Assessing the Impact of Urbanization on Direct Runoff Using Improved Composite CN Method in a Large Urban Area.

PubMed

Li, Chunlin; Liu, Miao; Hu, Yuanman; Shi, Tuo; Zong, Min; Walter, M Todd

2018-04-17

Urbanization is one of the most widespread anthropogenic activities, which brings a range of physical and biochemical changes to hydrological system and processes. Increasing direct runoff caused by land use change has become a major challenge for urban ecological security. Reliable prediction of the quantity and rate of surface runoff is an inherently difficult and time-consuming task for large ungauged urban areas. In this study, we combined Geographic Information System and remote sensing technology with an improved Soil Conservation Service curve number model to evaluate the effects of land use change on direct runoff volume of the four-ring area in Shenyang, China, and analyzed trends of direct runoff at different scales. Through analyzing trends of direct runoff from 1984 to 2015 at different scales, we explored how urbanization and other potential factors affect direct runoff changes. Total direct runoff volume increased over time, and trends varied from the inner urban area to suburban area. Zones 1 and 2 had a tendency toward decreasing direct runoff volume and risks, while Zones 3 and 4 showed gradual increases at both regional and pixel scales. The most important influence on direct runoff change was urban surface change caused by urbanization. This study presents a framework for identifying hotspots of runoff increase, which can provide important guidance to urban managers in future green infrastructure planning, in the hopes of improving the security of urban water ecological patterns.

Assessing the Impact of Urbanization on Direct Runoff Using Improved Composite CN Method in a Large Urban Area

PubMed Central

Li, Chunlin; Liu, Miao; Hu, Yuanman; Shi, Tuo; Zong, Min; Walter, M. Todd

2018-01-01

Urbanization is one of the most widespread anthropogenic activities, which brings a range of physical and biochemical changes to hydrological system and processes. Increasing direct runoff caused by land use change has become a major challenge for urban ecological security. Reliable prediction of the quantity and rate of surface runoff is an inherently difficult and time-consuming task for large ungauged urban areas. In this study, we combined Geographic Information System and remote sensing technology with an improved Soil Conservation Service curve number model to evaluate the effects of land use change on direct runoff volume of the four-ring area in Shenyang, China, and analyzed trends of direct runoff at different scales. Through analyzing trends of direct runoff from 1984 to 2015 at different scales, we explored how urbanization and other potential factors affect direct runoff changes. Total direct runoff volume increased over time, and trends varied from the inner urban area to suburban area. Zones 1 and 2 had a tendency toward decreasing direct runoff volume and risks, while Zones 3 and 4 showed gradual increases at both regional and pixel scales. The most important influence on direct runoff change was urban surface change caused by urbanization. This study presents a framework for identifying hotspots of runoff increase, which can provide important guidance to urban managers in future green infrastructure planning, in the hopes of improving the security of urban water ecological patterns. PMID:29673182

Investigation on the effectiveness of pretreatment in stormwater management technologies.

PubMed

Maniquiz-Redillas, Marla C; Geronimo, Franz Kevin F; Kim, Lee-Hyung

2014-09-01

The effectiveness of presettling basins as component of stormwater best management practice (BMP) technologies was investigated. Storm event monitoring and sediment collection were conducted from May 2009 to November 2012 on the presettling basins of the three BMP technologies designed to capture and treat stormwater runoff from highly impervious roads and parking lots. Data on captured runoff and sediment, total suspended solids (TSS) loadings, rainfall and runoff rate, sediment accumulation rate, as well as particle distribution and pollutant concentrations of sediment were gathered and analyzed along with the physical design characteristics of the presettling basins such as surface area and storage volume. Regression models were generated to determine significant relationships between design parameters. Results revealed that the storage volume ratio (ratio of storage volume of presettling basin to BMP) was an important parameter in designing the presettling basin of the BMP. For practicality, optimizing the design of the presettling basin means that the storage volume ratio should be determined based on the desired captured amount of runoff and sediment from runoff to limit the frequency of maintenance caused by the accumulation of sediment. It was recommended that pretreatment of runoff should be employed when the site in which the BMP is to be sited has high TSS loading and runoff rate, and is subjected to high intensity rainfall. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Total pollution effect of urban surface runoff.

PubMed

Luo, Hongbing; Luo, Lin; Huang, Gu; Liu, Ping; Li, Jingxian; Hu, Sheng; Wang, Fuxiang; Xu, Rui; Huang, Xiaoxue

2009-01-01

For pollution research with regard to urban surface runoff, most sampling strategies to date have focused on differences in land usage. With single land-use sampling, total surface runoff pollution effect cannot be evaluated unless every land usage spot is monitored. Through a new sampling strategy known as mixed stormwater sampling for a street community at discharge outlet adjacent to river, this study assessed the total urban surface runoff pollution effect caused by a variety of land uses and the pollutants washed off from the rain pipe system in the Futian River watershed in Shenzhen City of China. The water quality monitoring indices were COD (chemical oxygen demand), TSS (total suspend solid), TP (total phosphorus), TN (total nitrogen) and BOD (biochemical oxygen demand). The sums of total pollution loads discharged into the river for the four indices of COD, TSS, TN, and TP over all seven rainfall events were very different. The mathematical model for simulating total pollution loads was established from discharge outlet mixed stormwater sampling of total pollution loads on the basis of four parameters: rainfall intensity, total land area, impervious land area, and pervious land area. In order to treat surface runoff pollution, the values of MFF30 (mass first flush ratio) and FF30 (first 30% of runoff volume) can be considered as split-flow control criteria to obtain more effective and economical design of structural BMPs (best management practices) facilities.

Uncertainties in stormwater runoff data collection from a small urban catchment, Southeast China.

PubMed

Huang, Jinliang; Tu, Zhenshun; Du, Pengfei; Lin, Jie; Li, Qingsheng

2010-01-01

Monitoring data are often used to identify stormwater runoff characteristics and in stormwater runoff modelling without consideration of their inherent uncertainties. Integrated with discrete sample analysis and error propagation analysis, this study attempted to quantify the uncertainties of discrete chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solids (TSS) concentration, stormwater flowrate, stormwater event volumes, COD event mean concentration (EMC), and COD event loads in terms of flow measurement, sample collection, storage and laboratory analysis. The results showed that the uncertainties due to sample collection, storage and laboratory analysis of COD from stormwater runoff are 13.99%, 19.48% and 12.28%. Meanwhile, flow measurement uncertainty was 12.82%, and the sample collection uncertainty of TSS from stormwater runoff was 31.63%. Based on the law of propagation of uncertainties, the uncertainties regarding event flow volume, COD EMC and COD event loads were quantified as 7.03%, 10.26% and 18.47%.

Design and Construction of an Urban Runoff Research Facility

PubMed Central

Wherley, Benjamin G.; White, Richard H.; McInnes, Kevin J.; Fontanier, Charles H.; Thomas, James C.; Aitkenhead-Peterson, Jacqueline A.; Kelly, Steven T.

2014-01-01

As the urban population increases, so does the area of irrigated urban landscape. Summer water use in urban areas can be 2-3x winter base line water use due to increased demand for landscape irrigation. Improper irrigation practices and large rainfall events can result in runoff from urban landscapes which has potential to carry nutrients and sediments into local streams and lakes where they may contribute to eutrophication. A 1,000 m2 facility was constructed which consists of 24 individual 33.6 m2 field plots, each equipped for measuring total runoff volumes with time and collection of runoff subsamples at selected intervals for quantification of chemical constituents in the runoff water from simulated urban landscapes. Runoff volumes from the first and second trials had coefficient of variability (CV) values of 38.2 and 28.7%, respectively. CV values for runoff pH, EC, and Na concentration for both trials were all under 10%. Concentrations of DOC, TDN, DON, PO4-P, K+, Mg2+, and Ca2+ had CV values less than 50% in both trials. Overall, the results of testing performed after sod installation at the facility indicated good uniformity between plots for runoff volumes and chemical constituents. The large plot size is sufficient to include much of the natural variability and therefore provides better simulation of urban landscape ecosystems. PMID:25146420

Water-quality assessment of stormwater runoff from a heavily used urban highway bridge in Miami, Florida

USGS Publications Warehouse

McKenzie, Donald J.; Irwin, G.A.

1983-01-01

Runoff from a heavily-traveled, 1.43-acre bridge section of Interstate-95 in Miami, Florida, was comprehensively monitored for both quality and quantity during five selected storms between November 1979 and May 1981. For most water-quality parameters, 6 to 11 samples were collected during each of the 5 runoff events. Concentrations of most parameters in the runoff were quite variable both during individual storm events and among the five storm events; however, the ranges in parameter concentration were about the same magnitude report for numerous other highway and urban drainages. Data were normalized to estimate the average, discharge-weighted parameter loads per storm per acre of bridge surface and results suggested that the most significant factor influencing stormwater loads was parameter concentration. Rainfall intensity and runoff volume, however, influenced rates of loading. The total number of antecedent dry days and traffic volume did not appear to be conspicously related to either runoff concentrations or loads. (USGS)

[Nitrogen and phosphorus composition in urban runoff from the new development area in Beijing].

PubMed

Li, Li-Qing; Lü, Shu-Cong; Zhu, Ren-Xiao; Liu, Ze-Quan; Shan, Bao-Qing

2012-11-01

Stormwater runoff samples were collected from two impervious roof and road of the new development area in Beijing, during three rainfall events in an attempt to characterize the urban runoff and determine nitrogen and phosphorus composition. The outcomes are expected to offer the practical guidance in sources control of urban runoff pollution. The results indicated that the stormwater runoff from the studied area presented a strong first flush for all monitored events and constituents. Eighty percent of the total pollutant loads were transported by the first 10 mm flow volume for roof runoff, whereas 80% of the total pollutant loads were discharged by the first 15 mm flow volume for road runoff. Average EMCs of TSS, COD, TN, NH4(+) -N, NO3(-) -N and TP for roof runoff were 50.2 mg x L(-1), 81.7 mg x L(-1), 6.07 mg x L(-1), 2.94 mg x L(-1), 1.05 mg x L(-1), and 0.11 mg x L(-1), respectively. Average EMCs of TSS, COD, TN, NH4(+) -N, NO3(-)-N and TP for road runoff were 539.0 mg x L(-1), 276.4 mg x L(-1), 7.00 mg x L(-1), 1.71 mg x L(-1), 1.51 mg x L(-1), and 0.61 mg x L(-1), respectively. Moreover, for the roof runoff, the particle-bound fraction was 20.8% for COD, 12.3% for TN, and 49.7% for TP. For road runoff, the particle-bound fraction was 68.6% for COD, 20.0% for TN, and 73.6% for TP. Nitrogen in roof runoff was predominantly dissolved (87.7%), with ammonia (57.6%) and nitrate (22.5%). Nitrogen in road runoff was also predominantly dissolved (80.0%), with ammonia (42.1%) and nitrate (35.0%). These findings can assist the development of effective source control strategies to immobilize dissolved and particulate-bound nitrogen/phosphorus in urban stormwater.

Logging effects on streamflow: storm runoff at Caspar Creek in northwestern California

Treesearch

Kenneth A. Wright; Sendek Karen H.; Raymond M. Rice; Robert B. Thomas

1990-01-01

This paper reports a study to determine whether road building and selective harvesting at Caspar Creek in northwestern California increased total storm volumes, quick flow volumes, or peak flows or altered the lag times

Phosphorus transfer in runoff following application of fertilizer, manure, and sewage sludge.

PubMed

Withers, P J; Clay, S D; Breeze, V G

2001-01-01

Phosphorus (P) transfer in surface runoff from field plots receiving either no P, triplesuperphoshate (TSP), liquid cattle manure (LCS), liquid anaerobically digested sludge (LDS), or dewatered sludge cake (DSC) was compared over a 2-yr period. Dissolved inorganic P concentrations in runoff increased from 0.1 to 0.2 mg L(-1) on control and sludge-treated plots to 3.8 and 6.5 mg L(-1) following application of LCS and TSP, respectively, to a cereal crop in spring. When incorporated into the soil in autumn, runoff dissolved P concentrations were typically < 0.5 mg L(-1) across all plots, and particulate P remained the dominant P form. When surface-applied in autumn to a consolidated seedbed, direct loss of LCS and LDS increased both runoff volume and P transfers, but release of dissolved P occurred only from LCS. The largest P concentrations (>70 mg L(-1)) were recorded following TSP application without any increase in runoff volume, while application of bulky DSC significantly reduced total P transfers by 70% compared with the control due to a reduced runoff volume. Treatment effects in each monitoring period were most pronounced in the first runoff event. Differences in the release of P from the different P sources were related to the amounts of P extracted by either water or sodium bicarbonate in the order TSP > LCS > LDS > DSC. The results suggest there is a lower risk of P transfer in land runoff following application of sludge compared with other agricultural P amendments at similar P rates.

Observed impacts of duration and seasonality of atmospheric-river landfalls on soil moisture and runoff in coastal northern California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ralph, F.M.; Coleman, T.; Neiman, P.J.; Zamora, R.J.; Dettinger, Mike

2013-01-01

This study is motivated by diverse needs for better forecasts of extreme precipitation and floods. It is enabled by unique hourly observations collected over six years near California’s Russian River and by recent advances in the science of atmospheric rivers (ARs). This study fills key gaps limiting the prediction of ARs and, especially, their impacts by quantifying the duration of AR conditions and the role of duration in modulating hydrometeorological impacts. Precursor soil moisture conditions and their relationship to streamflow are also shown. On the basis of 91 well-observed events during 2004-10, the study shows that the passage of ARs over a coastal site lasted 20 h on average and that 12% of the AR events exceeded 30 h. Differences in storm-total water vapor transport directed up the mountain slope contribute 74% of the variance in storm-total rainfall across the events and 61% of the variance in storm-total runoff volume. ARs with double the composite mean duration produced nearly 6 times greater peak streamflow and more than 7 times the storm-total runoff volume. When precursor soil moisture was less than 20%, even heavy rainfall did not lead to significant streamflow. Predicting which AR events are likely to produce extreme impacts on precipitation and runoff requires accurate prediction of AR duration at landfall and observations of precursor soil moisture conditions.

Water-quality characteristics in runoff for three discovery farms in North Dakota, 2008-12

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nustad, Rochelle A.; Rowland, Kathleen M.; Wiederholt, Ronald

2015-01-01

Consistent patterns in water quality emerged at each individual farm, but similarities among farms also were observed. Suspended sediment, total phosphorus, and ammonia concentrations generally decreased downstream from feeding areas, and were primarily affected by surface runoff processes such as dilution, settling out of sediment, or vegetative uptake. Because surface runoff affects these constituents, increased annual surface runoff volume tended to result in increased loads and yields. No significant change in nitrate plus nitrite concentration were observed downstream from feeding areas because additional processes such as high solubility, nitrification, denitrification, and surface-groundwater interaction affect nitrate plus nitrite. For nitrate plus nitrite, increases in annual runoff volume did not consistently relate to increases in annual loads and yields. It seems that temporal distribution of precipitation and surface-groundwater interaction affected nitrate plus nitrite loads and yields. For surface drainage sites, the primary form of nitrogen was organic nitrogen whereas for subsurface drainage sites, the primary form of nitrogen was nitrate plus nitrite nitrogen.

Influence of Cattle Trails on Runoff Quantity and Quality.

PubMed

Miller, Jim J; Curtis, Tony; Chanasyk, David S; Willms, Walter D

2017-03-01

Cattle trails in grazed pastures close to rivers may adversely affect surface water quality of the adjacent river by directing runoff to it. The objective of this 3-yr study (2013-2015) in southern Alberta, Canada, was to determine if cattle trails significantly increased the risk of runoff and contaminants (sediment, nutrients) compared with the adjacent grazed pasture (control). A portable rainfall simulator was used to generate artificial rainfall (140 mm h) and runoff. The runoff properties measured were time to runoff and initial abstraction (infiltration), total runoff depth and average runoff rates, as well as concentrations and mass loads of sediment, N, and P fractions. Cattle trails significantly ( ≤ 0.10) decreased time to runoff and initial abstraction (26-32%) in the 2 yr measured and increased total runoff depth, runoff coefficients, and average runoff rates (21-51%) in 2 of 3 yr. Concentrations of sediment, N, and P fractions in runoff were not significantly greater for cattle trails than for control areas. However, mass loads of total suspended solids (57-85% increase), NH-N (31-90%), and dissolved reactive P (DRP) (30-92%) were significantly greater because of increased runoff volumes. Overall, runoff quantity and loads of sediment, NH-N, and DRP were greater for cattle trails compared with the adjacent grazed pasture, and hydrologic connection with cattle-access sites on the riverbank suggests that this could adversely affect water quality in the adjacent river. Extrapolation of the study results should be tempered by the specific conditions represented by this rainfall simulation study. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

Characterization and first flush analysis in road and roof runoff in Shenyang, China.

PubMed

Li, Chunlin; Liu, Miao; Hu, Yuanman; Gong, Jiping; Sun, Fengyun; Xu, Yanyan

2014-01-01

As urbanization increases, urban runoff is an increasingly important component of total urban non-point source pollution. In this study, the properties of urban runoff were examined in Shenyang, in northeastern China. Runoff samples from a tiled roof, a concrete roof and a main road were analyzed for key pollutants (total suspended solids (TSS), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), chemical oxygen demand (COD), Pb, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, and Zn). The event mean concentration, site mean concentration, M(V) curves (dimensionless cumulative curve of pollutant load with runoff volume), and mass first flush ratio (MFF30) were used to analyze the characteristics of pollutant discharge and first flush (FF) effect. For all events, the pollutant concentration peaks occurred in the first half-hour after the runoff appeared and preceded the flow peaks. TN is the main pollutant in roof runoff. TSS, TN, TP, Pb, and Cr are the main pollutants in road runoff in Shenyang. There was a significant correlation between TSS and other pollutants except TN in runoff, which illustrated that TSS was an important carrier of organic matter and heavy metals. TN had strong positive correlations with total rainfall (Pearson's r = 0.927), average rainfall (Pearson's r = 0.995), and maximum rainfall intensity (Pearson's r = 0.991). TP had a strong correlation with rainfall intensity (Pearson's r = 0.940). A significant positive correlation between COD and rainfall duration (Pearson's r = 0.902, significance level = 0.05) was found. The order of FF intensity in different surfaces was concrete roof > tile roof > road. Rainfall duration and the length of the antecedent dry period were positively correlated with the FF. TN tended to exhibit strong flush for some events. Heavy metals showed a substantially stronger FF than other pollutant.

A multi-stakeholder framework for urban runoff quality management: Application of social choice and bargaining techniques.

PubMed

Ghodsi, Seyed Hamed; Kerachian, Reza; Zahmatkesh, Zahra

2016-04-15

In this paper, an integrated framework is proposed for urban runoff management. To control and improve runoff quality and quantity, Low Impact Development (LID) practices are utilized. In order to determine the LIDs' areas and locations, the Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm-II (NSGA-II), which considers three objective functions of minimizing runoff volume, runoff pollution and implementation cost of LIDs, is utilized. In this framework, the Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) is used for stream flow simulation. The non-dominated solutions provided by the NSGA-II are considered as management scenarios. To select the most preferred scenario, interactions among the main stakeholders in the study area with conflicting utilities are incorporated by utilizing bargaining models including a non-cooperative game, Nash model and social choice procedures of Borda count and approval voting. Moreover, a new social choice procedure, named pairwise voting method, is proposed and applied. Based on each conflict resolution approach, a scenario is identified as the ideal solution providing the LIDs' areas, locations and implementation cost. The proposed framework is applied for urban water quality and quantity management in the northern part of Tehran metropolitan city, Iran. Results show that the proposed pairwise voting method tends to select a scenario with a higher percentage of reduction in TSS (Total Suspended Solid) load and runoff volume, in comparison with the Borda count and approval voting methods. Besides, the Nash method presents a management scenario with the highest cost for LIDs' implementation and the maximum values for percentage of runoff volume reduction and TSS removal. The results also signify that selection of an appropriate management scenario by stakeholders in the study area depends on the available financial resources and the relative importance of runoff quality improvement in comparison with reducing the runoff volume. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Urban Stormwater Runoff: A New Class of Environmental Flow Problem

PubMed Central

Walsh, Christopher J.; Fletcher, Tim D.; Burns, Matthew J.

