项模型 当只抽一个样本时,随机模型的算法与确定性模型的算法一样。计算结果为水环境容量的分布函数,容量结果与保证率成一一对应关系。最后还对随机参数的分布函数形成进行了敏感性讨论。      

杞麓湖湖滨带农田排涝区农田排水入湖污染负荷研究

杞麓湖湖滨带区域西部、南部平坝区的部分围海造田形成的耕地低于湖泊正常水位,农田排水无法自流进入湖泊,必须通过排涝站人为抽水排涝。本研究旨在通过现场调查和监测,核算湖滨带农田排水入湖的污染负荷。