Review of Urban Stormwater Quality Models: Deterministic,Stochastic, and Hybrid Approaches1

Abstract: The growing impact of urban stormwater on surface‐water quality has illuminated the need for more accurate modeling of stormwater pollution. Water quality based regulation and the movement towards integrated urban water management place a similar demand for improved stormwater quality model predictions. The physical, chemical, and biological processes that affect stormwater quality need to be better understood and simulated, while acknowledging the costs and benefits that such complex modeling entails. This paper reviews three approaches to stormwater quality modeling: deterministic, stochastic, and hybrid. Six deterministic, three stochastic, and three hybrid models are reviewed in detail. Hybrid approaches show strong potential for reducing stormwater quality model prediction error and uncertainty. Improved stormwater quality models will have wide ranging benefits for combined sewer overflow management, total maximum daily load development, best management practice design, land use change impact assessment, water quality trading, and integrated modeling.     

A SPATIAL LINEAR PROGRAM FOR OPTIMALLY SCHEDULING FOREST MANAGEMENT TO MEET STORMFLOW OBJECTWES1

ABSTRACT: A spatial linear program that strategically arranges and schedules forest treatments so as to meet peak stormflow objectives is formulated and demonstrated. The approach uses simulated spatial routing of stormflows nested as short‐term time schedules within longer‐term forest planning time periods. A simple case example is used to demonstrate the formulation and explore its spatial sensitivity.     

ACCURACY AND PRECISION OF NRCS MODELS FOR SMALL WATERSHEDS1

ABSTRACT: In the last 30 years, the National Resource Conservation Service's TR‐55 and TR‐20 models have seen a dramatic increase in use for stormwater management purposes. This paper reviews some of the data that were originally used to develop these models and tests how well the models estimate annual series peak runoff rates for the same watersheds using longer historical data record lengths. The paper also explores differences between TR‐55 and TR‐20 peak runoff rate estimates and time of concentration methods. It was found that of the 37 watersheds tested, 25 were either over‐ or under‐predicting the actual historical watershed runoff rates by more than 30 percent. The results of this study indicate that these NRCS models should not be used to model small wooded watersheds less than 20 acres. This would be especially true if the watershed consisted of an area without a clearly defined outlet channel. This study also supports the need for regulators to allow educated hydrologists to alter pre‐packaged model parameters or results more easily than is currently permitted.     

遵循“循环经济”理论治理“白色污染”

1990年 4月自《人民日报》提出废弃塑料农膜污染环境的问题后 ,发泡塑料餐具和塑料薄膜包装袋等引发的环境问题接踵而来 ,且愈演愈烈。如何防治 ?各持己见 ,争论不休。一些地方政府、行政主管部门采取“封堵”的办法 ,颁布法规或命令 ,禁止生产、销售和使用这类产品 ;另一些地方认为出现环境污染的根源是管理不善 ,是人的素质问题 ,他们选用疏导方式 ,遵循“循环经济”理论 ,宣传“三R”原则 (即减少使用、重复使用和再生利用 ) ,建立并运作回收利用机制 ,将废弃的塑料制品回收再利用。结果是 :前者因推上市场的替代品卫生状况、使用性能难以达到既定标准 ,价格偏高 ,消费者难以接受 ,迄今为止仍然禁而不止 ;后者将进入环境的废旧塑料制品回收再利用 ,目前某些类型废塑料产品的回收率已达 60 %以上 ,市容景观明显改善 ,生态环境问题有所缓解。有的城市还拟将这种治理方式推广 ,用于治理其它废弃物污染环境问题     

Efficiency of stormwater control measures for combined sewer retrofitting under varying rain conditions: Quantifying the Three Points Approach (3PA)

We present a method to assess and communicate the efficiency of stormwater control measures for retrofitting existing urban areas. The tool extends the Three Points Approach to quantitatively distinguish three rainfall domains: (A) rainwater resource utilisation, (B) urban stormwater drainage pipe design, and (C) pluvial flood mitigation. Methods for calculating efficiencies are defined recognizing that rainfall is both a valuable resource and a potential problem. Efficiencies are quantified in relation to rainfall volume, supplied potable water volume and volume of wastewater treated. A case study from Denmark is used to illustrate how the efficiency varies between the rainfall domains. The method provides a means for communicating some important quantitative aspects of stormwater control measures among engineers, planners and decision makers working with management of water resources, stormwater drainage and flood risks.     

OFF-LINE STORMWATER DETENTION SYSTEMS1

ABSTRACT: This paper looks at the use of off-line detention systems as a means of stormwater management. Conventional detention basins are typically designed and built as in-line systems in which all runoff is directed to the basin. Off-line systems are designed so that only a portion of the runoff is directed to the basin. Several simulation experiments were run to examine the behavior of in-line and off-line systems designed to reduce the peak flow from a developed area to the pre-development level. The results demonstrate that off-line systems require considerably less storage than in-line systems to achieve the same management goal. The results also show that off-line and in-line systems have significantly different flow-duration characteristics with the off-line system generally producing lower flows over longer periods. Unfortunately, off-line systems may exacerbate downstream flooding problems, especially when used in the upper portions of a watershed. Nevertheless, an off-line system can be an alternative to in-line detention in many cases.     