2012-01-01

Environmental flow assessment frameworks have begun to consider changes to flow regimes resulting from land-use change. Urban stormwater runoff, which degrades streams through altered volume, pattern and quality of flow, presents a problem that challenges dominant approaches to stormwater and water resource management, and to environmental flow assessment. We used evidence of ecological response to different stormwater drainage systems to develop methods for input to environmental flow assessment. We identified the nature of hydrologic change resulting from conventional urban stormwater runoff, and the mechanisms by which such hydrologic change is prevented in streams where ecological condition has been protected. We also quantified the increase in total volume resulting from urban stormwater runoff, by comparing annual streamflow volumes from undeveloped catchments with the volumes that would run off impervious surfaces under the same rainfall regimes. In catchments with as little as 5–10% total imperviousness, conventional stormwater drainage, associated with poor in-stream ecological condition, reduces contributions to baseflows and increases the frequency and magnitude of storm flows, but in similarly impervious catchments in which streams retain good ecological condition, informal drainage to forested hillslopes, without a direct piped discharge to the stream, results in little such hydrologic change. In urbanized catchments, dispersed urban stormwater retention measures can potentially protect urban stream ecosystems by mimicking the hydrologic effects of informal drainage, if sufficient water is harvested and kept out of the stream, and if discharged water is treated to a suitable quality. Urban stormwater is a new class of environmental flow problem: one that requires reduction of a large excess volume of water to maintain riverine ecological integrity. It is the best type of problem, because solving it provides an opportunity to solve other problems such as the provision of water for human use. PMID:23029257

Assessment of snow-glacier melt and rainfall contribution to stream runoff in Baspa Basin, Indian Himalaya.

PubMed

Gaddam, Vinay Kumar; Kulkarni, Anil V; Gupta, Anil Kumar

2018-02-20

Hydrological regimes of most of the Himalayan river catchments are poorly studied due to sparse hydro-meteorological data. Hence, stream runoff assessment becomes difficult for various socio-industrial activities in the Himalaya. Therefore, an attempt is made in this study to assess the stream runoff of Baspa River in Himachal Pradesh, India, by evaluating the contribution from snow-ice melt and rainfall runoff. The total volume of flow was computed for a period of 15 years, from 2000 to 2014, and validated with the long-term field discharge measurements, obtained from Jaipee Hydropower station (31° 32' 35.53″ N, 78° 00' 54.80″ E), at Kuppa barrage in the basin. The observations suggest (1) a good correlation (r 2  > 0.80) between the modeled runoff and field discharge measurements, and (2) out of the total runoff, 81.2% are produced by snowmelt, 11.4% by rainfall, and 7.4% from ice melt. The catchment receives ~75% of its total runoff in the ablation period (i.e., from May to September). In addition, an early snowmelt is observed in accumulation season during study period, indicating the significant influence of natural and anthropogenic factors on high-altitude areas.

Cerro Grande Fire Impact to Water Quality and Stream Flow near Los Alamos National Laboratory: Results of Four Years of Monitoring

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

B.M. Gallaher; R.J. Koch

2004-09-15

In May 2000, the Cerro Grande fire burned about 7400 acres of mixed conifer forest on the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), and much of the 10,000 acres of mountainside draining onto LANL was severely burned. The resulting burned landscapes raised concerns of increased storm runoff and transport of contaminants by runoff in the canyons traversing LANL. The first storms after the fire produced runoff peaks that were more than 200 times greater than prefire levels. Total runoff volume for the year 2000 increased 50% over prefire years, despite a decline in total precipitation of 13% below normal and amore » general decrease in the number of monsoonal thunderstorms. The majority of runoff in 2000 occurred in the canyons at LANL south of Pueblo Canyon (70%), where the highest runoff volume occurred in Water Canyon and the peak discharge occurred in Pajarito Canyon. This report describes the observed effects of the Cerro Grande fire and related environmental impacts to watersheds at and near Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) for the first four runoff seasons after the fire, from 2000 through 2003. Spatial and temporal trends in radiological and chemical constituents that were identified as being associated with the Cerro Grande fire and those that were identified as being associated with historic LANL discharges are evaluated with regard to impacts to the Rio Grande and area reservoirs downstream of LANL. The results of environmental sampling performed by LANL, the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED), and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) after the Cerro Grande fire are included in the evaluation. Effects are described for storm runoff, baseflow, stream sediments, and area regional reservoir sediment.« less

Runoff and water-quality characteristics of three Discovery Farms in North Dakota, 2008–16

USGS Publications Warehouse

Galloway, Joel M.; Nustad, Rochelle A.

2017-12-21

Agricultural producers in North Dakota are aware of concerns about degrading water quality, and many of the producers are interested in implementing conservation practices to reduce the export of nutrients from their farms. Producers often implement conservation practices without knowledge of the water quality of the runoff from their farm or if conservation practices they may implement have any effect on water quality. In response to this lack of information, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with North Dakota State University Extension Service and in coordination with an advisory group consisting of State agencies, agricultural producers, and commodity groups, implemented a monitoring study as part of a Discovery Farms program in North Dakota in 2007. Three data-collection sites were established at each of three farms near Underwood, Embden, and Dazey, North Dakota. The purpose of this report is to describe runoff and water-quality characteristics using data collected at the three Discovery Farms during 2008–16. Runoff and water-quality data were used to help describe the implications of agricultural conservation practices on runoff and water-quality patterns.Runoff characteristics of monitoring sites at the three farms were determined by measuring flow volume and precipitation. Runoff at the Underwood farm monitoring sites generally was controlled by precipitation in the area, antecedent soil moisture conditions, and, after 2012, possibly by the diversion ditch constructed by the producer. Most of the annual runoff was in March and April each year during spring snowmelt. Runoff characteristics at the Embden farm are complex because of the mix of surface runoff and flow through two separate drainage tile systems. Annual flow volumes for the drainage tiles sites (sites E2 and E3) were several orders of magnitude greater than measured at the surface water site E1. Site E1 generally only had runoff briefly in March and April during spring snowmelt and during only a few large rain events throughout 2009–16. Flow was somewhat continuous at sites E2 and E3 throughout the year during years of increased precipitation, such as in 2010 and 2011. At Dazey farm, annual flow volumes at the most downstream site D3 for 2010–15 ranged from 88 acre-feet (2012) to 12,060 acre-feet (2010). The largest monthly runoff volumes at D1 (most upstream site; combination of data from site D1a [original site] and site D1b [relocated site]) and D3 were in March and April during spring snowmelt runoff and rain events.At Underwood farm, total ammonia and total phosphorus had the highest concentrations at the most upstream site (U1) and decreased sequentially at sites U2 and U3 downstream. Total ammonia and total phosphorus concentrations at the sites for Underwood farm also generally were higher than measured at sites for the Dazey and Embden farms. At Embden farm, nitrate plus nitrite concentrations were lowest at site E1 (surface-water site) and highest at sites E2 and E3 (drainage tile sites). Nitrate plus nitrite concentrations at sites E2 and E3 also were the highest among all the sites at all three farms. Median total nitrate plus nitrite concentrations for sites E1, E2, and E3 were 0.22, 13, and 10 milligrams per liter as nitrogen, respectively. Nutrient concentrations generally were greater at site D1 (most upstream site) compared to site D3 (most downstream site) at Dazey farm. Higher concentrations at site D1, which is farther upstream and closer to potential sources of nutrients, compared to lower concentrations at site D3, which is farther downstream and receives more runoff, indicates that dilution may be the reason concentrations decrease downstream.Annual loads for chloride at all three Underwood sites were the greatest in 2011 and the least in 2012, which coincided with years of the greatest and least annual flow volume, respectively. Total ammonia had a similar pattern at the three sites. Nitrate plus nitrite loads displayed a different pattern than chloride and total ammonia, indicating possible different sources. Chloride, total ammonia, total phosphorus, and suspended sediment were transported past site U1 mostly in March and the least from July through October. Monthly nitrate plus nitrite loads had a different pattern than the other constituents, indicating other possible sources such as fertilizer application in the surrounding cropland.Annual loads for Embden farm were considerably greater at sites E2 and E3 compared to site E1. Annual yields for all constituents also were substantially greater at sites E2 and E3 compared to site E1, mainly because of a combination of higher flow volumes and small contributing drainage areas at sites E2 and E3 compared to site E1.The greatest annual loads at Dazey farm site D3 for chloride, nitrate plus nitrite, and suspended sediment were in 2010 and 2011, and zero loads were estimated for 2012 because no flow was measured at the site. Mean monthly loads generally were greatest for most constituents in March and April at sites D1 and D3 except for suspended sediment that had the greatest monthly loads in May.To mitigate runoff and water-quality effects of their operations, the producers implemented various agricultural conservation practices before and during the Discovery Farms monitoring. Even though it was difficult to quantify the effects of the agricultural conservation practices implemented at the farms, the data collected from the Discovery Farms program provided a better understanding of some of the variables that affect runoff and water quality.

Quality of stormwater runoff discharged from Massachusetts highways, 2005-07

USGS Publications Warehouse

Smith, Kirk P.; Granato, Gregory E.

2010-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, conducted a field study from September 2005 through September 2007 to characterize the quality of highway runoff for a wide range of constituents. The highways studied had annual average daily traffic (AADT) volumes from about 3,000 to more than 190,000 vehicles per day. Highway-monitoring stations were installed at 12 locations in Massachusetts on 8 highways. The 12 monitoring stations were subdivided into 4 primary, 4 secondary, and 4 test stations. Each site contained a 100-percent impervious drainage area that included two or more catch basins sharing a common outflow pipe. Paired primary and secondary stations were located within a few miles of each other on a limited-access section of the same highway. Most of the data were collected at the primary and secondary stations, which were located on four principal highways (Route 119, Route 2, Interstate 495, and Interstate 95). The secondary stations were operated simultaneously with the primary stations for at least a year. Data from the four test stations (Route 8, Interstate 195, Interstate 190, and Interstate 93) were used to determine the transferability of the data collected from the principal highways to other highways characterized by different construction techniques, land use, and geography. Automatic-monitoring techniques were used to collect composite samples of highway runoff and make continuous measurements of several physical characteristics. Flowweighted samples of highway runoff were collected automatically during approximately 140 rain and mixed rain, sleet, and snowstorms. These samples were analyzed for physical characteristics and concentrations of 6 dissolved major ions, total nutrients, 8 total-recoverable metals, suspended sediment, and 85 semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs), which include priority polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), phthalate esters, and other anthropogenic or naturally occurring organic compounds. The distribution of particle size of suspended sediment also was determined for composite samples of highway runoff. Samples of highway runoff were collected year round and under various dry antecedent conditions throughout the 2-year sampling period. In addition to samples of highway runoff, supplemental samples also were collected of sediment in highway runoff, background soils, berm materials, maintenance sands, deicing compounds, and vegetation matter. These additional samples were collected near or on the highways to support data analysis. There were few statistically significant differences between populations of constituent concentrations in samples from the primary and secondary stations on the same principal highways (Mann-Whitney test, 95-percent confidence level). Similarly, there were few statistically significant differences between populations of constituent concentrations for the four principal highways (data from the paired primary and secondary stations for each principal highway) and populations for test stations with similar AADT volumes. Exceptions to this include several total-recoverable metals for stations on Route 2 and Interstate 195 (highways with moderate AADT volumes), and for stations on Interstate 95 and Interstate 93 (highways with high AADT volumes). Supplemental data collected during this study indicate that many of these differences may be explained by the quantity, as well as the quality, of the sediment in samples of highway runoff. Nonparametric statistical methods also were used to test for differences between populations of sample constituent concentrations among the four principal highways that differed mainly in traffic volume. These results indicate that there were few statistically significant differences (Mann-Whitney test, 95-percent confidence level) for populations of concentrations of most total-recoverable metals

Suspended particle destabilization in retained urban stormwater as a function of coagulant dosage and redox conditions.

PubMed

Sansalone, John J; Kim, Jong-Yeop

2008-02-01

Source area runoff entrains a hetero-disperse particle size distribution (PSD). When retained for clarification, larger sediment and settleable particles are mainly influenced by gravitational forces, while the suspended particles, in particular the clay-size particles, are subject to coagulation phenomena. Such phenomena occur in untreated runoff as well as runoff treated with a coagulant, albeit to differing rates and extents. Runoff PSDs and water chemistry indices including zeta potential (xi) are potentially modified during inter-event stormwater retention in best management practices (BMPs). This study examined xi of clay-size particles (<2 microm) in retained runoff, captured from an instrumented watershed, subject to batch coagulation and variable redox conditions. Separate parallel tests were also conducted with wastewater. Significant turbidity, particle mass (measured as total suspended solids (TSS)) and volume concentration (as total volume concentration (TVC)) reduction generated by alum and ferric chloride consistently occurred at a xi in the range of -15 to about -10 mV. Alum addition produced a charge reversal at dosing above 60 mg/L (18 x 10(-5)M) while ferric chloride did not reverse charge. With respect to turbidity and TSS reductions, alum outperformed ferric chloride, without the need for pH control. While xi illustrated no clear trend during aerobic retention, anoxic retention resulted in a trend for xi approaching the isoelectric point. The decrease in negative xi towards the isoelectric point appears to be a result of the coupled pH depression under reductive conditions and an increase in conductivity. Results have significant implications for BMPs that retain runoff between events.

Losses of surface runoff, total solids, and nitrogen during bermudagrass establishment on levee embankments.

PubMed

Burwell, Robert W; Beasley, Jeffrey S; Gaston, Lewis A; Borst, Steven M; Sheffield, Ron E; Strahan, Ron E; Munshaw, Gregg C

2011-01-01

Nutrient and sediment runoff from newly constructed levee embankments pose a threat to water quality during soft armor vegetation establishment. Research was initiated in 2008 and 2009 to evaluate the effect of bermudagrass ( L.) coverage and N source on nutrient and sediment runoff from levee embankments during establishment. Bermudagrass plots were seeded at 195.3 kg pure live seed ha and fertilized at 50 kg N ha using a water-soluble N source, urea or NH-NO, or slow-release N source, S-coated urea (SCU) or urea formaldehyde (UF), with controls unfertilized. Vegetative cover percentage, time until the onset of runoff, runoff volume, and total solids (TS), NO-N, and NH-N concentrations were measured from simulated and natural rainfall events for 70 d in 2008 and 56 d in 2009. Bermudagrass at 90% grass cover delayed the onset of runoff an additional 441 to 538 s and reduced runoff volumes 74 to 84% of that exhibited at 10% grass cover. Nitrogen fertilizers did not accelerate bermudagrass growth sufficiently, however, to reduce TS loading compared with unfertilized bermudagrass in either year of the study. The application of urea and SCU resulted in cumulative N losses of 2.45 and 3.13 kg ha compared with 1.59 kg ha from the unfertilized bermudagrass in 2008, and 1.73 kg ha from NH-NO vs. 0.24 kg ha from controls in 2009. Only UF increased bermudagrass establishment without increasing cumulative N losses compared with unfertilized bermudagrass. Therefore, the benefit of greater erosion and runoff resistance expected from N-accelerated vegetative growth did not occur but had the unintended consequence of higher N losses when water-soluble N and SCU fertilizers were applied. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

Integration of remote sensing and GIS for studying a short-term flashflood in the El Arish Catchment (Egypt)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Badawy, M.

2012-04-01

Wadi El Arish is the largest drainage system in Sinai Peninsula, Egypt. The Wadi was subject to severe thunderstorms on 17 and 18 January 2010 followed by an extreme and violent flood that had not been known in Sinai since 1980. The flood claimed six victims, injured tens of people, and devastated vital infrastructure and hundreds of houses. Hydrologic characteristics of the Wadi are not fully understood due to substantial lack of the detailed hydro-meteorological information. Hence, remote sensing and GIS techniques were used to provide better spatial understanding of rainfall characteristics and drainage basin response. The study was based on the analysis of the TRMM images and 6 hourly average HYDIS data of rainfall analyses. A hydrological model was constructed using ASTER DEMs. The empirical black box model was used depending on the curve number approach to predict stream runoff. Landcover and hydrological soil groups were identified from the Landsat ETM+ mosaic using multispectral supervised classification. The curve numbers were adjusted to ARC I (dry condition) as the total rain in a 5-day period preceding the storm were very low (≤5 mm). We found, that the Wadi received a total rain volume of 665.4 x 106 m3. Most of it fell on 17 January, when the rain intensity ranged between 4-8 mm/hr. The estimated total surface runoff Q was 123.3 x 103 mm and the total runoff volume was 124 x 106 m3 that constitutes 18.8 % of the total rain volume. The results are in agreement with the observed values in the Wadi and highly required for many applications related to water harvesting and flood protection studies.

Sensitivity to experimental data of pollutant site mean concentration in stormwater runoff.

PubMed

Mourad, M; Bertrand-Krajewski, J L; Chebbo, G

2005-01-01

Urban wet weather discharges are known to be a great source of pollutants for receiving waters, which protection requires the estimation of long-term discharged pollutant loads. Pollutant loads can be estimated by multiplying a site mean concentration (SMC) by the total runoff volume during a given period of time. The estimation of the SMC value as a weighted mean value with event runoff volumes as weights is affected by uncertainties due to the variability of event mean concentrations and to the number of events used. This study carried out on 13 catchments gives orders of magnitude of these uncertainties and shows the limitations of usual practices using few measured events. The results obtained show that it is not possible to propose a standard minimal number of events to be measured on any catchment in order to evaluate the SMC value with a given uncertainty.

Runoff, nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) losses from purple slope cropland soil under rating fertilization in Three Gorges Region.

PubMed

Bouraima, Abdel-Kabirou; He, Binghui; Tian, Taiqiang

2016-03-01

Soil erosion along with soil particles and nutrients losses is detrimental to crop production. We carried out a 5-year (2010 to 2014) study to characterize the soil erosion and nitrogen and phosphorus losses caused by rainfall under different fertilizer application levels in order to provide a theoretical evidence for the agricultural production and coordinate land management to improve ecological environment. The experiment took place under rotation cropping, winter wheat-summer maize, on a 15° slope purple soil in Chongqing (China) within the Three Gorges Region (TGR). Four treatments, control (CK) without fertilizer, combined manure with chemical fertilizer (T1), chemical fertilization (T2), and chemical fertilizer with increasing fertilization (T3), were designed on experimental runoff plots for a long-term observation aiming to study their effects on soil erosion and nutrients losses. The results showed that fertilization reduced surface runoff and nutrient losses as compared to CK. T1, T2, and T3, compared to CK, reduced runoff volume by 35.7, 29.6, and 16.8 %, respectively and sediment yield by 40.5, 20.9, and 49.6 %, respectively. Regression analysis results indicated that there were significant relationships between soil loss and runoff volume in all treatments. The combined manure with chemical fertilizer (T1) treatment highly reduced total nitrogen and total phosphorus losses by 41.2 and 33.33 %, respectively as compared with CK. Through this 5-year experiment, we can conclude that, on the sloping purple soil, the combined application of manure with fertilizer is beneficial for controlling runoff sediments losses and preventing soil erosion.

CADDIS Volume 2. Sources, Stressors and Responses: Urbanization - Stormwater Runoff

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Introduction to impervious surfaces associated with urbanization, overview of effects vs. total imperviousness, overview of how impervious surfaces affect biotic condition, summary of threshold values of impervious cover for stream biotic condition.

Comparison of the treatment performance of hybrid constructed wetlands treating stormwater runoff.

PubMed

Choi, J Y; Maniquiz-Redillas, M C; Hong, J S; Lee, S Y; Kim, L H

2015-01-01

This study was conducted to compare the treatment performance of two hybrid constructed wetlands (CWs) in treating stormwater runoff. The hybrid CWs were composed of a combination of free water surface (FWS) and horizontal subsurface flow (HSSF) CWs. Based on the results, strong correlation exists between potential runoff impacts and stormwater characteristics; however, the low correlations also suggest that not only the monitored parameters contribute to stormwater event mean concentrations (EMC) of pollutants, but other factors should also be considered as well. In the hydraulic and treatment performance of the hybrid CWs, a small surface area to catchment area (SA/CA) ratio, receiving a high concentration of influent EMC, will find it hard to achieve great removal efficiency; also a large SA/CA ratio, receiving low concentration of influent EMC, will find it hard to achieve great removal efficiency. With this, SA/CA ratio and influent characteristics such as EMC or load should be considered among the design factors of CWs. The performance data of the two CWs were used to consider the most cost-effective design of a hybrid CW. The optimum facility capacity (ratio of total runoff volume to storage volume) that is applicable for a target volume reduction and removal efficiency was provided in this study.

Use of a geomorphological transfer function to model design floods in small hillside catchments in semiarid Tunisia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nasri, S.; Cudennec, C.; Albergel, J.; Berndtsson, R.

2004-02-01

In the beginning of the 1990s, the Tunisian Ministry of Agriculture launched an ambitious program for constructing small hillside reservoirs in the northern and central region of the country. At present, more than 720 reservoirs have been created. They consist of small compacted earth dams supplied with a horizontal overflow weir. Due to lack of hydrological data and the area's extreme floods, however, it is very difficult to design the overflow weirs. Also, catchments are very sensitive to erosion and the reservoirs are rapidly silted up. Consequently, prediction of flood volumes for important rainfall events becomes crucial. Few hydrological observations, however, exist for the catchment areas. For this purpose a geomorphological model methodology is presented to predict shape and volume of hydrographs for important floods. This model is built around a production function that defines the net storm rainfall (portion of rainfall during a storm which reaches a stream channel as direct runoff) from the total rainfall (observed rainfall in the catchment) and a transfer function based on the most complete possible definition of the surface drainage system. Observed rainfall during 5-min time steps was used in the model. The model runoff generation is based on surface drainage characteristics which can be easily extracted from maps. The model was applied to two representative experimental catchments in central Tunisia. The conceptual rainfall-runoff model based on surface topography and drainage network was seen to reproduce observed runoff satisfactory. The calibrated model was used to estimate runoff from 5, 10, 20, and 50 year rainfall return periods regarding runoff volume, maximum runoff, as well as the general shape of the runoff hydrograph. Practical conclusions to design hill reservoirs and to extrapolate results using this model methodology for ungauged small catchments in semiarid Tunisia are made.

Effectiveness of a stormwater collection and detention system for reducing constituent loads from bridge runoff in Pinellas County, Florida

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stoker, Y.E.

1996-01-01

The quantity and quality of stormwater runoff from the Bayside Bridge were evaluated to determine the effectiveness of the stormwater collection and detention pond system of the bridge in reducing constituent loads to Old Tampa Bay. Water-quality samples of stormwater runoff from the bridge and outflow from the detention pond were collected during and after selected storms. These samples were used to compute loads for selected constituents. Stormwater on the Bayside Bridge drained rapidly during rain events. The volume of stormwater runoff from 24 storms measured during the study ranged from 4,086 to 103,705 cubic feet. Storms were most frequent during July through September and were least frequent from February through May. Concentrations of most constituents in stormwater runoff before the bridge opened to traffic were less than or equal to concentrations measured after the bridge was opened to traffic. However, concentrations of arsenic in the outflow from the detention pond generally were greater before the bridge opened than concentrations after, and concentrations of orthophosphorus in the stormwater runoff and outflow from the pond were greater before the bridge opened than during over half the sampled storms after the bridge opened. Concentrations of most constituents measured in stormwater runoff from the bridge were greatest at the beginning of the storm and decreased as the storm continued. Variations in suspended solids, nutrients, and trace element concentrations were not always concurrent with each other. The source of the measured constituent (rainfall or road debris) and the phase of the constituent (suspended or dissolved) probably affected the timing of concentration changes. The quality of stormwater runoff from the Bayside Bridge varied with total runoff volume, with the length of the dry period before the storm, and with season. Average concentrations of suspended solids, ammonia plus organic nitrogen, nitrite plus nitrate nitrogen, orthophosphorus, phosphorus, total organic carbon, aluminum, arsenic, copper, and zinc in stormwater runoff generally were inversely related to runoff volume. The quality of outflow from the detention pond also varied during a storm event and with season. Maximum concentrations generally occurred near the beginning of a storm, and decreased as the storm continued. Maximum concentrations of many constituents occurred in June and July 1995. During the summer months, pH exceeded 9.0 while inorganic nitrogen concentrations were very low. These high pH values and low inorganic nitrogen concentrations are most likely associated with photosynthesis by algae or aquatic plants in the pond. Concentrations of nitrogen, phosphorus, and nickel in stormwater runoff were correlated with total organic carbon concentrations. Concentrations of chromium, copper, iron, nickel, lead, and zinc in stormwater runoff were correlated with aluminum concentrations. The source of these metals is probably the bridge materials and metallic debris from vehicles. The northern detention pond system of the Bayside Bridge effectively reduced concentrations of suspended solids, ammonia nitrogen, nitrite plus nitrate nitrogen, phosphorus, aluminum, cadmium, chromium, copper, iron, lead, nickel, and zinc in stormwater runoff before water discharged from the pond. However, concentrations of ammonia plus organic nitrogen, organic carbon, arsenic, and values for alkalinity, pH, and specific conductance generally were greater in outflow from the pond than in stormwater runoff from the bridge. Stormwater runoff and pond outflow for three storm events were evaluated to determine the effectiveness of the detention pond system in removing selected constituents from the stormwater runoff. Most constituents and constituent loads were reduced in the outflow from the pond. Suspended solids loads were reduced about 30 to 45 percent, inorganic nitrogen loads were reduced by about 60 to 90 percent, and loads of most trace elements

Storm Water Management Model Reference Manual Volume II ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

SWMM is a dynamic rainfall-runoff simulation model used for single event or long-term (continuous) simulation of runoff quantity and quality from primarily urban areas. The runoff component of SWMM operates on a collection of subcatchment areas that receive precipitation and generate runoff and pollutant loads. The routing portion of SWMM transports this runoff through a system of pipes, channels, storage/treatment devices, pumps, and regulators. SWMM tracks the quantity and quality of runoff generated within each subcatchment, and the flow rate, flow depth, and quality of water in each pipe and channel during a simulation period comprised of multiple time steps. The reference manual for this edition of SWMM is comprised of three volumes. Volume I describes SWMM’s hydrologic models, Volume II its hydraulic models, and Volume III its water quality and low impact development models. This document provides the underlying mathematics for the hydraulic calculations of the Storm Water Management Model (SWMM)

Phase 2 Site Investigations Report. Volume 1 of 3: General Annex-Wide Information

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-09-01

completeness PCB Polychlorinated Biphenyl PCE Tetrachloroethene or Perchloroethene PHC Petroleum hydrocarbons PID Photoionization Detector POLs Petroleum , Oil...TEPS Total Environmental Program Support TIC Tentatively Identified Compound TOC Total Organic Carbon TPHC Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons TRC Technical... hydrocarbons were identified within some soil and sediment samples near the detection limit. These could result from urban runoff. No petroleum

Highway runoff quality in Ireland.

PubMed

Berhanu Desta, Mesfin; Bruen, Michael; Higgins, Neil; Johnston, Paul

2007-04-01

Highway runoff has been identified as a significant source of contaminants that impact on the receiving aquatic environment. Several studies have been completed documenting the characteristics of highway runoff and its implication to the receiving water in the UK and elsewhere. However, very little information is available for Ireland. The objective of this study was to determine the quality of highway runoff from major Irish roads under the current road drainage design and maintenance practice. Four sites were selected from the M4 and the M7 motorways outside Dublin. Automatic samplers and continuous monitoring devices were deployed to sample and monitor the runoff quality and quantity. More than 42 storm events were sampled and analysed for the heavy metals Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn, 16 US EPA specified PAHs, volatile organic compounds including MTBE, and a number of conventional pollutants. All samples were analysed based on the Standard Methods. Significant quantities of solids and heavy metals were detected at all sites. PAHs were not detected very often, but when detected the values were different from quantities observed in UK highways. The heavy metal concentrations were strongly related to the total suspended solids concentrations, which has a useful implication for runoff management strategies. No strong relationship was discovered between pollutant concentrations and event characteristics such as rainfall intensity, antecedent dry days (ADD), or rainfall depth (volume). This study has demonstrated that runoff from Irish motorways was not any cleaner than in the UK although the traffic volume at the monitored sites was relatively smaller. This calls for a site specific investigation of highway runoff quality before adopting a given management strategy.

Development of urban runoff model FFC-QUAL for first-flush water-quality analysis in urban drainage basins.

PubMed

Hur, Sungchul; Nam, Kisung; Kim, Jungsoo; Kwak, Changjae

2018-01-01

An urban runoff model that is able to compute the runoff, the pollutant loadings, and the concentrations of water-quality constituents in urban drainages during the first flush was developed. This model, which is referred to as FFC-QUAL, was modified from the existing ILLUDAS model and added for use during the water-quality analysis process for dry and rainy periods. For the dry period, the specifications of the coefficients for the discharge and water quality were used. During rainfall, we used the Clark and time-area methods for the runoff analyses of pervious and impervious areas to consider the effects of the subbasin shape; moreover, four pollutant accumulation methods and the washoff equation for computing the water quality each time were used. According to the verification results, FFC-QUAL provides generally similar output as the measured data for the peak flow, total runoff volume, total loadings, peak concentration, and time of peak concentration for three rainfall events in the Gunja subbasin. In comparison with the ILLUDAS, SWMM, and MOUSE models, there is little difference between these models and the model developed in this study. The proposed model should be useful in urban watersheds because of its simplicity and its capacity to model common pollutants (e.g., biological oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, Escherichia coli, suspended solids, and total nitrogen and phosphorous) in runoff. The proposed model can also be used in design studies to determine how changes in infrastructure will affect the runoff and pollution loads. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Toward an operational tool to simulate green roof hydrological impact at the basin scale: a new version of the distributed rainfall-runoff model Multi-Hydro.

PubMed

Versini, Pierre-Antoine; Gires, Auguste; Tchinguirinskaia, Ioulia; Schertzer, Daniel

2016-10-01

Currently widespread in new urban projects, green roofs have shown a positive impact on urban runoff at the building scale: decrease and slow-down of the peak discharge, and decrease of runoff volume. The present work aims to study their possible impact at the catchment scale, more compatible with stormwater management issues. For this purpose, a specific module dedicated to simulating the hydrological behaviour of a green roof has been developed in the distributed rainfall-runoff model (Multi-Hydro). It has been applied on a French urban catchment where most of the building roofs are flat and assumed to accept the implementation of a green roof. Catchment responses to several rainfall events covering a wide range of meteorological situations have been simulated. The simulation results show green roofs can significantly reduce runoff volume and the magnitude of peak discharge (up to 80%) depending on the rainfall event and initial saturation of the substrate. Additional tests have been made to assess the susceptibility of this response regarding both spatial distributions of green roofs and precipitation. It appears that the total area of greened roofs is more important than their locations. On the other hand, peak discharge reduction seems to be clearly dependent on spatial distribution of precipitation.

Effects of pasture renovation on hydrology, nutrient runoff, and forage yield.

PubMed

de Koff, J P; Moore, P A; Formica, J; Van Eps, M; DeLaune, P B

2011-01-01

Proper pasture management is important in promoting optimal forage growth and reducing runoff and nutrient loss. Pasture renovation is a management tool that improves aeration by mechanically creating holes or pockets within the soil. Pasture renovation was performed before manure application (poultry litter or swine slurry) on different pasture soils and rainfall simulations were conducted to identify the effects of pasture renovation on nutrient runoff and forage growth. Renovation of small plots resulted in significant and beneficial hydrological changes. During the first rainfall simulation, runoff volumes were 45 to 74% lower for seven out of eight renovated treatments, and infiltration rates increased by 3 to 87% for all renovated treatments as compared with nonrenovated treatments. Renovation of pasture soils fertilized with poultry litter led to significant reductions in dissolved reactive P (DRP) (74-87%), total P (TP) (76-85%), and total nitrogen (TN) (72-80%) loads in two of the three soils studied during the first rainfall simulation. Renovation did not result in any significant differences in forage yields. Overall, beneficial impacts of renovation lasted up to 3 mo, the most critical period for nutrient runoff following manure application. Therefore, renovation could be an important best management practice in these areas.

Quantifying contributions to storm runoff through end-member mixing analysis and hydrologic measurements at the Panola Mountain research watershed (Georgia, USA)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Burns, Douglas A.; McDonnell, Jeffery J.; Hooper, R.P.; Peters, N.E.; Freer, J.E.; Kendall, C.; Beven, K.

2001-01-01

The geographic sources and hydrologic flow paths of stormflow in small catchments are not well understood because of limitations in sampling methods and insufficient resolution of potential end members. To address these limitations, an extensive hydrologic dataset was collected at a 10 ha catchment at Panola Mountain research watershed near Atlanta, GA, to quantify the contribution of three geographic sources of stormflow. Samples of stream water, runoff from an outcrop, and hillslope subsurface stormflow were collected during two rainstorms in the winter of 1996, and an end-member mixing analysis model that included five solutes was developed. Runoff from the outcrop, which occupies about one-third of the catchment area, contributed 50-55% of the peak streamflow during the 2 February rainstorm, and 80-85% of the peak streamflow during the 6-7 March rainstorm; it also contributed about 50% to total streamflow during the dry winter conditions that preceded the 6-7 March storm. Riparian groundwater runoff was the largest component of stream runoff (80-100%) early during rising streamflow and throughout stream recession, and contributed about 50% to total stream runoff during the 2 February storm, which was preceded by wet winter conditions. Hillslope runoff contributed 25-30% to peak stream runoff and 15-18% to total stream runoff during both storms. The temporal response of the three runoff components showed general agreement with hydrologic measurements from the catchment during each storm. Estimates of recharge from the outcrop to the riparian aquifer that were independent of model calculations indicated that storage in the riparian aquifer could account for the volume of rain that fell on the outcrop but did not contribute to stream runoff. The results of this study generally indicate that improvements in the ability of mixing models to describe the hydrologic response accurately in forested catchments may depend on better identification, and detailed spatial and temporal characterization of the mobile waters from the principal hydrologic source areas that contribute to stream runoff. Copyright ?? 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Effects of landscape-based green infrastructure on stormwater runoff in suburban developments

EPA Science Inventory

The development of impervious surfaces in urban and suburban catchments affects their hydrological behavior by decreasing infiltration, increasing peak hydrograph response following rainfall events, and ultimately increasing the total volume of water and mass of pollutants reachi...

Spatio-temporal effects of low impact development practices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gilroy, Kristin L.; McCuen, Richard H.

2009-04-01

SummaryThe increase in land development and urbanization experienced in the US and worldwide is causing environmental degradation. Traditional off-site stormwater management does not protect small streams. To mitigate the negative effects of land development, best management practices (BMPs) are being implemented into stormwater management policies for the purposes of controlling minor flooding and improving water quality. Unfortunately, the effectiveness of BMPs has not been extensively studied. The purpose of this research was to analyze the effects of both location and quantity of two types of BMPs: cisterns and bioretention pits. A spatio-temporal model of a microwatershed was developed to determine the effects of BMPs on single-family, townhome, and commercial lots. The effects of development and the BMPs on peak runoff rates and volumes were compared to pre-development conditions. The results show that cisterns alone are capable of controlling rooftop runoff for small storms. Both the spatial location and the volume of BMP storage on a microwatershed influences the effectiveness of BMPs. The volume of BMP storage is positively correlated to the percent reduction in the peak discharge rate and total runoff volume; however, location is a factor in the peak reduction and a maximum volume of effective storage for both hydrologic metrics does exist. These results provide guidelines for developing stormwater management policies that can potentially reduce pollution of first-order streams, lower the cost and maintenance requirements, enhance aesthetics, and increase safety.

Using a topographic index to distribute variable source area runoff predicted with the SCS curve-number equation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lyon, Steve W.; Walter, M. Todd; Gérard-Marchant, Pierre; Steenhuis, Tammo S.

2004-10-01

Because the traditional Soil Conservation Service curve-number (SCS-CN) approach continues to be used ubiquitously in water quality models, new application methods are needed that are consistent with variable source area (VSA) hydrological processes in the landscape. We developed and tested a distributed approach for applying the traditional SCS-CN equation to watersheds where VSA hydrology is a dominant process. Predicting the location of source areas is important for watershed planning because restricting potentially polluting activities from runoff source areas is fundamental to controlling non-point-source pollution. The method presented here used the traditional SCS-CN approach to predict runoff volume and spatial extent of saturated areas and a topographic index, like that used in TOPMODEL, to distribute runoff source areas through watersheds. The resulting distributed CN-VSA method was applied to two subwatersheds of the Delaware basin in the Catskill Mountains region of New York State and one watershed in south-eastern Australia to produce runoff-probability maps. Observed saturated area locations in the watersheds agreed with the distributed CN-VSA method. Results showed good agreement with those obtained from the previously validated soil moisture routing (SMR) model. When compared with the traditional SCS-CN method, the distributed CN-VSA method predicted a similar total volume of runoff, but vastly different locations of runoff generation. Thus, the distributed CN-VSA approach provides a physically based method that is simple enough to be incorporated into water quality models, and other tools that currently use the traditional SCS-CN method, while still adhering to the principles of VSA hydrology.

Effects of landscape-based green infrastructure on stormwater ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The development of impervious surfaces in urban and suburban catchments affects their hydrological behavior by decreasing infiltration, increasing peak hydrograph response following rainfall events, and ultimately increasing the total volume of water and mass of pollutants reaching streams. These changes have deleterious effects on downstream surface waters. Consequently, strategies to mitigate these impacts are now components of contemporary urban development and stormwater management. This study evaluates the effectiveness of landscape green infrastructure (GI) in reducing stormwater runoff volumes and controlling peak flows in four subdivision-scale suburban catchments (1.88 – 12.97 acres) in Montgomery County, MD, USA. Stormwater flow rates during runoff events were measured in five minute intervals at each catchment outlet. One catchment was built with GI vegetated swales on all parcels with the goal of intercepting, conveying, and infiltrating stormwater before it enters the sewer network. The remaining catchments were constructed with traditional gray infrastructure and “end-of-pipe” best management practices (BMPs) that treat stormwater before entering streams. This study compared characteristics of rainfall-runoff events at the green and gray infrastructure sites to understand their effects on suburban hydrology. The landscape GI strategy generally reduced rainfall-runoff ratios compared to gray infrastructure because of increased infiltration, ul

Regional rainfall-runoff relations for simulation of streamflow for watersheds in Du Page County, Illinois

USGS Publications Warehouse

Duncker, James J.; Melching, Charles S.

1998-01-01

Rainfall and streamflow data collected from July 1986 through September 1993 were utilized to calibrate and verify a continuous-simulation rainfall-runoff model for three watersheds (11.8--18.0 square miles in area) in Du Page County. Classification of land cover into three categories of pervious (grassland, forest/wetland, and agricultural land) and one category of impervious subareas was sufficient to accurately simulate the rainfall-runoff relations for the three watersheds. Regional parameter sets were obtained by calibrating jointly all parameters except fraction of ground-water inflow that goes to inactive ground water (DEEPFR), interflow recession constant (IRC), and infiltration (INFILT) for runoff from all three watersheds. DEEPFR and IRC varied among the watersheds because of physical differences among the watersheds. Two values of INFILT were obtained: one representing the rainfall-runoff process on the silty and clayey soils on the uplands and lake plains that characterize Sawmill Creek, St. Joseph Creek, and eastern Du Page County; and one representing the rainfall-runoff process on the silty soils on uplands that characterize Kress Creek and parts of western Du Page County. Regional rainfall-runoff relations, defined through joint calibration of the rainfall-runoff model and verified for independent periods, presented in this report, allow estimation of runoff for watersheds in Du Page County with an error in the total water balance less than 4.0 percent; an average absolute error in the annual-flow estimates of 17.1 percent with the error rarely exceeding 25 percent for annual flows; and correlation coefficients and coefficients of model-fit efficiency for monthly flows of at least 87 and 76 percent, respectively. Close reproduction of the runoff-volume duration curves was obtained. A frequency analysis of storm-runoff volume indicates a tendency of the model to undersimulate large storms, which may result from underestimation of the amount of impervious land cover in the watershed and errors in measuring rainfall for convective storms. Overall, the results of regional calibration and verification of the rainfall-runoff model indicate the simulated rainfall-runoff relations are adequate for stormwater-management planning and design for watersheds in Du Page County.

Assessment of runoff response to landscape changes in the San Pedro subbasin (Nayarit, Mexico) using remote sensing data and GIS.

PubMed

Hernández-Guzmán, Rafael; Ruiz-Luna, Arturo; Berlanga-Robles, César Alejandro

2008-10-01

Results on runoff estimates as a response to land-use and land-cover changes are presented. We used remote sensing and GIS techniques with rainfall time-series data, spatial ancillary information, and the curve-number method (NRCS-CN) to assess the runoff response in the San Pedro subbasin. Thematic maps with eight land-cover classes derived from satellite imagery classification (1973, 1990, and 2000) and hydrologic soil-group maps were used as the input for the runoff calculation. About 20% to 25% of the subbasin landscape has changed since 1973, mainly as consequence of the growth of agriculture. Forest is the main cover, although further analyses indicate that forest is degrading from good to poor conditions when evaluated as a function of the spectral response. Soils with low infiltration rates, classified as the hydrological soil-group "C", were dominant in the area (52%). The overlaying of all the hydrological soil groups with the land-use map produced a total of 43 hydro-group and land-use categories for which runoff was calculated using the curve-number method. Estimates of total runoff volumes (26 x 10(6) m3) were similar for the three dates analyzed in spite of landscape changes, but there were temporal variations among the hydro-group and land-use categories as a consequence. Changes are causing the rise of covers with high runoff potential and the increase of runoff depth is expected, but it can be reversed by different management of subbasin hydro-groups and land-use units.

[Urban non-point source pollution control by runoff retention and filtration pilot system].