A NEW FLASHINESS INDEX: CHARACTERISTICS AND APPLICATIONS TO MIDWESTERN RIVERS AND STREAMS1

ABSTRACT: The term flashiness reflects the frequency and rapidity of short term changes in streamflow, especially during runoff events. Flashiness is an important component of a stream's hydrologic regime. A variety of land use and land management changes may lead to increased or decreased flashiness, often to the detriment of aquatic life. This paper presents a newly developed flashiness index, which is based on mean daily flows. The index is calculated by dividing the pathlength of flow oscillations for a time interval (i.e., the sum of the absolute values of day‐to‐day changes in mean daily flow) by total discharge during that time interval. This index has low interannual variability, relative to most flow regime indicators, and thus greater power to detect trends. Index values were calculated for 515 Midwestern streams for the 27‐year period from 1975 through 2001. Statistically significant increases were present in 22 percent of the streams, primarily in the eastern portion of the study area, while decreases were present in 9 percent, primarily in the western portion. Index values tend to decrease with increasing watershed area and with increasing unit area ground water inputs. Area compensated index values often shift at ecoregion boundaries. Potential index applications include evaluation of programs to restore more natural flow regimes.     

LONG-TERM EQUILIBRIUM PHOSPHORUS CONCENTRATIONS IN THE EVERGLADES AS PREDICTED BY A VOLLENWEIDER-TYPE MODEL1

ABSTRACT: Anthropogenic phosphorus loading, mainly from the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA), is believed to be the primary cause of eutrophication in the Everglades. The state of Florida has adopted a plan for addressing Everglades eutrophication problems by reducing anthropogenic phosphorus loads through the implementation of Best Management Practices (BMPs) in agricultural watersheds and the construction of stormwater treatment areas (STAs). Optimizing the effectiveness of these STAs for reducing phosphorus concentrations from agricultural runoff is a critical component of the District's comprehensive Everglades protection effort. Therefore, the objective of this study was to develop a simple tool that can be used to estimate STAs’performance and evaluate management alternatives considered in the Everglades restoration efforts. The model was tested at two south Florida wetland sites and then was used to simulate several management alternatives and predict ecosystem responses to reduced external phosphorus (P) loadings. Good agreement between model predictions at the two wetland sites and actual observations indicated that the model can be used as a management tool to predict wetlands’response to reductions in external phosphorus load and long-term P levels in aquatic ecosystems. Model results showed that lowering P content of the Everglades Protection Area (EPA) depends on reducing P loads originating from EAA discharges, not from rainfall. Assuming no action is taken (e.g., no BMPs or STAs implemented), the steady state model predicted that the average concentration within the modeled area of the marsh would reach 20 μg L^?1 within five years. With an 85 percent reduction in P loading, the steady-state model predicted that Water Conservation Area 2A (WCA-2A) P concentration will equilibrate at approximately 10 μ L^?1, while elimination of all loadings is projected to further reduce marsh P to values less than 10 μg L^?1.     

URBAN STORMWATER QUANTITY/QUALITY MODELING USING THE SCS METHOD AND EMPIRICAL EQUATIONS1

ABSTRACT: Runoff depth and pollutant loading (Biological Oxygen Demand [BOD₅], Total Suspended Solids [TSS], Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen [TKN] and lead [Pb]) computations of urban stormwater runoff from four small sites (i.e., 14.7–58.3 ac) in South Florida were performed using the Soil Conservation Service (SCS) hydrology method and empirical equations developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Each site had different predominant land uses (i.e., low density residential, high density residential, highway and commercial). Quantity and quality data from 95 storm events at these sites were measured by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and used for calibration of the methodology to derive appropriate input parameters. Calibrated input parameters were developed for each land use to test the applicability of the methodology in small sub-tropical urban watersheds, and to provide hydrologists with a way to select appropriate parameter values for planning studies. A total of 16 independent rainfall events were used for verification of the methodology. Comparisons of predicted versus measured data for both hydrographs and pollutant loadings were performed.     

SIZING SMALL STORMWATER PUMP STATIONS1

ABSTRACT: Design of a stormwater pump station is a complicated procedure because of the large number of parameters that are involved. Even the most basic pump station serving a small catchment requires a computationally intensive iterative evaluation. However, the design problem consists primarily of finding the combination of temporary storage and pump capacity that accommodates runoff of the selected recurrence interval for the least cost. A procedure is developed for rapidly obtaining the needed relation between storage volume and discharge for small pump stations where a constant outflow can be assumed and the inflow hydro-graph can be represented using the modified rational method with rainfall given by a widely-used intensity-duration equation. Accepting the limitations of the modified rational method and the simplifications applied to pump station operation, the procedure provides an uncomplicated way of rapidly finding the stormwater runoff volume that needs to be temporarily stored for given values of pump discharge and activation water level (or, equivalently, activation storage volume). Ultimate determination of temporary runoff storage will depend on an economic analysis of the trade-off between storage volume and pump capacity.