PubMed

Bai, Yao; Zuo, Jian-E; Gan, Li-Li; Low, Thong Soon; Miao, Heng-Feng; Ruan, Wen-Quan; Huang, Xia

2011-09-01

A runoff retention and filtration pilot system was designed and the long-term purification effect of the runoff was monitored. Runoff pollution characters in 2 typical events and treatment effect of the pilot system were analyzed. The results showed that the runoff was severely polluted. Event mean concentrations (EMCs) of SS, COD, TN and TP in the runoff were 361, 135, 7.88 and 0.62 mg/L respectively. The runoff formed by long rain presented an obvious first flush effect. The first 25% flow contributed more than 50% of the total pollutants loading of SS, TP, DTP and PO4(3-). The pilot system could reduce 100% of the non-point source pollution if the volume of the runoff was less than the retention tank. Otherwise the overflow will be purification by the filtration pilot system and the removal rates of SS, COD, TN, TP, DTP and PO4(3-) reached 97.4% , 61.8%, 22.6%, 85.1%, 72.1%, and 85.2% respectively. The system was stable and the removal rate of SS, COD, TN, and TP were 98.6%, 65.4%, 55.1% and 92.6%. The whole system could effectively remove the non-point source pollution caused by runoff.

Factors affecting phosphorus transport at a conventionally-farmed site in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, 1992-95

USGS Publications Warehouse

Galeone, Daniel G.

1996-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey and the Bureau of Land and Water Conservation of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection conducted a cooperative study to determine the effects of manure application and antecedent soil-phosphorus concentrations on the transport of phosphorus from the soil of a typical farm site in Lancaster County, Pa., from September 1992 to March 1995. The relation between concentrations of soil phosphorus and phosphorus transport needs to be identified because excessive phosphorus concentrations in surface-water bodies promote eutrophication.The objective of the study was to quantify and determine the significance of chemical, physical, and hydrologic factors that affected phosphorus transport. Three study plots less than 1 acre in size were tilled and planted in silage corn. Phosphorus in the form of liquid swine and dairy manure was injected to a depth of 6-8 inches on two of the three study plots in May 1993 and May 1994. Plot 1 received no inputs of phosphorus from manure while plots 2 and 3 received an average of 56 and 126 kilograms of phosphorus per acre, respectively, from the two manure applications. No other fertilizer was applied to any of the study plots. From March 30, 1993, through December 31, 1993, and March 10, 1994, through August 31, 1994 (the study period), phosphorus and selected cations were measured in precipitation, manure, soil, surface runoff, subsurface flow (at 18 inches below land surface), and corn plants before harvest. All storm events that yielded surface runoff and subsurface flow were sampled. Surface runoff was analyzed for dissolved (filtered through a 0.45-micron filter) and total concentrations. Subsurface flow was only analyzed for dissolved constituents. Laboratory soil-flask experiments and geochemical modeling were conducted to determine the maximum phosphate retention capacity of sampled soils after manure applications and primary mineralogic controls in the soils that affect phosphate equilibrium processes.Physical characteristics, such as particle-size distributions in soil, the suspended sediment and particle-size distribution in surface runoff, and surface topography, were quantified. Hydrologic characteristics, such as precipitation intensity and duration, volumes of surface runoff, and infiltration rates of soil, were also monitored during the study period. Volumes of surface runoff differed by plot.Volumes of surface runoff measured during the study period from plots 1 (0.43 acres), 2 (0.23 acres), and 3 (0.28 acres) were 350,000, 350,000, and 750,000 liters per acre, respectively. About 90 percent of the volume of surface runoff occurred after October 1993 because of the lack of intense precipitation from March 30, 1993, through November 30, 1993. For any one precipitation amount, volumes of surface runoff increased with an increase in the maximum intensity of precipitation and decreased with an increase in storm duration. The significantly higher volume of surface runoff for plot 3 relative to plots 1 and 2 was probably caused by lower infiltration rates on plot 3.Soil concentrations of plant-available phosphorus (PAP) for each study plot were high (31-60 parts per million) to excessive (greater than 60 parts per million) for each depth interval (0-6, 6-12, and 12- 24 inches) and sampling period except for some samples collected at depths of 12-24 inches. The high levels of PAP before manure applications made it difficult to detect any changes in the concentration of soil PAP caused by manure applications. Manure applications to the study area prior to this study resulted in relatively high concentrations of soil PAP; however, the manure applications to plot 3 during the study period did cause an increase in the soil concentration of PAP after the second manure application. The percentages of total phosphorus in plant-available and inorganic forms were about 5 and 80 percent, respectively, in the 0-24--inch depth interval of soil on the study plots. Concentrations of total phosphorus on sand, silt, and clay particles from soil were 700, 1,000, and 3,400 parts per million, respectively. About 70 percent of the total mass of phosphorus in soil to a depth of 24 inches was associated with silt and clay particles.Soil-flask experiments indicated that soils from the study plots were not saturated with respect to phosphorus. Soils had the capacity to retain 694 to 1,160 milligrams of phosphorus per kilogram of soil. The measured retention capacity probably exceeded the actual retention capacity of soil because laboratory conditions optimized the contact time between soil and test solutions.Geochemical modeling indicated that the primary mineralogical controls on the concentration of dissolved phosphorus in surface runoff and subsurface flow were aluminum and iron oxides and strengite (if it exists). Aluminum and iron oxides bind phosphate in solution and strengite is an iron-phosphate mineral. The mineralization of organic phosphorus into dissolved inorganic forms could also supply phosphorus to surface runoff and subsurface flow.Phosphorus inputs to the plots during the study period were from precipitation and manure. Phosphorus inputs from precipitation were negligible. The loads of phosphorus to the plots from manure applications in May 1993 and May 1994 were 112 and 251 kilograms per acre for plots 2 and 3, respectively; about 60 percent of the load occurred in 1994.Phosphorus outputs in surface runoff differed between study plots. The cumulative yields of total phosphorus during the study period for plots 1, 2, and 3 were 1.12, 1.24, and 1.69 kilograms per acre, respectively. Differences between plots were primarily evident for dissolved yields of phosphorus. The percentage of the total phosphorus output in surface runoff that was in the dissolved phase varied from 6 percent for plot 1 to 26 percent for plot 3.The cumulative yields of dissolved phosphorus from plots 2 and 3 were 135 and 500 percent greater, respectively, than the dissolved yield from plot 1. Even though volumes of surface runoff were different on the plots, the primary cause of the difference between plots in the yield of dissolved phosphorus in surface runoff was differences in the concentration of dissolved phosphorus. After the second manure application, concentrations of dissolved phosphorus in surface runoff on plots 2 and 3 were significantly higher than the concentration for plot 1.An increase in the concentration of dissolved phosphorus in subsurface flow from plots 2 and 3 was measured after manure applications. The mean concentrations of dissolved phosphorus in subsurface flow after the first manure application were 0.29, 0.57, and 1.45 milligrams per liter of phosphorus for plots 1, 2, and 3, respectively.The loss of dissolved phosphorus in surface runoff was related to the soil concentration of PAP. The model relating dissolved phosphorus in surface runoff to soil PAP indicated that concentrations of dissolved phosphorus in surface runoff would exceed 0.1 milligram per liter if soil concentrations of PAP exceeded 9 parts per million; this PAP concentration was exceeded by each study plot. Over 50 percent of the variation of dissolved phosphorus in surface runoff was explained by soil concentrations of PAP in the 0-6-inch depth interval.The loss of suspended phosphorus in surface runoff was primarily affected by the particle-size distribution of suspended sediment in surface runoff. Surface runoff was enriched with fines relative to the soil matrix. Generally, over 90 percent of sediment in runoff was comprised of silt and clay particles; only 50-60 percent of particle sizes from the intact soil matrix were in the silt- to clay-size range. Concentrations of suspended phosphorus in surface runoff were not significantly related to soil concentrations of total phosphorus in the 0-6-inch depth interval.Concentrations of dissolved phosphorus in subsurface flow were also related to soil concentrations of PAP. The relation indicated that dissolved concentrations of phosphorus in subsurface flow would exceed 0.1 milligram per liter if soil concentrations of PAP in the 0-6-inch depth interval of soil were greater than 49 parts per million; this PAP concentration was exceeded by each study plot.The significant relation of high concentrations of dissolved phosphorus in water to soil concentrations of PAP indicated that soils with comparable concentrations of soil PAP would be potential sources of dissolved phosphorus to surface water and subsurface water tables. The percentage of the total phosphorus lost from a system in the dissolved form increased as soil concentrations of PAP increased. This indicates that best-management practices to reduce phosphorus losses from this system not only need to target suspended forms of phosphorus but also dissolved forms. Practices aimed at reducing the loss of dissolved phosphorus from the system increase in importance with an increase in soil concentrations of PAP.

Influences of Hydrological Regime on Runoff Quality and Pollutant Loadings in Tropical Urban Areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chow, M.; Yusop, Z.

2011-12-01

Experience in many developed countries suggests that non point source (NPS) pollution is still the main contributor to pollutant loadings into water bodies in urban areas. However, the mechanism of NPS pollutant transport and the influences of hydrologic regime on the pollutant loading are still unclear. Understanding these interactions will be useful for improving design criteria and strategies for controlling NPS pollution in urban areas. This issue is also extremely relevant in tropical environment because its rainfall and the runoff generation processes are so different from the temperate regions where most of the studies on NPS pollutant have been carried out. In this regard, an intensive study to investigate the extent of this pollution was carried out in Skudai, Johor, Malaysia. Three small catchments, each represents commercial, residential and industrial land use were selected. Stormwater samples and flow rate data were collected at these catchments over 52 storm events from year 2008 to 2009. Samples were analyzed for ten water quality constituents including total suspended solids, 5-day biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, oil and grease, nitrate nitrogen, nitrite nitrogen, ammonia nitrogen, soluble phosphorus, total phosphorus and zinc. Quality of stormwater runoff is estimated using Event Mean Concentration (EMC) value. The storm characteristics analyzed included rainfall depth, rainfall duration, mean intensity, max 5 minutes intensity, antecedent dry day, runoff volume and peak flow. Correlation coefficients were determined between storm parameters and EMCs for the residential, commercial and industrial catchments. Except for the antecedent storm mean intensity and antecedent dry days, the other rainfall and runoff variables were negatively correlated with EMCs of most pollutants. This study reinforced the earlier findings on the importance of antecedent dry days for causing greater EMC values with exceptions for oil and grease, nitrate nitrogen, total phosphorus and zinc. There is no positive correlation between rainfall intensity and EMC of constituents in all the studied catchments. In contrast, the pollutant loadings are influenced primarily by the rainfall and runoff characteristics. Rainfall depth, mean intensity, max 5 minute intensity, runoff volume and peak flow were positively correlated with the loadings of most of the constituents. Antecedent storm mean intensity and antecedent dry days seemed to be less important for estimating the pollutant loadings. Such study should be further conducted for acquiring a long term monitoring data related to storm runoff quality during rainfall, in order to have a better understanding on NPS pollution in urban areas.

Is April to July runoff really decreasing in the Western United States?

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wahl, Kenneth L.

1991-01-01

Global warming has been the topic of a great deal of heated discussion and debate in recent years, both in the lay press and in scientific journals. The debate is about whether we are beginning to detect signs of a buildup of greenhouse gases on a global scale. A major part of the debate concerns the possible effects on climate and on the future availability of water resources. The ongoing drought in California has added impetus to the debate, serving notice of the serious consequences of any prolonged decrease in the availability of adequate water supplies. This paper has three primary objectives: (1) To evaluate the ramifications of using fractional runoff rather than total runoff to define trends in runoff; (2) to analyze additional streamflow data for the presence and extent of trends in annual and seasonal runoff volume for the conterminous Western United States; and (3) to examine the influence of the current California drought on indicators of trend.

Bayesian analyses of seasonal runoff forecasts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krzysztofowicz, R.; Reese, S.

1991-12-01

Forecasts of seasonal snowmelt runoff volume provide indispensable information for rational decision making by water project operators, irrigation district managers, and farmers in the western United States. Bayesian statistical models and communication frames have been researched in order to enhance the forecast information disseminated to the users, and to characterize forecast skill from the decision maker's point of view. Four products are presented: (i) a Bayesian Processor of Forecasts, which provides a statistical filter for calibrating the forecasts, and a procedure for estimating the posterior probability distribution of the seasonal runoff; (ii) the Bayesian Correlation Score, a new measure of forecast skill, which is related monotonically to the ex ante economic value of forecasts for decision making; (iii) a statistical predictor of monthly cumulative runoffs within the snowmelt season, conditional on the total seasonal runoff forecast; and (iv) a framing of the forecast message that conveys the uncertainty associated with the forecast estimates to the users. All analyses are illustrated with numerical examples of forecasts for six gauging stations from the period 1971 1988.

Comparison of estimated and observed stormwater runoff for fifteen watersheds in west-central Florida, using five common design techniques

USGS Publications Warehouse

Trommer, J.T.; Loper, J.E.; Hammett, K.M.; Bowman, Georgia

1996-01-01

Hydrologists use several traditional techniques for estimating peak discharges and runoff volumes from ungaged watersheds. However, applying these techniques to watersheds in west-central Florida requires that empirical relationships be extrapolated beyond tested ranges. As a result there is some uncertainty as to their accuracy. Sixty-six storms in 15 west-central Florida watersheds were modeled using (1) the rational method, (2) the U.S. Geological Survey regional regression equations, (3) the Natural Resources Conservation Service (formerly the Soil Conservation Service) TR-20 model, (4) the Army Corps of Engineers HEC-1 model, and (5) the Environmental Protection Agency SWMM model. The watersheds ranged between fully developed urban and undeveloped natural watersheds. Peak discharges and runoff volumes were estimated using standard or recommended methods for determining input parameters. All model runs were uncalibrated and the selection of input parameters was not influenced by observed data. The rational method, only used to calculate peak discharges, overestimated 45 storms, underestimated 20 storms and estimated the same discharge for 1 storm. The mean estimation error for all storms indicates the method overestimates the peak discharges. Estimation errors were generally smaller in the urban watersheds and larger in the natural watersheds. The U.S. Geological Survey regression equations provide peak discharges for storms of specific recurrence intervals. Therefore, direct comparison with observed data was limited to sixteen observed storms that had precipitation equivalent to specific recurrence intervals. The mean estimation error for all storms indicates the method overestimates both peak discharges and runoff volumes. Estimation errors were smallest for the larger natural watersheds in Sarasota County, and largest for the small watersheds located in the eastern part of the study area. The Natural Resources Conservation Service TR-20 model, overestimated peak discharges for 45 storms and underestimated 21 storms, and overestimated runoff volumes for 44 storms and underestimated 22 storms. The mean estimation error for all storms modeled indicates that the model overestimates peak discharges and runoff volumes. The smaller estimation errors in both peak discharges and runoff volumes were for storms occurring in the urban watersheds, and the larger errors were for storms occurring in the natural watersheds. The HEC-1 model overestimated peak discharge rates for 55 storms and underestimated 11 storms. Runoff volumes were overestimated for 44 storms and underestimated for 22 storms using the Army Corps of Engineers HEC-1 model. The mean estimation error for all the storms modeled indicates that the model overestimates peak discharge rates and runoff volumes. Generally, the smaller estimation errors in peak discharges were for storms occurring in the urban watersheds, and the larger errors were for storms occurring in the natural watersheds. Estimation errors in runoff volumes; however, were smallest for the 3 natural watersheds located in the southernmost part of Sarasota County. The Environmental Protection Agency Storm Water Management model produced similar peak discharges and runoff volumes when using both the Green-Ampt and Horton infiltration methods. Estimated peak discharge and runoff volume data calculated with the Horton method was only slightly higher than those calculated with the Green-Ampt method. The mean estimation error for all the storms modeled indicates the model using the Green-Ampt infiltration method overestimates peak discharges and slightly underestimates runoff volumes. Using the Horton infiltration method, the model overestimates both peak discharges and runoff volumes. The smaller estimation errors in both peak discharges and runoff volumes were for storms occurring in the five natural watersheds in Sarasota County with the least amount of impervious cover and the lowest slopes. The largest er

Analysis of the influence of rainfall variables on urban effluents concentrations and fluxes in wet weather

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gooré Bi, Eustache; Monette, Frédéric; Gasperi, Johnny

2015-04-01

Urban rainfall runoff has been a topic of increasing importance over the past years, a result of both the increase in impervious land area arising from constant urban growth and the effects of climate change on urban drainage. The main goal of the present study is to assess and analyze the correlations between rainfall variables and common indicators of urban water quality, namely event mean concentrations (EMCs) and event fluxes (EFs), in order to identify and explain the impacts of each of the main rainfall variables on the generation process of urban pollutants during wet periods. To perform this analysis, runoff from eight summer rainfall events that resulted in combined sewer overflow (CSO) was sampled simultaneously from two distinct catchment areas in order to quantify discharges at the respective outfalls. Pearson statistical analysis of total suspended solids (TSS), chemical oxygen demand (COD), carbonaceous biochemical oxygen demand at 5 days (CBOD5), total phosphorus (Ptot) and total kedjal nitrogen (N-TKN) showed significant correlations (ρ = 0.05) between dry antecedent time (DAT) and EMCs on one hand, and between total rainfall (TR) and the volume discharged (VD) during EFs, on the other. These results show that individual rainfall variables strongly affect either EMCs or EFs and are good predictors to consider when selecting variables for statistical modeling of urban runoff quality. The results also show that in a combined sewer network, there is a linear relationship between TSS event fluxes and COD, CBOD5, Ptot, and N-TKN event fluxes; this explains 97% of the variability of these pollutants which adsorb onto TSS during wet weather, which therefore act as tracers. Consequently, the technological solution selected for TSS removal will also lead to a reduction of these pollutants. Given the huge volumes involved, urban runoffs contribute substantially to pollutant levels in receiving water bodies, a situation which, in a climate change context, may get much worse as a result of more frequent, shorter, but more intense rainfall events.

A Synopsis of Technical Issues for Monitoring Sediment in Highway and Urban Runoff

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bent, Gardner C.; Gray, John R.; Smith, Kirk P.; Glysson, G. Douglas

2000-01-01

Accurate and representative sediment data are critical for assessing the potential effects of highway and urban runoff on receiving waters. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency identified sediment as the most widespread pollutant in the Nation's rivers and streams, affecting aquatic habitat, drinking water treatment processes, and recreational uses of rivers, lakes, and estuaries. Representative sediment data are also necessary for quantifying and interpreting concentrations, loads, and effects of trace elements and organic constituents associated with highway and urban runoff. Many technical issues associated with the collecting, processing, and analyzing of samples must be addressed to produce valid (useful for intended purposes), current, complete, and technically defensible data for local, regional, and national information needs. All aspects of sediment data-collection programs need to be evaluated, and adequate quality-control data must be collected and documented so that the comparability and representativeness of data obtained for highway- and urban-runoff studies may be assessed. Collection of representative samples for the measurement of sediment in highway and urban runoff involves a number of interrelated issues. Temporal and spatial variability in runoff result from a combination of factors, including volume and intensity of precipitation, rate of snowmelt, and features of the drainage basin such as area, slope, infiltration capacity, channel roughness, and storage characteristics. In small drainage basins such as those found in many highway and urban settings, automatic samplers are often the most suitable method for collecting samples of runoff for a variety of reasons. Indirect sediment-measurement methods are also useful as supplementary and(or) surrogate means for monitoring sediment in runoff. All of these methods have limitations in addition to benefits, which must be identified and quantified to produce representative data. Methods for processing raw sediment samples (including homogenization and subsampling) for subsequent analysis for total suspended solids or suspended-sediment concentration often increase variance and may introduce bias. Processing artifacts can be substantial if the methods used are not appropriate for the concentrations and particle-size distributions present in the samples collected. Analytical methods for determining sediment concentrations include the suspended-sediment concentration and the total suspended solids methods. Although the terms suspended-sediment concentration and total suspended solids are often used interchangeably to describe the total concentration of suspended solid-phase material, the analytical methods differ and can produce substantially different results. The total suspended solids method, which commonly is used to produce highway- and urban-runoff sediment data, may not be valid for studies of runoff water quality. Studies of fluvial and highway-runoff sediment data indicate that analyses of samples by the total suspended solids method tends to under represent the true sediment concentration, and that relations between total suspended solids and suspended-sediment concentration are not transferable from site to site even when grain-size distribution information is available. Total suspended solids data used to calculate suspended-sediment loads in highways and urban runoff may be fundamentally unreliable. Consequently, use of total suspended solids data may have adverse consequences for the assessment, design, and maintenance of sediment-removal best management practices. Therefore, it may be necessary to analyze water samples using the suspended-sediment concentration method. Data quality, comparability, and utility are important considerations in collection, processing, and analysis of sediment samples and interpretation of sediment data for highway- and urban-runoff studies. Results from sediment studies must be comparable and readily transf

[Impacts of forest and precipitation on runoff and sediment in Tianshui watershed and GM models].

PubMed

Ouyang, H

2000-12-01

This paper analyzed the impacts of foret stand volume and precipitation on annual erosion modulus, mean sediment, maximum sediment, mean runoff, maximum runoff, minimum runoff, mean water level, maximum water level and minimum water level in Tianshui watershed, and also analyzed the effect of the variation of forest stand volume on monthly mean runoff, minimum runoff and mean water level. The dynamic models of grey system GM(1, N) were constructed to simulate the changes of these hydrological elements. The dynamic GM models on the impact of stand volumes of different forest types(Chinese fir, masson pine and broad-leaved forests) with different age classes(young, middle-aged, mature and over-mature) and that of precipitation on the hydrological elements were also constructed, and their changes with time were analyzed.

Modelling the impact of retention-detention units on sewer surcharge and peak and annual runoff reduction.

PubMed

Locatelli, Luca; Gabriel, Søren; Mark, Ole; Mikkelsen, Peter Steen; Arnbjerg-Nielsen, Karsten; Taylor, Heidi; Bockhorn, Britta; Larsen, Hauge; Kjølby, Morten Just; Blicher, Anne Steensen; Binning, Philip John

2015-01-01

Stormwater management using water sensitive urban design is expected to be part of future drainage systems. This paper aims to model the combination of local retention units, such as soakaways, with subsurface detention units. Soakaways are employed to reduce (by storage and infiltration) peak and volume stormwater runoff; however, large retention volumes are required for a significant peak reduction. Peak runoff can therefore be handled by combining detention units with soakaways. This paper models the impact of retrofitting retention-detention units for an existing urbanized catchment in Denmark. The impact of retrofitting a retention-detention unit of 3.3 m³/100 m² (volume/impervious area) was simulated for a small catchment in Copenhagen using MIKE URBAN. The retention-detention unit was shown to prevent flooding from the sewer for a 10-year rainfall event. Statistical analysis of continuous simulations covering 22 years showed that annual stormwater runoff was reduced by 68-87%, and that the retention volume was on average 53% full at the beginning of rain events. The effect of different retention-detention volume combinations was simulated, and results showed that allocating 20-40% of a soakaway volume to detention would significantly increase peak runoff reduction with a small reduction in the annual runoff.

Simulation of quantity and quality of storm runoff for urban catchments in Fresno, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Guay, J.R.; Smith, P.E.

1988-01-01

Rainfall-runoff models were developed for a multiple-dwelling residential catchment (2 applications), a single-dwelling residential catchment, and a commercial catchment in Fresno, California, using the U.S. Geological Survey Distributed Routing Rainfall-Runoff Model (DR3M-II). A runoff-quality model also was developed at the commercial catchment using the Survey 's Multiple-Event Urban Runoff Quality model (DR3M-qual). The purpose of this study was: (1) to demonstrate the capabilites of the two models for use in designing storm drains, estimating the frequency of storm runoff loads, and evaluating the effectiveness of street sweeping on an urban drainage catchment; and (2) to determine the simulation accuracies of these models. Simulation errors of the two models were summarized as the median absolute deviation in percent (mad) between measured and simulated values. Calibration and verification mad errors for runoff volumes and peak discharges ranged from 14 to 20%. The estimated annual storm-runoff loads, in pounds/acre of effective impervious area, that could occur once every hundred years at the commercial catchment was 95 for dissolved solids, 1.6 for the dissolved nitrite plus nitrate, 0.31 for total recoverable lead, and 120 for suspended sediment. Calibration and verification mad errors for the above constituents ranged from 11 to 54%. (USGS)

Quantity and quality of runoff from selected guttered and unguttered roadways in northeastern Ramsey County, Minnesota

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mitton, G.B.; Payne, G.A.

1997-01-01

Length of latent period was statistically compared to constituent concentration levels of total phosphorus, dissolved sulfate, and total zinc and there was a correlation. Constituent loads were not associated with latent period. No correlation was found between traffic volumes which ranged from 1,888 to 7,172 vehicles per day and constituent concentrations or loads for this study.

Rainfall-Runoff and Water-Balance Models for Management of the Fena Valley Reservoir, Guam

USGS Publications Warehouse

Yeung, Chiu W.

2005-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey's Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System (PRMS) and a generalized water-balance model were calibrated and verified for use in estimating future availability of water in the Fena Valley Reservoir in response to various combinations of water withdrawal rates and rainfall conditions. Application of PRMS provides a physically based method for estimating runoff from the Fena Valley Watershed during the annual dry season, which extends from January through May. Runoff estimates from the PRMS are used as input to the water-balance model to estimate change in water levels and storage in the reservoir. A previously published model was calibrated for the Maulap and Imong River watersheds using rainfall data collected outside of the watershed. That model was applied to the Almagosa River watershed by transferring calibrated parameters and coefficients because information on daily diversions at the Almagosa Springs upstream of the gaging station was not available at the time. Runoff from the ungaged land area was not modeled. For this study, the availability of Almagosa Springs diversion data allowed the calibration of PRMS for the Almagosa River watershed. Rainfall data collected at the Almagosa rain gage since 1992 also provided better estimates of rainfall distribution in the watershed. In addition, the discontinuation of pan-evaporation data collection in 1998 required a change in the evapotranspiration estimation method used in the PRMS model. These reasons prompted the update of the PRMS for the Fena Valley Watershed. Simulated runoff volume from the PRMS compared reasonably with measured values for gaging stations on Maulap, Almagosa, and Imong Rivers, tributaries to the Fena Valley Reservoir. On the basis of monthly runoff simulation for the dry seasons included in the entire simulation period (1992-2001), the total volume of runoff can be predicted within -3.66 percent at Maulap River, within 5.37 percent at Almagosa River, and within 10.74 percent at Imong River. Month-end reservoir volumes simulated by the reservoir water-balance model for both calibration and verification periods compared closely with measured reservoir volumes. Errors for the calibration periods ranged from 4.51 percent [208.7 acre-feet (acre-ft) or 68.0 million gallons (Mgal)] to -5.90 percent (-317.8 acre-ft or -103.6 Mgal). For the verification periods, errors ranged from 1.69 percent (103.5 acre-ft or 33.7 Mgal) to -4.60 percent (-178.7 acre-ft or -58.2 Mgal). Monthly simulation bias ranged from -0.19 percent for the calibration period to -0.98 percent for the verification period; relative error ranged from -0.37 to -1.12 percent, respectively. Relatively small bias indicated that the model did not consistently overestimate or underestimate reservoir volume.

Variation in the relation of rainfall to runoff from residential lawns in Madison, Wisconsin, July and August 1995

USGS Publications Warehouse

Legg, A.D.; Bannerman, R.T.; Panuska, John

1996-01-01

The quality of runoff from residential lawns is a concern for municipal stormwater management programs. Land-use based computer models are increasingly being used to assess the impact of lawn runoff on urban watersheds. To accurately model the runoff for residential lawns, the variation in the relation of rainfall to runoff from lawns must be understood. The study described in this report measures the runoff parameters from 20 residential lawns in Madison, Wisconsin, using a rainfall simulator. It was determined that the saturated hydraulic conductivity does not vary significantly within a single residential lawn, but does vary significantly from one lawn to another. This variation is recognized in the entire rainfall-runoff relation from one lawn to another. The age of a lawn, or the years since development and turf establishment, is used as a surrogate of several lawn and soil characteristics to describe the variability in lawn runoff volumes. Runoff volumes from newly developed lawns are significantly greater than runoff from older lawns. This is an important consideration when modeling runoff for new developments. For older lawns, the date since lawn establishment does not explain the variation in the rainfall-runoff relation. In order for simple land-use based computer models to adequately account for the volume of runoff from pervious landscapes, field data from individual lawns would be necessary. A more realistic, alternative method may be to consider a basin-scale analysis of runoff from pervious landscapes.

High-resolution modeling of coastal freshwater discharge and glacier mass balance in the Gulf of Alaska watershed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beamer, J. P.; Hill, D. F.; Arendt, A.; Liston, G. E.

2016-05-01

A comprehensive study of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) drainage basin was carried out to improve understanding of the coastal freshwater discharge (FWD) and glacier volume loss (GVL). Hydrologic processes during the period 1980-2014 were modeled using a suite of physically based, spatially distributed weather, energy-balance snow/ice melt, soil water balance, and runoff routing models at a high-resolution (1 km horizontal grid; daily time step). Meteorological forcing was provided by the North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR), Modern Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA), and Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (CFSR) data sets. Streamflow and glacier mass balance modeled using MERRA and CFSR compared well with observations in four watersheds used for calibration in the study domain. However, only CFSR produced regional seasonal and long-term trends in water balance that compared favorably with independent Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and airborne altimetry data. Mean annual runoff using CFSR was 760 km3 yr-1, 8% of which was derived from the long-term removal of stored water from glaciers (glacier volume loss). The annual runoff from CFSR was partitioned into 63% snowmelt, 17% glacier ice melt, and 20% rainfall. Glacier runoff, taken as the sum of rainfall, snow, and ice melt occurring each season on glacier surfaces, was 38% of the total seasonal runoff, with the remaining runoff sourced from nonglacier surfaces. Our simulations suggests that existing GRACE solutions, previously reported to represent glacier mass balance alone, are actually measuring the full water budget of land and ice surfaces.

Response of turf and quality of water runoff to manure and fertilizer.

PubMed

Gaudreau, J E; Vietor, D M; White, R H; Provin, T L; Munster, C L

2002-01-01

Manure applications can benefit turfgrass production and unused nutrients in manure residues can be exported through sod harvests. Yet, nutrients near the soil surface could be transported in surface runoff. Our research objective was to evaluate responses of bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. var. Guymon] turf and volumes and P and N concentrations of surface runoff after fertilizer or composted manure applications. Three replications of five treatments were established on a Boonville fine sandy loam (fine, smectitic, thermic Vertic Albaqualf) that was excavated to create an 8.5% slope. Manure rates of 50 and 100 kg P ha(-1) at the start of two monitoring periods were compared with P fertilizer rates of 25 and 50 kg ha(-1) and an unfertilized control. Compared with initial soil tests, nitrate concentrations decreased and P concentrations increased after two manure or fertilizer applications and eight rain events over the two monitoring periods. The fertilizer sources of P and N produced 19% more dry weight and 21% larger N concentrations in grass clippings than manure sources. Yet, runoff volumes were similar between manure and fertilizer sources of P. Dissolved P concentration (30 mg L(-1)) in runoff during a rain event 3 d after application of 50 kg P ha(-1) was five times greater for fertilizer than for manure P. Observations during both monitoring periods indicated that total P and N losses in runoff were no greater for composted manure than for fertilizer sources of P at relatively large P rates on a steep slope of turfgrass.

Major winter and nonwinter floods in selected basins in New York and Pennsylvania

USGS Publications Warehouse

Langbein, Walter Basil

1947-01-01

The scientific design of flood-control works is based on an evaluation of the hydrologic factors basic to flood events, particularly how rainfall and snow runoff, soil conditions, and channel influences can combine to produce greater or lesser floods. For this purpose an analysis of the pertinent hydrologic data is needed. The methods of analysis adopted should conform as closely as possible to those already in use and must be adapted to the quality of the available information. Maximum floods in 8 basins in New York and Pennsylvania during the winter and nonwinter months were studied, a total of 21 floods. The most outstanding winter flood of record in the North Atlantic region was that of March 1936. Rainfall plus snow melt in the basins studied ranged between 3.04 and 6.87 inches, and associated volumes of direct runoff from 1.88 to 5.63 inches. Winter floods have a common characteristic in their relation to freezing temperature. The antecedent periods, representing a period of snow accumulation and frost penetration, are below freezing, and the flood itself is contemporaneous with a period of above-freezing temperatures, usually associated with rain, during which the previously accumulated snow is melted. A second common characteristic of major winter floods is their tendency to be associated with widespread causal meteorologic conditions. There was a more complete conversion of rainfall and snow melt into runoff during the winter storms studied than during the wettest nonwinter flood. Snow melt during winter floods ranged from 0.04 to 0.07 inch per degree-day above 32° F. The depth of mean areal rainfall produced by the nonwinter storms studied ranged from 3.05 to 4.96 inches. The maximum 24-hour quantity at single stations was 14 inches, which was measured during the storm of July 1935 in New York. The volume of direct runoff ranged between 1.39 and 3.41 inches. The portion of rainfall that was converted into runoff varied in accordance with the rate of antecedent base flow, expressed in second-feet per square mile, and emphasized the influence of antecedent conditions. The average volume of direct runoff during winter floods was 4.24 inches, and the average during nonwinter floods was 2.44 inches. The latter, however, were more concentrated as to time, tending to compensate for large volume of runoff in winter, so that the crest rates of direct runoff averaged 0.056 inches per hour during the winter and 0.051 inches during the nonwinter period.

Seeking urbanization security and sustainability: Multi-objective optimization of rainwater harvesting systems in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yi; Ye, Quanliang; Liu, An; Meng, Fangang; Zhang, Wenlong; Xiong, Wei; Wang, Peifang; Wang, Chao

2017-07-01

Urban rainwater management need to achieve an optimal compromise among water resource augmentation, water loggings alleviation, economic investment and pollutants reduction. Rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems, such as green rooftops, porous pavements, and green lands, have been successfully implemented as viable approaches to alleviate water-logging disasters and water scarcity problems caused by rapid urbanization. However, there is limited guidance to determine the construction areas of RWH systems, especially for stormwater runoff control due to increasing extreme precipitation. This study firstly developed a multi-objective model to optimize the construction areas of green rooftops, porous pavements and green lands, considering the trade-offs among 24 h-interval RWH volume, stormwater runoff volume control ratio (R), economic cost, and rainfall runoff pollutant reduction. Pareto fronts of RWH system areas for 31 provinces of China were obtained through nondominated sorting genetic algorithm. On the national level, the control strategies for the construction rate (the ratio between the area of single RWH system and the total areas of RWH systems) of green rooftops (ηGR), porous pavements (ηPP) and green lands (ηGL) were 12%, 26% and 62%, and the corresponding RWH volume and total suspended solids reduction was 14.84 billion m3 and 228.19 kilotons, respectively. Optimal ηGR , ηPP and ηGL in different regions varied from 1 to 33%, 6 to 54%, and 30 to 89%, respectively. Particularly, green lands were the most important RWH system in 25 provinces with ηGL more than 50%, ηGR mainly less than 15%, and ηPP mainly between 10 and 30%. Results also indicated whether considering the objective MaxR made a non-significant difference for RWH system areas whereas exerted a great influence on the result of stormwater runoff control. Maximum daily rainfall under control increased, exceeding 200% after the construction of the optimal RWH system compared with that before construction. Optimal RWH system areas presented a general picture for urban development policy makers in China.

Stormwater Volume Control to Prevent Increases in Lake Flooding and Dam Failure Risk

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Potter, K. W.

2017-12-01

Urban expansion is not often considered a major factor contributing to dam failure. But if urbanization occurs without mitigation of the hydrologic impacts, the risk of dam failure will increase. Of particular concern are increases in the volume of storm runoff resulting from increases in the extent of impervious surfaces. Storm runoff volumes are not regulated for much the U.S, and where they are, the required control is commonly less than 100%. Unmitigated increases in runoff volume due to urbanization can pose a risk to dams. A recent technical advisory committee of Dane County has recommended that the county require 100% control of stormwater volumes for new developments. The primary motivation was to prevent increases in the water levels in the Yahara Lakes, slowly draining lakes that are highly sensitive to runoff volume. The recommendations included the use of "volume trading" to achieve efficient compliance. Such recommendations should be considered for other slowly draining lakes, including those created by artificial structures.

Multiobjective optimization of low impact development stormwater controls

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eckart, Kyle; McPhee, Zach; Bolisetti, Tirupati

2018-07-01

Green infrastructure such as Low Impact Development (LID) controls are being employed to manage the urban stormwater and restore the predevelopment hydrological conditions besides improving the stormwater runoff water quality. Since runoff generation and infiltration processes are nonlinear, there is a need for identifying optimal combination of LID controls. A coupled optimization-simulation model was developed by linking the U.S. EPA Stormwater Management Model (SWMM) to the Borg Multiobjective Evolutionary Algorithm (Borg MOEA). The coupled model is capable of performing multiobjective optimization which uses SWMM simulations as a tool to evaluate potential solutions to the optimization problem. The optimization-simulation tool was used to evaluate low impact development (LID) stormwater controls. A SWMM model was developed, calibrated, and validated for a sewershed in Windsor, Ontario and LID stormwater controls were tested for three different return periods. LID implementation strategies were optimized using the optimization-simulation model for five different implementation scenarios for each of the three storm events with the objectives of minimizing peak flow in the stormsewers, reducing total runoff, and minimizing cost. For the sewershed in Windsor, Ontario, the peak run off and total volume of the runoff were found to reduce by 13% and 29%, respectively.

Reducing nitrogen runoff from paddy fields with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi under different fertilizer regimes.

PubMed

Zhang, Shujuan; Wang, Li; Ma, Fang; Zhang, Xue; Fu, Dafang

2016-08-01

Nitrogen (N) runoff from paddy fields serves as one of the main sources of water pollution. Our aim was to reduce N runoff from paddy fields by fertilizer management and inoculation with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). In northeast China, Shuangcheng city in Heilongjiang province, a field experiment was conducted, using rice provided with 0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100% of the local norm of fertilization (including N, phosphorus and potassium), with or without inoculation with Glomus mosseae. The volume, concentrations of total N (TN), dissolved N (DN) and particulate N (PN) of runoff water were measured. We found that the local norm of fertilization led to 18.9kg/ha of N runoff during rice growing season, with DN accounting for 60%-70%. We also found that reduction in fertilization by 20% cut down TN runoff by 8.2% while AMF inoculation decreased N runoff at each fertilizer level and this effect was inhibited by high fertilization. The combination of inoculation with AMF and 80% of the local norm of fertilization was observed to reduce N runoff by 27.2%. Conclusively, we suggested that the contribution of AMF inoculation combined with decreasing fertilization should get more attention to slow down water eutrophication by reducing N runoff from paddy fields. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Characterizations of the first flush in storm water runoff from an urban roadway.

PubMed

Lee, B C; Matsui, S; Shimizu, Y; Matsuda, T

2005-07-01

Storm water runoff from urban roadways contains anthropogenic pollutants, which are mainly generated from traffic-related activities. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the characteristics of pollutants from the roadway runoff as well as first flush effects. Storm water runoff was sampled during five storm events from the experimental site in Otsu, Shiga, Japan. From the hydrographs and pollutographs for the roadway runoff, the concentration of pollutants increased with increasing runoff flow in the low flow rate event, but did not significantly increase in the high flow rate event. Moreover, according to the analysis of cumulative pollutant mass versus runoff volume curves from five storm events, the first 50% of the runoff volume transported 62% of TOC and Mo, 60% of SS, 59% of Fe, Mn and Cu, 58% of Ni, 57% of Cd and Pb, 56% of Al, 55% of Zn, and 54% of Cr, as the mean values. The first 30% and 80% of the runoff volume also transported 34-43% mass of the pollutants and 82-88% mass of the pollutants, respectively. This study for storm water runoff may also provide useful information to correctly design treatment facilities, such as detention tanks and ponds, filtration and adsorption systems.

Simulation of streamflow and estimation of streamflow constituent loads in the San Antonio River watershed, Bexar County, Texas, 1997-2001

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ockerman, Darwin J.; McNamara, Kenna C.

2003-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey developed watershed models (Hydrological Simulation Program—FORTRAN) to simulate streamflow and estimate streamflow constituent loads from five basins that compose the San Antonio River watershed in Bexar County, Texas. Rainfall and streamflow data collected during 1997–2001 were used to calibrate and test the model. The model was configured so that runoff from various land uses and discharges from other sources (such as wastewater recycling facilities) could be accounted for to indicate sources of streamflow. Simulated streamflow volumes were used with land-use-specific, water-quality data to compute streamflow loads of selected constituents from the various streamflow sources.Model simulations for 1997–2001 indicate that inflow from the upper Medina River (originating outside Bexar County) represents about 22 percent of total streamflow. Recycled wastewater discharges account for about 20 percent and base flow (ground-water inflow to streams) about 18 percent. Storm runoff from various land uses represents about 33 percent. Estimates of sources of streamflow constituent loads indicate recycled wastewater as the largest source of dissolved solids and nitrate plus nitrite nitrogen (about 38 and 66 percent, respectively, of the total loads) during 1997–2001. Stormwater runoff from urban land produced about 49 percent of the 1997–2001 total suspended solids load. Stormwater runoff from residential and commercial land (about 23 percent of the land area) produced about 70 percent of the total lead streamflow load during 1997–2001.

Stormwater runoff characterized by GIS determined source areas and runoff volumes.

PubMed

Liu, Yang; Soonthornnonda, Puripus; Li, Jin; Christensen, Erik R

2011-02-01

Runoff coefficients are usually considered in isolation for each drainage area with resulting large uncertainties in the areas and coefficients. Accurate areas and coefficients are obtained here by optimizing runoff coefficients for characteristic Geographic Information Systems (GIS) subareas within each drainage area so that the resulting runoff coefficients of each drainage area are consistent with those obtained from runoff and rainfall volumes. Lack of fit can indicate that the ArcGIS information is inaccurate or more likely, that the drainage area needs adjustment. Results for 18 drainage areas in Milwaukee, WI for 2000-2004 indicate runoff coefficients ranging from 0.123 for a mostly residential area to 0.679 for a freeway-related land, with a standard error of 0.047. Optimized runoff coefficients are necessary input parameters for monitoring, and for the analysis and design of in situ stormwater unit operations and processes for the control of both urban runoff quantity and quality.

Assessment of suspended solids concentration in highway runoff and its treatment implication.

PubMed

Hallberg, M; Renman, G

2006-09-01

It is understood that the major pollution from storm water is related to the content of particulate matter. One treatment practice is based on the first flush, i.e. detention of the initial part of the runoff that is considered to contain the highest concentrations of pollutants. This study has evaluated the concentration of total suspended solids in 30 consecutive runoff events during the winter season for an area of 6.7 hectares. A six-lane highway (E4) that has an annual average daily traffic load of 120,000 dominates the area and road de-icing salt (NaCl) and studded tires were in regular use during the studied period. The effluent standard for wastewater of 60 mg TSS per litre applied in EU was used to assess the treatment requirement of storm water. In only two of the events the event mean concentration was below 60 mg 1(-1). In four runoff events a partial event mean concentration below 60 mg 1(-1) was found, in 26 %, 12 %, 11 %, and 2 % respectively of the runoff volume. This would suggest that a capture of the initial part of the runoff for subsequent treatment is less applicable in this type of urban watershed.

Treatment of suspended solids and heavy metals from urban stormwater runoff by a tree box filter.

PubMed

Geronimo, F K F; Maniquiz-Redillas, M C; Tobio, J A S; Kim, L H

2014-01-01

Particulates, inorganic and toxic constituents are the most common pollutants associated with urban stormwater runoff. Heavy metals such as chromium, nickel, copper, zinc, cadmium and lead are found to be in high concentration on paved roads or parking lots due to vehicle emissions. In order to control the rapid increase of pollutant loads in stormwater runoff, the Korean Ministry of Environment proposed the utilization of low impact developments. One of these was the application of tree box filters that act as a bioretention treatment system which executes filtration and sorption processes. In this study, a tree box filter located adjacent to an impervious parking lot was developed to treat suspended solids and heavy metal concentrations from urban stormwater runoff. In total, 11 storm events were monitored from July 2010 to August 2012. The results showed that the tree box filter was highly effective in removing particulates (up to 95%) and heavy metals (at least 70%) from the urban stormwater runoff. Furthermore, the tree box filter was capable of reducing the volume runoff by 40% at a hydraulic loading rate of 1 m/day and below.

Permeable pavement study (Edison)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

While permeable pavement is increasingly being used to control stormwater runoff, field-based, side-by-side investigations on the effects different pavement types have on nutrient concentrations present in stormwater runoff are limited. In 2009, the U.S. EPA constructed a 0.4-ha parking lot in Edison, New Jersey, that incorporated permeable interlocking concrete pavement (PICP), pervious concrete (PC), and porous asphalt (PA). Each permeable pavement type has four, 54.9-m2, lined sections that direct all infiltrate into 5.7-m3 tanks enabling complete volume collection and sampling. This paper highlights the results from a 12-month period when samples were collected from 13 rainfall/runoff events and analyzed for nitrogen species, orthophosphate, and organic carbon. Differences in infiltrate concentrations among the three permeable pavement types were assessed and compared with concentrations in rainwater samples and impervious asphalt runoff samples, which were collected as controls. Contrary to expectations based on the literature, the PA infiltrate had significantly larger total nitrogen (TN) concentrations than runoff and infiltrate from the other two permeable pavement types, indicating that nitrogen leached from materials in the PA strata. There was no significant difference in TN concentration between runoff and infiltrate from either PICP or PC, but TN in runoff was significantly larger than in the rainwater, suggesting meaningful inter-event dry de

How uncertain is model-based prediction of copper loads in stormwater runoff?

PubMed

Lindblom, E; Ahlman, S; Mikkelsen, P S

2007-01-01

In this paper, we conduct a systematic analysis of the uncertainty related with estimating the total load of pollution (copper) from a separate stormwater drainage system, conditioned on a specific combination of input data, a dynamic conceptual pollutant accumulation-washout model and measurements (runoff volumes and pollutant masses). We use the generalized likelihood uncertainty estimation (GLUE) methodology and generate posterior parameter distributions that result in model outputs encompassing a significant number of the highly variable measurements. Given the applied pollution accumulation-washout model and a total of 57 measurements during one month, the total predicted copper masses can be predicted within a range of +/-50% of the median value. The message is that this relatively large uncertainty should be acknowledged in connection with posting statements about micropollutant loads as estimated from dynamic models, even when calibrated with on-site concentration data.

Annual exceedance probabilities and trends for peak streamflows and annual runoff volumes for the Central United States during the 2011 floods

USGS Publications Warehouse

Driscoll, Daniel G.; Southard, Rodney E.; Koenig, Todd A.; Bender, David A.; Holmes, Robert R.

2014-01-01

During 2011, excess precipitation resulted in widespread flooding in the Central United States with 33 fatalities and approximately $4.2 billion in damages reported in the Red River of the North, Souris, and Mississippi River Basins. At different times from late February 2011 through September 2011, various rivers in these basins had major flooding, with some locations having multiple rounds of flooding. This report provides broadscale characterizations of annual exceedance probabilities and trends for peak streamflows and annual runoff volumes for selected streamgages in the Central United States in areas affected by 2011 flooding. Annual exceedance probabilities (AEPs) were analyzed for 321 streamgages for annual peak streamflow and for 211 streamgages for annual runoff volume. Some of the most exceptional flooding was for the Souris River Basin, where of 11 streamgages considered for AEP analysis of peak streamflow, flood peaks in 2011 exceeded the next largest peak of record by at least double for 6 of the longest-term streamgages (75 to 108 years of peak-flow record). AEPs for these six streamgages were less than 1 percent. AEPs for 2011 runoff volumes were less than 1 percent for all seven Souris River streamgages considered for AEP analysis. Magnitudes of 2011 runoff volumes exceeded previous maxima by double or more for 5 of the 7 streamgages (record lengths 52 to 108 years). For the Red River of the North Basin, AEPs for 2011 runoff volumes were exceptional, with two streamgages having AEPs less than 0.2 percent, five streamgages in the range of 0.2 to 1 percent, and four streamgages in the range of 1 to 2 percent. Magnitudes of 2011 runoff volumes also were exceptional, with all 11 of the aforementioned streamgages eclipsing previous long-term (62 to 110 years) annual maxima by about one-third or more. AEPs for peak streamflows in the upper Mississippi River Basin were not exceptional, with no AEPs less than 1 percent. AEPs for annual runoff volumes indicated less frequent recurrence, with 11 streamgages having AEPs of less than 1 percent. The 2011 runoff volume for streamgage 05331000 (at Saint Paul, Minnesota) exceeded the previous record (112 years of record) by about 24 percent. An especially newsworthy feature was prolonged flooding along the main stem of the Missouri River downstream from Garrison Dam (located upstream from Bismarck, North Dakota) and extending downstream throughout the length of the Missouri River. The 2011 runoff volume for streamgage 06342500 (at Bismarck) exceeded the previous (1975) maximum by about 50 percent, with an associated AEP in the range of 0.2 to 1 percent. In the Ohio River Basin, peak-streamflow AEPs were less than 2 percent for only four streamgages. Runoff-volume AEPs were less than 2 percent for only three streamgages. Along the lower Mississippi River, the largest streamflow peak in 91 years was recorded for streamgage 07289000 (at Vicksburg, Mississippi), with an associated AEP of 0.8 percent. Trends in peak streamflow were analyzed for 98 streamgages, with 67 streamgages having upward trends, 31 with downward trends, and zero with no trend. Trends in annual runoff volume were analyzed for 182 streamgages, with 145 streamgages having upward trends, 36 with downward trends, and 1 with no trend. The trend analyses used descriptive methods that did not include measures of statistical significance. A dichotomous spatial distribution in trends was apparent for both peak streamflow and annual runoff volume, with a small number of streamgages in the northwestern part of the study area having downward trends and most streamgages in the eastern part of the study area having upward trends.

The influence of conservation tillage methods on soil water regimes in semi-arid southern Zimbabwe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mupangwa, W.; Twomlow, S.; Walker, S.

Planting basins and ripper tillage practices are major components of the recently introduced conservation agriculture package that is being extensively promoted for smallholder farming in Zimbabwe. Besides preparing land for crop planting, these two technologies also help in collecting and using rainwater more efficiently in semi-arid areas. The basin tillage is being targeted for households with limited or no access to draught animals while ripping is meant for smallholder farmers with some draught animal power. Trials were established at four farms in Gwanda and Insiza in southern Zimbabwe to determine soil water contributions and runoff water losses from plots under four different tillage treatments. The tillage treatments were hand-dug planting basins, ripping, conventional spring and double ploughing using animal-drawn implements. The initial intention was to measure soil water changes and runoff losses from cropped plots under the four tillage practices. However, due to total crop failure, only soil water and runoff were measured from bare plots between December 2006 and April 2007. Runoff losses were highest under conventional ploughing. Planting basins retained most of the rainwater that fell during each rainfall event. The amount of rainfall received at each farm significantly influenced the volume of runoff water measured. Runoff water volume increased with increase in the amount of rainfall received at each farm. Soil water content was consistently higher under basin tillage than the other three tillage treatments. Significant differences in soil water content were observed across the farms according to soil types from sand to loamy sand. The basin tillage method gives a better control of water losses from the farmers’ fields. The planting basin tillage method has a greater potential for providing soil water to crops than ripper, double and single conventional ploughing practices.

Glacial history and runoff components of the Tlikakila River Basin, Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brabets, Timothy P.; March, Rod S.; Trabant, Dennis C.

2004-01-01

The Tlikakila River is located in Lake Clark National Park and Preserve and drains an area of 1,610 square kilometers (622 square miles). Runoff from the Tlikakila River Basin accounts for about one half of the total inflow to Lake Clark. Glaciers occupy about one third of the basin and affect the runoff characteristics of the Tlikakila River. As part of a cooperative study with the National Park Service, glacier changes and runoff characteristics in the Tlikakila River Basin were studied in water years 2001 and 2002. Based on analyses of remote sensing data and on airborne laser profiling, most glaciers in the Tlikakila River Basin have retreated and thinned from 1957 to the present. Volume loss from 1957-2001 from the Tanaina Glacier, the largest glacier in the Tlikakila River Basin, was estimated to be 6.1 x 109 cubic meters or 1.4 x 108 cubic meters per year. For the 2001 water year, mass balance measurements made on the three largest glaciers in the Tlikakila River BasinTanaina, Glacier Fork, and North Forkall indicate a negative mass balance. Runoff measured near the mouth of the Tlikakila River for water year 2001 was 1.70 meters. Of this total, 0.18 meters (11 percent) was from glacier ice melt, 1.27 meters (75 percent) was from snowmelt, 0.24 meters (14 percent) was from rainfall runoff, and 0.01 meters (1 percent) was from ground water. Although ground water is a small component of runoff, it provides a critical source of warm water for fish survival in the lower reaches of the Tlikakila River.

Simulating double-peak hydrographs from single storms over mixed-use watersheds

Treesearch

Yang Yang; Theodore A. Endreny; David J. Nowak

2015-01-01

Two-peak hydrographs after a single rain event are observed in watersheds and storms with distinct volumes contributing as fast and slow runoff. The authors developed a hydrograph model able to quantify these separate runoff volumes to help in estimation of runoff processes and residence times used by watershed managers. The model uses parallel application of two...

Impact of forestry on total and methyl-mercury in surface waters: distinguishing effects of logging and site preparation.

PubMed

Eklöf, Karin; Schelker, Jakob; Sørensen, Rasmus; Meili, Markus; Laudon, Hjalmar; von Brömssen, Claudia; Bishop, Kevin

2014-05-06

Forestry operations can increase the export of mercury (both total and methyl) to surface waters. However, little is known about the relative contribution of different forestry practices. We address this question using a paired-catchment study that distinguishes the effects of site preparation from the antecedent logging. Runoff water from three catchments, two harvested and one untreated control, was sampled biweekly during one year prior to logging, two years after logging, and three years after site preparation. The logging alone did not significantly increase the concentrations of either total or methyl-mercury in runoff, but export increased by 50-70% in one of the harvested catchments as a consequence of increased runoff volume. The combined effects of logging and site preparation increased total and methyl-mercury concentrations by 30-50% relative to preharvest conditions in both treated catchments. The more pronounced concentration effect after site preparation compared to logging could be related to site preparation being conducted during summer. This caused more soil disturbance than logging, which was done during winter with snow covering the ground. The results suggest that the cumulative impact of forest harvest on catchment mercury outputs depends on when and how forestry operations are implemented.

Urban nonpoint source pollution buildup and washoff models for simulating storm runoff quality in the Los Angeles County.

PubMed

Wang, Long; Wei, Jiahua; Huang, Yuefei; Wang, Guangqian; Maqsood, Imran

2011-07-01

Many urban nonpoint source pollution models utilize pollutant buildup and washoff functions to simulate storm runoff quality of urban catchments. In this paper, two urban pollutant washoff load models are derived using pollutant buildup and washoff functions. The first model assumes that there is no residual pollutant after a storm event while the second one assumes that there is always residual pollutant after each storm event. The developed models are calibrated and verified with observed data from an urban catchment in the Los Angeles County. The application results show that the developed model with consideration of residual pollutant is more capable of simulating nonpoint source pollution from urban storm runoff than that without consideration of residual pollutant. For the study area, residual pollutant should be considered in pollutant buildup and washoff functions for simulating urban nonpoint source pollution when the total runoff volume is less than 30 mm. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Changes in Seasonal and Extreme Hydrologic Conditions of the Georgia Basin/Puget Sound in an Ensemble Regional Climate Simulation for the Mid-Century

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Leung, Lai R.; Qian, Yun

This study examines an ensemble of climate change projections simulated by a global climate model (GCM) and downscaled with a region climate model (RCM) to 40 km spatial resolution for the western North America. One control and three ensemble future climate simulations were produced by the GCM following a business as usual scenario for greenhouse gases and aerosols emissions from 1995 to 2100. The RCM was used to downscale the GCM control simulation (1995-2015) and each ensemble future GCM climate (2040-2060) simulation. Analyses of the regional climate simulations for the Georgia Basin/Puget Sound showed a warming of 1.5-2oC and statisticallymore » insignificant changes in precipitation by the mid-century. Climate change has large impacts on snowpack (about 50% reduction) but relatively smaller impacts on the total runoff for the basin as a whole. However, climate change can strongly affect small watersheds such as those located in the transient snow zone, causing a higher likelihood of winter flooding as a higher percentage of precipitation falls in the form of rain rather than snow, and reduced streamflow in early summer. In addition, there are large changes in the monthly total runoff above the upper 1% threshold (or flood volume) from October through May, and the December flood volume of the future climate is 60% above the maximum monthly flood volume of the control climate. Uncertainty of the climate change projections, as characterized by the spread among the ensemble future climate simulations, is relatively small for the basin mean snowpack and runoff, but increases in smaller watersheds, especially in the transient snow zone, and associated with extreme events. This emphasizes the importance of characterizing uncertainty through ensemble simulations.« less

The influences of changing weather patterns and land management on runoff biogeochemistry in a snowmelt dominated agricultural region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilson, H. F.; Elliott, J. A.; Glenn, A. J.

2017-12-01

Runoff generation and the associated export of nitrogen, phosphorus, and organic carbon on the Northern Great Plains have historically been dominated by snowmelt runoff. In this region the transport of elements primarily occurs in dissolved rather than particulate forms, so cropland management practices designed to reduce particulate losses tend to be ineffective in reducing nutrient runoff. Over the last decade a higher frequency of high volume and intensity rainfall has been observed, leading to rainfall runoff and downstream flooding. To evaluate interactions between tillage, crop residue management, fertilization practices, weather, and runoff biogeochemistry a network of 18 single field scale watersheds (2-6 ha.) has been established in Manitoba, Canada over a range of fertilization (no input to high input) and tillage (zero tillage to frequent tillage). Soils in this network are typical of cropland in the region with clay or clay loam textures, but soil phosphorus differs greatly depending on input practices (3 to 25 mg kg-1 sodium bicarbonate extractable P). Monitoring of runoff chemistry and hydrology at these sites was initiated in 2013 and over the course of 5 years high volume snowmelt runoff from deep snowpack (125mm snow water equivalent), low volume snowmelt from shallow snowpack (25mm snow water equivalent) and extreme rainfall runoff events in spring have all been observed. Event based analyses of the drivers of runoff chemistry indicate that spring fertilization practices (depth, amount, and timing) influence concentrations of N and P in runoff during large rainfall runoff events, but for snowmelt runoff the near surface soil chemistry, tillage, and crop residue management are of greater importance. Management recommendations that might be suggested to reduce nutrient export and downstream eutrophication in the region differ for snowmelt and rainfall, but are not mutually exclusive.

Phosphorus runoff from incorporated and surface-applied liquid swine manure and phosphorus fertilizer.

PubMed

Daverede, I C; Kravchenko, A N; Hoeft, R G; Nafziger, E D; Bullock, D G; Warren, J J; Gonzini, L C

2004-01-01

Excessive fertilization with organic and/or inorganic P amendments to cropland increases the potential risk of P loss to surface waters. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of soil test P level, source, and application method of P amendments on P in runoff following soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.]. The treatments consisted of two rates of swine (Sus scrofa domestica) liquid manure surface-applied and injected, 54 kg P ha(-1) triple superphosphate (TSP) surface-applied and incorporated, and a control with and without chisel-plowing. Rainfall simulations were conducted one month (1MO) and six months (6MO) after P amendment application for 2 yr. Soil injection of swine manure compared with surface application resulted in runoff P concentration decreases of 93, 82, and 94%, and P load decreases of 99, 94, and 99% for dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP), total phosphorus (TP), and algal-available phosphorus (AAP), respectively. Incorporation of TSP also reduced P concentration in runoff significantly. Runoff P concentration and load from incorporated amendments did not differ from the control. Factors most strongly related to P in runoff from the incorporated treatments included Bray P1 soil extraction value for DRP concentration, and Bray P1 and sediment content in runoff for AAP and TP concentration and load. Injecting manure and chisel-plowing inorganic fertilizer reduced runoff P losses, decreased runoff volumes, and increased the time to runoff, thus minimizing the potential risk of surface water contamination. After incorporating the P amendments, controlling erosion is the main target to minimize TP losses from agricultural soils.

Long-term stormwater quantity and quality analysis using continuous measurements in a French urban catchment.

PubMed

Sun, Siao; Barraud, Sylvie; Castebrunet, Hélène; Aubin, Jean-Baptiste; Marmonier, Pierre

2015-11-15

The assessment of urban stormwater quantity and quality is important for evaluating and controlling the impact of the stormwater to natural water and environment. This study mainly addresses long-term evolution of stormwater quantity and quality in a French urban catchment using continuous measured data from 2004 to 2011. Storm event-based data series are obtained (716 rainfall events and 521 runoff events are available) from measured continuous time series. The Mann-Kendall test is applied to these event-based data series for trend detection. A lack of trend is found in rainfall and an increasing trend in runoff is detected. As a result, an increasing trend is present in the runoff coefficient, likely due to growing imperviousness of the catchment caused by urbanization. The event mean concentration of the total suspended solid (TSS) in stormwater does not present a trend, whereas the event load of TSS has an increasing tendency, which is attributed to the increasing event runoff volume. Uncertainty analysis suggests that the major uncertainty in trend detection results lies in uncertainty due to available data. A lack of events due to missing data leads to dramatically increased uncertainty in trend detection results. In contrast, measurement uncertainty in time series data plays a trivial role. The intra-event distribution of TSS is studied based on both M(V) curves and pollutant concentrations of absolute runoff volumes. The trend detection test reveals no significant change in intra-event distributions of TSS in the studied catchment. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Calibration and verification of a rainfall-runoff model and a runoff-quality model for several urban basins in the Denver metropolitan area, Colorado

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lindner-Lunsford, J. B.; Ellis, S.R.

1984-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey 's Distributed Routing Rainfall-Runoff Model--Version II was calibrated and verified for five urban basins in the Denver metropolitan area. Land-use types in the basins were light commerical, multifamily housing, single-family housing, and a shopping center. The overall accuracy of model predictions of peak flows and runoff volumes was about 15 percent for storms with rainfall intensities of less than 1 inch per hour and runoff volume of greater than 0.01 inch. Predictions generally were unsatisfactory for storm having a rainfall intensity of more than 1 inch per hour, or runoff of 0.01 inch or less. The Distributed Routing Rainfall-Runoff Model-Quality, a multievent runoff-quality model developed by the U.S. Geological Survey, was calibrated and verified on four basins. The model was found to be most useful in the prediction of seasonal loads of constituents in the runoff resulting from rainfall. The model was not very accurate in the prediction of runoff loads of individual constituents. (USGS)

Effects of distributed and centralized stormwater best management practices and land cover on urban stream hydrology at the catchment scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Loperfido, J. V.; Noe, Gregory B.; Jarnagin, S. Taylor; Hogan, Dianna M.

2014-11-01

Urban stormwater runoff remains an important issue that causes local and regional-scale water quantity and quality issues. Stormwater best management practices (BMPs) have been widely used to mitigate runoff issues, traditionally in a centralized manner; however, problems associated with urban hydrology have remained. An emerging trend is implementation of BMPs in a distributed manner (multi-BMP treatment trains located on the landscape and integrated with urban design), but little catchment-scale performance of these systems have been reported to date. Here, stream hydrologic data (March, 2011-September, 2012) are evaluated in four catchments located in the Chesapeake Bay watershed: one utilizing distributed stormwater BMPs, two utilizing centralized stormwater BMPs, and a forested catchment serving as a reference. Among urban catchments with similar land cover, geology and BMP design standards (i.e. 100-year event), but contrasting placement of stormwater BMPs, distributed BMPs resulted in: significantly greater estimated baseflow, a higher minimum precipitation threshold for stream response and maximum discharge increases, better maximum discharge control for small precipitation events, and reduced runoff volume during an extreme (1000-year) precipitation event compared to centralized BMPs. For all catchments, greater forest land cover and less impervious cover appeared to be more important drivers than stormwater BMP spatial pattern, and caused lower total, stormflow, and baseflow runoff volume; lower maximum discharge during typical precipitation events; and lower runoff volume during an extreme precipitation event. Analysis of hydrologic field data in this study suggests that both the spatial distribution of stormwater BMPs and land cover are important for management of urban stormwater runoff. In particular, catchment-wide application of distributed BMPs improved stream hydrology compared to centralized BMPs, but not enough to fully replicate forested catchment stream hydrology. Integrated planning of stormwater management, protected riparian buffers and forest land cover with suburban development in the distributed-BMP catchment enabled multi-purpose use of land that provided esthetic value and green-space, community gathering points, and wildlife habitat in addition to hydrologic stormwater treatment.

Effects of distributed and centralized stormwater best management practices and land cover on urban stream hydrology at the catchment scale

USGS Publications Warehouse

Loperfido, John V.; Noe, Gregory B.; Jarnagin, S. Taylor; Hogan, Dianna M.

2014-01-01

Urban stormwater runoff remains an important issue that causes local and regional-scale water quantity and quality issues. Stormwater best management practices (BMPs) have been widely used to mitigate runoff issues, traditionally in a centralized manner; however, problems associated with urban hydrology have remained. An emerging trend is implementation of BMPs in a distributed manner (multi-BMP treatment trains located on the landscape and integrated with urban design), but little catchment-scale performance of these systems have been reported to date. Here, stream hydrologic data (March, 2011–September, 2012) are evaluated in four catchments located in the Chesapeake Bay watershed: one utilizing distributed stormwater BMPs, two utilizing centralized stormwater BMPs, and a forested catchment serving as a reference. Among urban catchments with similar land cover, geology and BMP design standards (i.e. 100-year event), but contrasting placement of stormwater BMPs, distributed BMPs resulted in: significantly greater estimated baseflow, a higher minimum precipitation threshold for stream response and maximum discharge increases, better maximum discharge control for small precipitation events, and reduced runoff volume during an extreme (1000-year) precipitation event compared to centralized BMPs. For all catchments, greater forest land cover and less impervious cover appeared to be more important drivers than stormwater BMP spatial pattern, and caused lower total, stormflow, and baseflow runoff volume; lower maximum discharge during typical precipitation events; and lower runoff volume during an extreme precipitation event. Analysis of hydrologic field data in this study suggests that both the spatial distribution of stormwater BMPs and land cover are important for management of urban stormwater runoff. In particular, catchment-wide application of distributed BMPs improved stream hydrology compared to centralized BMPs, but not enough to fully replicate forested catchment stream hydrology. Integrated planning of stormwater management, protected riparian buffers and forest land cover with suburban development in the distributed-BMP catchment enabled multi-purpose use of land that provided esthetic value and green-space, community gathering points, and wildlife habitat in addition to hydrologic stormwater treatment.

Contribution of glacier runoff to freshwater discharge into the Gulf of Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Neal, E.G.; Hood, E.; Smikrud, K.

2010-01-01

Watersheds along the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) are undergoing climate warming, glacier volume loss, and shifts in the timing and volume of freshwater delivered to the eastern North Pacific Ocean. We estimate recent mean annual freshwater discharge to the GOA at 870 km3 yr-1. Small distributed coastal drainages contribute 78% of the freshwater discharge with the remainder delivered by larger rivers penetrating coastal ranges. Discharge from glaciers and icefields accounts for 47% of total freshwater discharge, with 10% coming from glacier volume loss associated with rapid thinning and retreat of glaciers along the GOA. Our results indicate the region of the GOA from Prince William Sound to the east, where glacier runoff contributes 371 km3 yr -1, is vulnerable to future changes in freshwater discharge as a result of glacier thinning and recession. Changes in timing and magnitude of freshwater delivery to the GOA could impact coastal circulation as well as biogeochemical fluxes to near-shore marine ecosystems and the eastern North Pacific Ocean. Copyright ?? 2010 by the American Geophysical Union.

Native prairie filter strips reduce runoff from hillslopes under annual row-crop systems in Iowa, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hernandez-Santana, V.; Zhou, X.; Helmers, M. J.; Asbjornsen, H.; Kolka, R.; Tomer, M.

2013-01-01

SummaryIntensively managed annual cropping systems have produced high crop yields but have often produced significant ecosystem services alteration, in particular hydrologic regulation loss. Reconversion of annual agricultural systems to perennial vegetation can lead to hydrologic function restoration, but its effect is still not well understood. Therefore, our objective was to assess the effects of strategic introduction of different amounts and location of native prairie vegetation (NPV) within agricultural landscapes on hydrological regulation. The study was conducted in Iowa (USA), and consisted of a fully balanced, replicated, incomplete block design whereby 12 zero-order ephemeral flow watersheds received four treatments consisting of varying proportions (0%, 10%, and 20%) of prairie vegetation located in different watershed positions (footslope vs. contour strips). Runoff volume and rate were measured from 2008 to 2010 (April-October) with an H-Flume installed in each catchment, and automated ISCO samplers. Over the entire study period, we observed a total of 129 runoff events with an average runoff volume reduction of 37% based on the three treatments with NPV compared to watersheds with row crops. We observed a progressively greater reduction across the 3 years of the study as the perennial strips became established with the greatest differences among treatments occurring in 2010. The differences among the watersheds were attributed mainly to NPV amount and position, with the 10% NPV at footslope treatment having the greatest runoff reduction probably because the portion of NPV filter strip that actually contacted watershed runoff was greater with the 10% NPV at footslope. We observed greater reductions in runoff in spring and fall likely because perennial prairie plants were active and crops were absent or not fully established. High antecedent soil moisture sometimes led to little benefit of the NPV treatments but in general the NPV treatments were effective during both small and large events. We conclude that, small amounts of NPV strategically incorporated into corn-soybean watersheds in the Midwest US can be used to effectively reduce runoff.

Roof selection for rainwater harvesting: quantity and quality assessments in Spain.

PubMed

Farreny, Ramon; Morales-Pinzón, Tito; Guisasola, Albert; Tayà, Carlota; Rieradevall, Joan; Gabarrell, Xavier

2011-05-01

Roofs are the first candidates for rainwater harvesting in urban areas. This research integrates quantitative and qualitative data of rooftop stormwater runoff in an urban Mediterranean-weather environment. The objective of this paper is to provide criteria for the roof selection in order to maximise the availability and quality of rainwater. Four roofs have been selected and monitored over a period of 2 years (2008-2010): three sloping roofs - clay tiles, metal sheet and polycarbonate plastic - and one flat gravel roof. The authors offer a model for the estimation of the runoff volume and the initial abstraction of each roof, and assess the physicochemical contamination of roof runoff. Great differences in the runoff coefficient (RC) are observed, depending mostly on the slope and the roughness of the roof. Thus, sloping smooth roofs (RC>0.90) may harvest up to about 50% more rainwater than flat rough roofs (RC=0.62). Physicochemical runoff quality appears to be generally better than the average quality found in the literature review (conductivity: 85.0 ± 10.0 μS/cm, total suspended solids: 5.98 ± 0.95 mg/L, total organic carbon: 11.6 ± 1.7 mg/L, pH: 7.59 ± 0.07 upH). However, statistically significant differences are found between sloping and flat rough roofs for some parameters (conductivity, total organic carbon, total carbonates system and ammonium), with the former presenting better quality in all parameters (except for ammonium). The results have an important significance for local governments and urban planners in the (re)design of buildings and cities from the perspective of sustainable rainwater management. The inclusion of criteria related to the roof's slope and roughness in city planning may be useful to promote rainwater as an alternative water supply while preventing flooding and water scarcity. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

SWMM IMPROVEMENT FOR ANALYZING BMP/LTD PERFORMANCE

EPA Science Inventory

Pollution and treatment costs associated with wet weather flows (WWFs) have caused a need for reducing stormwater runoff volumes as well as loads. A number of strategies and best management practices (BMPs) are being used to mitigate runoff volumes and associated nonpoint source...

Analysis of the runoff generation mechanism for the investigation of the SCS-CN method applicability to a partial area experimental watershed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soulis, K. X.; Valiantzas, J. D.; Dercas, N.; Londra, P. A.

2009-01-01

The Soil Conservation Service Curve Number (SCS-CN) method is widely used for predicting direct runoff volume for a given rainfall event. The applicability of the SCS-CN method and the runoff generation mechanism were thoroughly analysed in a Mediterranean experimental watershed in Greece. The region is characterized by a Mediterranean semi-arid climate. A detailed land cover and soil survey using remote sensing and GIS techniques, showed that the watershed is dominated by coarse soils with high hydraulic conductivities, whereas a smaller part is covered with medium textured soils and impervious surfaces. The analysis indicated that the SCS-CN method fails to predict runoff for the storm events studied, and that there is a strong correlation between the CN values obtained from measured runoff and the rainfall depth. The hypothesis that this correlation could be attributed to the existence of an impermeable part in a very permeable watershed was examined in depth, by developing a numerical simulation water flow model for predicting surface runoff generated from each of the three soil types of the watershed. Numerical runs were performed using the HYDRUS-1D code. The results support the validity of this hypothesis for most of the events examined where the linear runoff formula provides better results than the SCS-CN method. The runoff coefficient of this formula can be taken equal to the percentage of the impervious area. However, the linear formula should be applied with caution in case of extreme events with very high rainfall intensities. In this case, the medium textured soils may significantly contribute to the total runoff and the linear formula may significantly underestimate the runoff produced.

Investigation of the direct runoff generation mechanism for the analysis of the SCS-CN method applicability to a partial area experimental watershed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soulis, K. X.; Valiantzas, J. D.; Dercas, N.; Londra, P. A.

2009-05-01

The Soil Conservation Service Curve Number (SCS-CN) method is widely used for predicting direct runoff volume for a given rainfall event. The applicability of the SCS-CN method and the direct runoff generation mechanism were thoroughly analysed in a Mediterranean experimental watershed in Greece. The region is characterized by a Mediterranean semi-arid climate. A detailed land cover and soil survey using remote sensing and GIS techniques, showed that the watershed is dominated by coarse soils with high hydraulic conductivities, whereas a smaller part is covered with medium textured soils and impervious surfaces. The analysis indicated that the SCS-CN method fails to predict runoff for the storm events studied, and that there is a strong correlation between the CN values obtained from measured runoff and the rainfall depth. The hypothesis that this correlation could be attributed to the existence of an impermeable part in a very permeable watershed was examined in depth, by developing a numerical simulation water flow model for predicting surface runoff generated from each of the three soil types of the watershed. Numerical runs were performed using the HYDRUS-1D code. The results support the validity of this hypothesis for most of the events examined where the linear runoff formula provides better results than the SCS-CN method. The runoff coefficient of this formula can be taken equal to the percentage of the impervious area. However, the linear formula should be applied with caution in case of extreme events with very high rainfall intensities. In this case, the medium textured soils may significantly contribute to the total runoff and the linear formula may significantly underestimate the runoff produced.

[Distribution characteristics of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in runoff from the middle line source area of south-to-north water diversion project].

PubMed

Tai, Chao; Zhang, Kun-Feng; Zhou, Tian-Jian; Zhao, Tong-Qian; Wang, Qing-Qing; He, Xiao-Qi

2011-07-01

The distribution characteristics of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in runoff from the middle line source area of south-to-north water diversion project were studied. Five groups of artificial runoff fields were established to collect runoff based on the different types of land-use, the contents of 16 USEPA priority PAHs in the runoff were determined using GC/MS method. The results showed that the average concentrations of PAHs of the aqueous phase in the collected runoff samples of different land-use types decreased in the order:cultivated land (26.53 ng x L(-1)) > oak forest (20.91 ng x L(-1)) > orchard (17.59 ng x L(-1)), and the average concentrations of PAHs of the particle phase were cultivated land (1 073.72 ng x g(-1)) > orchard (652.29 ng x g(-1)) > oak forest (385.46 ng x g(-1)). The high carcinogenic components Bap were detected in both run off of cultivated land and orchard with a detected rate of 30%. According to National Recommended Water Quality Standards of priority toxic pollutants (2006 USEPA), it was found that Chr exceed standard 40%, with a detected rate of 100%. It was also found that the runoff volume and the total PAHs content in runoff increase with the slope, and PAHs loss and slope were closely related in same land-use types. Based on the Molecular Markers Indicative Law, it can be concluded that the dominant source of PAHs in runoff of study area was combustion of coal, and a small amount came from vehicle exhaust emissions. There is a certain degree of ecological risk about runoff PAHs pollution in the study area, which is worth further attention.

An index-flood model for deficit volumes assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strnad, Filip; Moravec, Vojtěch; Hanel, Martin

2017-04-01

The estimation of return periods of hydrological extreme events and the evaluation of risks related to such events are objectives of many water resources studies. The aim of this study is to develop statistical model for drought indices using extreme value theory and index-flood method and to use this model for estimation of return levels of maximum deficit volumes of total runoff and baseflow. Deficit volumes for hundred and thirty-three catchments in the Czech Republic for the period 1901-2015 simulated by a hydrological model Bilan are considered. The characteristics of simulated deficit periods (severity, intensity and length) correspond well to those based on observed data. It is assumed that annual maximum deficit volumes in each catchment follow the generalized extreme value (GEV) distribution. The catchments are divided into three homogeneous regions considering long term mean runoff, potential evapotranspiration and base flow. In line with the index-flood method it is further assumed that the deficit volumes within each homogeneous region are identically distributed after scaling with a site-specific factor. The goodness-of-fit of the statistical model is assessed by Anderson-Darling statistics. For the estimation of critical values of the test several resampling strategies allowing for appropriate handling of years without drought are presented. Finally the significance of the trends in the deficit volumes is assessed by a likelihood ratio test.

Computer simulation of storm runoff for three watersheds in Albuquerque, New Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Knutilla, R.L.; Veenhuis, J.E.

1994-01-01

Rainfall-runoff data from three watersheds were selected for calibration and verification of the U.S. Geological Survey's Distributed Routing Rainfall-Runoff Model. The watersheds chosen are residentially developed. The conceptually based model uses an optimization process that adjusts selected parameters to achieve the best fit between measured and simulated runoff volumes and peak discharges. Three of these optimization parameters represent soil-moisture conditions, three represent infiltration, and one accounts for effective impervious area. Each watershed modeled was divided into overland-flow segments and channel segments. The overland-flow segments were further subdivided to reflect pervious and impervious areas. Each overland-flow and channel segment was assigned representative values of area, slope, percentage of imperviousness, and roughness coefficients. Rainfall-runoff data for each watershed were separated into two sets for use in calibration and verification. For model calibration, seven input parameters were optimized to attain a best fit of the data. For model verification, parameter values were set using values from model calibration. The standard error of estimate for calibration of runoff volumes ranged from 19 to 34 percent, and for peak discharge calibration ranged from 27 to 44 percent. The standard error of estimate for verification of runoff volumes ranged from 26 to 31 percent, and for peak discharge verification ranged from 31 to 43 percent.

Nonpoint Source Road Salt Pollution from Urban Stormwater

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DeGaetano, S.; Walter, M. T.

2014-12-01

In colder climates, such as the Northeast, road salts are commonly applied to deice roads in order to increase pedestrian and driver safety. This study was conducted to establish the mass if NaCl entering the local aquatic systems from Cornell's campus. Using trail cameras, two typical storm water pipes (draining into Cascadilla Creek) were monitored to determine the volume of runoff on an hourly bases. Grab samples were taken three times a week obtain storm water chloride concentration. In general, the average measured salt concentration was found to be 3.61 g/L, while high precipitation events Cl- concentration spiked to levels exceeding 12 g/L (≈ 20 g/L of salt). Combining runoff volumes and salt concentration values, a mass per drainage area was calculated for each monitored pipe. Outfall #1, located just upstream from the Wilson Synchrotron Module, expelled 262,300 kg of salt over a 42-day period of data collection while Outfall#2 discharged 4160 kg during the same period. These results were averaged and then applied to the total impervious area on Cornell's campus to approximate the total mass of sodium chloride leaving campus during the period of data collection.

Development of an indicator for characterizing particle size distribution and quality of stormwater runoff.

PubMed

Wang, Qian; Zhang, Qionghua; Dzakpasu, Mawuli; Lian, Bin; Wu, Yaketon; Wang, Xiaochang C

2018-03-01

Stormwater particles washed from road-deposited sediments (RDS) are traditionally characterized as either turbidity or total suspended solids (TSS). Although these parameters are influenced by particle sizes, neither of them characterizes the particle size distribution (PSD), which is of great importance in pollutant entrainment and treatment performance. Therefore, the ratio of turbidity to TSS (Tur/TSS) is proposed and validated as a potential surrogate for the bulk PSD and quality of stormwater runoff. The results show an increasing trend of Tur/TSS with finer sizes of both RDS and stormwater runoff. Taking heavy metals (HMs, including Cu, Pb, Zn, Cr, and Ni) as typical pollutants in stormwater runoff, the concentrations (mg/kg) were found to vary significantly during rainfall events and tended to increase significantly with Tur/TSS. Therefore, Tur/TSS is a valid parameter to characterize the PSD and quality of stormwater. The high negative correlations between Tur/TSS and rainfall intensity demonstrate that stormwater with higher Tur/TSS generates under low intensity and, thus, characterizes small volume, finer sizes, weak settleability, greater mobility, and bioavailability. Conversely, stormwater with lower Tur/TSS generates under high intensity and, thus, characterizes large volume, coarser sizes, good settleability, low mobility, and bioavailability. These results highlight the need to control stormwater with high Tur/TSS. Moreover, Tur/TSS can aid the selection of stormwater control measures with appropriate detention storage, pollution loading, and removal effectiveness of particles.

Surface runoff and subsurface tile drain losses of neonicotinoids and companion herbicides at edge-of-field.

PubMed

Chrétien, François; Giroux, Isabelle; Thériault, Georges; Gagnon, Patrick; Corriveau, Julie

2017-05-01

With their application as seed coatings, the use of neonicotinoid insecticides increased dramatically during the last decade. They are now frequently detected in aquatic ecosystems at concentrations susceptible to harm aquatic invertebrates at individual and population levels. This study intent was to document surface runoff and subsurface tile drain losses of two common neonicotinoids (thiamethoxam and clothianidin) compared to those of companion herbicides (atrazine, glyphosate, S-metolachlor and mesotrione) at the edge of a 22.5-ha field under a corn-soybean rotation. A total of 14 surface runoff and tile drain discharge events were sampled over two years. Events and annual unit mass losses were computed using flow-weighted concentrations and total surface runoff and tile drain flow volumes. Detection frequencies close to 100% in edge-of-field surface runoff and tile drain water samples were observed for thiamethoxam and clothianidin even though only thiamethoxam had been applied in the first year. In 2014, thiamethoxam median concentrations in surface runoff and tile drain samples were respectively 0.46 and 0.16 μg/L, while respective maximum concentrations of 2.20 and 0.44 μg/L were measured in surface runoff and tile drain samples during the first post-seeding storm event. For clothianidin, median concentrations in surface runoff and tile drain samples were 0.02 and 0.01, μg/L, and respective maximum concentrations were 0.07 μg/L and 0.05 μg/L. Surface runoff and tile drain discharge were key transport mechanisms with similar contributions of 53 and 47% of measured mass losses, respectively. Even if thiamethoxam was applied at a relatively low rate and had a low mass exportation value (0.3%), the relative toxicity was one to two orders of magnitude higher than those of the other chemicals applied in 2014 and 2015. Companion herbicides, except glyphosate in tile drains, exceeded their water quality guideline during one sampling campaign after application but rapidly resumed below these limits. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Influence of aeration implements, phosphorus fertilizers, and soil taxa on phosphorus losses from grasslands.

PubMed

Franklin, D H; Butler, D M; Cabrera, M L; Calvert, V H; West, L T; Rema, J A

2011-01-01

Attenuation of rainfall within the solum may help to move contaminants and nutrients into the soil to be better sequestered or utilized by crops. Surface application of phosphorus (P) amendments to grasslands may lead to elevated concentrations of P in surface runoff and eutrophication of surface waters. Aeration of grasslands has been proposed as a treatment to reduce losses of applied P. Here, results from two small-plot aeration studies and two field-scale, paired-watershed studies are supplemented with previously unpublished soil P data and synthesized. The overall objective of these studies was to determine the impact of aeration on soil P, runoff volume, and runoff P losses from mixed tall fescue [Lolium arundinaceum (Schreb.) Darbysh.]-bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon L.) grasslands fertilized with P. Small-scale rainfall simulations were conducted on two soil taxa using three types of aeration implements: spikes, disks, and cores. The-field scale study was conducted on four soil taxa with slit and knife aeration. Small-plot studies showed that core aeration reduced loads of total P and dissolved reactive P (DRP) in runoff from plots fertilized with broiler litter and that aeration was effective in reducing P export when it increased soil P in the upper 5 cm. In the field-scale study, slit aeration reduced DRP losses by 35% in fields with well-drained soils but not in poorly drained soils. Flow-weighted concentrations of DRP in aerated fields were related to water-soluble P applied in amendments and soil test P in the upper 5 cm. These studies show that the overall effectiveness of mechanical soil aeration on runoff volume and P losses is controlled by the interaction of soil characteristics such as internal drainage and compaction, soil P, type of surface-applied manure, and type of aeration implement.

Evaluation of Turf-Grass and Prairie-Vegetated Rain Gardens in a Clay and Sand Soil, Madison, Wisconsin, Water Years 2004-08

USGS Publications Warehouse

Selbig, William R.; Balster, Nicholas

2010-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with a consortium of 19 cities, towns, and villages in Dane County, Wis., undertook a study to compare the capability of rain gardens with different vegetative species and soil types to infiltrate stormwater runoff from the roof of an adjacent structure. Two rain gardens, one planted with turf grass and the other with native prairie species, were constructed side-by-side in 2003 at two locations with different dominant soil types, either sand or clay. Each rain garden was sized to a ratio of approximately 5:1 contributing area to receiving area and to a depth of 0.5 foot. Each rain garden, regardless of vegetation or soil type, was capable of storing and infiltrating most of the runoff over the 5-year study period. Both rain gardens in sand, as well as the prairie rain garden in clay, retained and infiltrated 100 percent of all precipitation and snowmelt events during water years 2004-07. The turf rain garden in clay occasionally had runoff exceed its confining boundaries, but was still able to retain 96 percent of all precipitation and snowmelt events during the same time period. Precipitation intensity and number of antecedent dry days were important variables that influenced when the storage capacity of underlying soils would become saturated, which resulted in pooled water in the rain gardens. Because the rooftop area that drained runoff to each rain garden was approximately five times larger than the area of the rain garden itself, evapotranspiration was a small percentage of the annual water budget. For example, during water year 2005, the maximum evapotranspiration of total influent volume ranged from 21 percent for the turf rain garden in clay to 25 percent for the turf rain garden in sand, and the minimum ranged from 12 percent for the prairie rain garden in clay to 19 percent for the prairie rain garden in sand. Little to no runoff left each rain garden as effluent and a small percentage of runoff returned to the atmosphere through evapotranspiration; therefore, the remainder was considered recharge. During water year 2005, recharge was 81 to 75 percent of total influent volume for the prairie- and turf-rain gardens in sand and 87 to 78 percent for the prairie- and turf-rain gardens in clay, respectively. Maximum recharge volumes ranged from 90 to 94 percent of the total influent volume in the turf and prairie rain gardens in sand and occurred during water year 2004. Maximum recharge in the turf and prairie rain gardens in clay ranged from 89 percent during water year 2007 to 98 percent during water year 2004. Median infiltration rates were an order of magnitude greater for rain gardens planted in sand than for those in clay, regardless of vegetation type. Under similar soil conditions, rain gardens planted with turf grass had lower median infiltration rates than those planted with prairie species. Median infiltration rates were 0.28 and 0.88 inches per hour in the turf and prairie rain gardens in clay, respectively, and 2.5 and 4.2 inches per hour in the turf and prairie rain gardens in sand, respectively. In general, infiltration rates were greater during spring (April and May) and summer (June through August) months. Of the six observed exceedences of the storage capacity of the turf rain garden in clay between April-November during 2004-07, five were predicted by use of a combination of the normalized surface storage volume, the median infiltration rate, and an estimate of specific yield for soils under the rain garden to a depth equal to the uppermost limiting layer. By use of the same criteria, in water year 2008, when the contributing drainage area to the prairie rain garden in clay was doubled, all four observed exceedences of the total storage capacity were predicted. The accuracy of the predictions of when the total storage capacity of the rain gardens would be exceeded indicates that by applying measurements of the appropriate soil properties to rain g

78 FR 43898 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-07-22

... volume control credits were added to Stormwater Management. Incorporating low impact development practices will result in cleaner rainwater runoff. It will also delay urban runoff into floodplains, resulting in reduced stormwater volume that can otherwise have a detrimental scouring impact on a stream's...

Evaluation of the APEX Model to Simulate Runoff Quality from Agricultural Fields in the Southern Region of the United States.

PubMed

Ramirez-Avila, John J; Radcliffe, David E; Osmond, Deanna; Bolster, Carl; Sharpley, Andrew; Ortega-Achury, Sandra L; Forsberg, Adam; Oldham, J Larry

2017-11-01

The Agricultural Policy Environmental eXtender (APEX) model has been widely applied to assess phosphorus (P) loss in runoff water and has been proposed as a model to support practical decisions regarding agricultural P management, as well as a model to evaluate tools such as the P Index. The aim of this study is to evaluate the performance of APEX to simulate P losses from agricultural systems to determine its potential use for refinement or replacement of the P Index in the southern region of the United States. Uncalibrated and calibrated APEX model predictions were compared against measured water quality data from row crop fields in North Carolina and Mississippi and pasture fields in Arkansas and Georgia. Calibrated models satisfactorily predicted event-based surface runoff volumes at all sites (Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency [NSE] > 0.47, |percent bias [PBIAS]| < 34) except Arkansas (NSE < 0.11, |PBIAS| < 50) but did not satisfactory simulate sediment, dissolved P, or total P losses in runoff water. The APEX model tended to underestimate dissolved and total P losses from fields where manure was surface applied. The model also overestimated sediments and total P loads during irrigation events. We conclude that the capability of APEX to predict sediment and P losses is limited, and consequently so is the potential for using APEX to make P management recommendations to improve P Indices in the southern United States. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

Effectiveness of Perennial Vegetation Strips in Reducing Runoff in Annual Crop Production Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hernandez-Santana, V.; Zhou, X.; Helmers, M.; Asbjornsen, H.; Kolka, R. K.

2010-12-01

In many parts of the world, unprecedented high crop yields have been attained by conversion of native perennial grasslands to intensively managed annual cropping systems. However, these achievements have often been accompanied by significant environmental impacts with far-reaching social and economic costs. Perhaps nowhere is this situation revealed more acutely than in the Midwestern US, where landscape-scale transformation of native tallgrass prairie to rowcrop corn and soybeans has dramatically altered the hydrologic cycle, increased nutrient and sediment loss, and diminished ecosystem services. The objective of this study was to assess the potential for reducing negative impacts of rowcrop agriculture on water quality and flow by incorporating native prairie vegetation in strategic locations within conventional rowcrop agriculture. Specifically, we tested the hypothesis that small amounts of prairie vegetation strategically located in agricultural landscapes would lead to disproportionate benefits by reducing runoff and nutrient and sediment loss. The study was conducted at the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge (Iowa), and consisted of a fully balanced, replicated, incomplete block design whereby twelve small experimental catchments (0.43 - 3.19 ha) received four treatments consisting of varying proportions (0%, 10%, and 20%) of prairie vegetation located in different watershed positions (downslope “toe” vs. contour strips). Pre- treatment data were collected in 2005, treatments installed in 2006, and post-treatment responses monitored annually (April-October) thereafter. Volume and rate of surface runoff were measured with an H-Flume installed in each catchment, and automated ISCO samplers used to collect event-based runoff samples that were analyzed for sediment, nitrate (N), and phosphorus (P) concentration. A total of 102 rainfall events were registered during the study period (April-October, 2008 and 2009), accounting for a total rainfall amount of 792 mm and 684 mm, in 2008 and 2009, respectively. Eighty-eight of the rainfall events were runoff-producing in at least one of the watersheds. A highly significant linear relationship between rainfall and runoff was found and the slopes of equations were always higher for 100% crops and lower for watersheds with prairie vegetation. Peak flows occurred earlier and higher peaks were observed in the watersheds with 100% crops than in the mixed crop-prairie watersheds. There was a trend of greatest runoff reduction occurring in watersheds with 10% of prairie in toeslope and 20% of prairie in contour strips, compared to the other treatments. Sediment, N, and P loss was approximately 25, 5.5, and 9 times greater, respectively, from the 100% rowcrop watersheds compared to the mixed crop-prairie watersheds. In conclusion, the results suggest that the incorporation of strategically placed small amounts of diverse perennial vegetation (10% at toeslope and 20% strips) can significantly reduce runoff volume and loss of sediment and nutrients from rowcrop agriculture.

Off-site transport of nitrogen fertilizer with runoff from golf course fairway turf: A comparison of creeping bentgrass with a fine fescue mixture.

PubMed

Rice, Pamela J; Horgan, Brian P

2017-02-15

Maintaining quality golf course turf often requires irrigation and application of fertilizer. The transport of excess nutrients with runoff water from highly managed and fertilized biological systems to surrounding surface waters has been shown to result in enhanced algal blooms and promotion of eutrophication. Environmental stewardship includes looking for new approaches to reduce adverse environmental impacts of current practices. One strategy is to replace traditional turfgrass with low-maintenance turfgrass species. Fescue grasses have been shown to provide characteristics desirable for golf course fairways. Thus side-by-side studies comparing runoff from plots planted in creeping bentgrass (CGB) or fine fescue mixture (FFM), similarly managed as a golf course fairway, were conducted to measure runoff volumes and the amount of ammonium nitrogen (NH 4 -N) and nitrate nitrogen (NO 3 -N) transported off-site with runoff. Greater runoff volumes and mass of applied nutrients were measured in the runoff from the FFM, representing a 38% and 56% median increase in the off-site mass transport of NH 4 -N and NO 3 -N with surface flow. Shoot density, thatch depth and soil moisture were the most important factors related to runoff volume. Results of this research will be useful to grounds superintendents and researchers for selecting and developing management strategies to improve environmental stewardship of managed turf while providing desired turf quality. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Forms of phosphorus transfer in runoff under no-tillage in a soil treated with successive swine effluents applications.

PubMed

Lourenzi, Cledimar Rogério; Ceretta, Carlos Alberto; Tiecher, Tadeu Luis; Lorensini, Felipe; Cancian, Adriana; Stefanello, Lincon; Girotto, Eduardo; Vieira, Renan Costa Beber; Ferreira, Paulo Ademar Avelar; Brunetto, Gustavo

2015-04-01

Successive swine effluent applications can substantially increase the transfer of phosphorus (P) forms in runoff. The aim of this study was to evaluate P accumulation in the soil and transfer of P forms in surface runoff from a Hapludalf soil under no-tillage subjected to successive swine effluent applications. This research was carried out in the Agricultural Engineering Department of the Federal University of Santa Maria, Brazil, from 2004 to 2007, on a Typic Hapludalf soil. Swine effluent rates of 0, 20, 40, and 80 m3 ha(-1) were broadcast over the soil surface prior to sowing of different species in a crop rotation. Soil samples were collected in stratified layers, and the levels of available P were determined. Samples of water runoff from the soil surface were collected throughout the period, and the available, soluble, particulate, and total P were measured. Successive swine effluent applications led to increases in P availability, especially in the soil surface, and P migration through the soil profile. Transfer of P forms was closely associated with runoff, which is directly related to rainfall volume. Swine effluent applications also reduced surface runoff. These results show that in areas with successive swine effluent applications, practices that promote higher water infiltration into the soil are required, e.g., crop rotation and no-tillage system.

Evaluating the Capability of Grass Swale for the Rainfall Runoff Reduction from an Urban Parking Lot, Seoul, Korea

PubMed Central

Shafique, Muhammad; Kim, Reeho; Kyung-Ho, Kwon

2018-01-01

This field study elaborates the role of grass swale in the management of stormwater in an urban parking lot. Grass swale was constructed by using different vegetations and local soil media in the parking lot of Mapu-gu Seoul, Korea. In this study, rainfall runoff was first retained in soil and the vegetation layers of the grass swale, and then infiltrated rainwater was collected with the help of underground perforated pipe, and passed to an underground storage trench. In this way, grass swale detained a large amount of rainwater for a longer period of time and delayed peak discharge. In this field study, various real storm events were monitored and the research results were analyzed to evaluate the performance of grass swale for managing rainfall runoff in an urban area. From the analysis of field experiments, grass swale showed the significant rainfall runoff retention in different rain events. Grass swale markedly reduced total rainfall runoff volume and peak flow during the small storm events of intensity about 30 mm/h. From the analysis, on average rainfall runoff retention from the grass swale was found around 40 to 75% during the various small rain events. From the results, we can say that grass swale is a stormwater mitigation practice which can help avoid flash flooding problems in urban areas. PMID:29547567

Evaluating the Capability of Grass Swale for the Rainfall Runoff Reduction from an Urban Parking Lot, Seoul, Korea.

PubMed

Shafique, Muhammad; Kim, Reeho; Kyung-Ho, Kwon

2018-03-16

This field study elaborates the role of grass swale in the management of stormwater in an urban parking lot. Grass swale was constructed by using different vegetations and local soil media in the parking lot of Mapu-gu Seoul, Korea. In this study, rainfall runoff was first retained in soil and the vegetation layers of the grass swale, and then infiltrated rainwater was collected with the help of underground perforated pipe, and passed to an underground storage trench. In this way, grass swale detained a large amount of rainwater for a longer period of time and delayed peak discharge. In this field study, various real storm events were monitored and the research results were analyzed to evaluate the performance of grass swale for managing rainfall runoff in an urban area. From the analysis of field experiments, grass swale showed the significant rainfall runoff retention in different rain events. Grass swale markedly reduced total rainfall runoff volume and peak flow during the small storm events of intensity about 30 mm/h. From the analysis, on average rainfall runoff retention from the grass swale was found around 40 to 75% during the various small rain events. From the results, we can say that grass swale is a stormwater mitigation practice which can help avoid flash flooding problems in urban areas.

The use and re-use of unsustainable groundwater for irrigation: A global budget

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Grogan, Danielle S.; Wisser, Dominik; Prusevich, Alex

Depletion of groundwater aquifers across the globe has become a significant concern, as groundwater is an important and often unsustainable source of irrigation water. Simultaneously, the field of water resource management has seen a lively debate over the concepts and metrics used to assess the downstream re-use of agricultural runoff, with most studies focusing on surface water balances. Here, we bring these two lines of research together, recognizing that depletion of aquifers leads to large amounts of groundwater entering surface water storages and flows by way of agricultural runoff. While it is clear that groundwater users will be impacted bymore » reductions in groundwater availability, there is a major gap in our understanding of potential impacts downstream of groundwater pumping locations. We find that the volume of unsustainable groundwater that is re-used for irrigation following runoff from agricultural systems is nearly as large as the volume initially extracted from reservoirs for irrigation. Basins in which the volume of irrigation water re-used is equal to or greater than the volume of water initially used (which is possible due to multiple re-use of the same water) contain 33 million hectares of irrigated land and are home to 1.3 billion people. Some studies have called for increasing irrigation efficiency as a solution to water shortages. We find that with 100% irrigation efficiency, global demand for unsustainable groundwater is reduced by 52%, but not eliminated. In many basins, increased irrigation efficiency leads to significantly decreased river low flows; increasing irrigation efficiency to 70% globally decreases total surface water supplies by ~600 km 3 yr –1. Lastly, these findings illustrate that estimates of aquifer depletion alone underestimate the importance of unsustainable groundwater to sustaining surface water systems and irrigated agriculture.« less

The use and re-use of unsustainable groundwater for irrigation: A global budget

DOE PAGES

Grogan, Danielle S.; Wisser, Dominik; Prusevich, Alex; ...

2017-03-08

Depletion of groundwater aquifers across the globe has become a significant concern, as groundwater is an important and often unsustainable source of irrigation water. Simultaneously, the field of water resource management has seen a lively debate over the concepts and metrics used to assess the downstream re-use of agricultural runoff, with most studies focusing on surface water balances. Here, we bring these two lines of research together, recognizing that depletion of aquifers leads to large amounts of groundwater entering surface water storages and flows by way of agricultural runoff. While it is clear that groundwater users will be impacted bymore » reductions in groundwater availability, there is a major gap in our understanding of potential impacts downstream of groundwater pumping locations. We find that the volume of unsustainable groundwater that is re-used for irrigation following runoff from agricultural systems is nearly as large as the volume initially extracted from reservoirs for irrigation. Basins in which the volume of irrigation water re-used is equal to or greater than the volume of water initially used (which is possible due to multiple re-use of the same water) contain 33 million hectares of irrigated land and are home to 1.3 billion people. Some studies have called for increasing irrigation efficiency as a solution to water shortages. We find that with 100% irrigation efficiency, global demand for unsustainable groundwater is reduced by 52%, but not eliminated. In many basins, increased irrigation efficiency leads to significantly decreased river low flows; increasing irrigation efficiency to 70% globally decreases total surface water supplies by ~600 km 3 yr –1. Lastly, these findings illustrate that estimates of aquifer depletion alone underestimate the importance of unsustainable groundwater to sustaining surface water systems and irrigated agriculture.« less

The use and re-use of unsustainable groundwater for irrigation: a global budget

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grogan, Danielle S.; Wisser, Dominik; Prusevich, Alex; Lammers, Richard B.; Frolking, Steve

2017-03-01

Depletion of groundwater aquifers across the globe has become a significant concern, as groundwater is an important and often unsustainable source of irrigation water. Simultaneously, the field of water resource management has seen a lively debate over the concepts and metrics used to assess the downstream re-use of agricultural runoff, with most studies focusing on surface water balances. Here, we bring these two lines of research together, recognizing that depletion of aquifers leads to large amounts of groundwater entering surface water storages and flows by way of agricultural runoff. While it is clear that groundwater users will be impacted by reductions in groundwater availability, there is a major gap in our understanding of potential impacts downstream of groundwater pumping locations. We find that the volume of unsustainable groundwater that is re-used for irrigation following runoff from agricultural systems is nearly as large as the volume initially extracted from reservoirs for irrigation. Basins in which the volume of irrigation water re-used is equal to or greater than the volume of water initially used (which is possible due to multiple re-use of the same water) contain 33 million hectares of irrigated land and are home to 1.3 billion people. Some studies have called for increasing irrigation efficiency as a solution to water shortages. We find that with 100% irrigation efficiency, global demand for unsustainable groundwater is reduced by 52%, but not eliminated. In many basins, increased irrigation efficiency leads to significantly decreased river low flows; increasing irrigation efficiency to 70% globally decreases total surface water supplies by ∽600 km3 yr-1. These findings illustrate that estimates of aquifer depletion alone underestimate the importance of unsustainable groundwater to sustaining surface water systems and irrigated agriculture.

The relative importance of oceanic nutrient inputs for Bass Harbor Marsh Estuary at Acadia National Park, Maine

USGS Publications Warehouse

Huntington, Thomas G.; Culbertson, Charles W.; Fuller, Christopher; Glibert, Patricia; Sturtevant, Luke

2014-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey and Acadia National Park (ANP) collaborated on a study of nutrient inputs into Bass Harbor Marsh Estuary on Mount Desert Island, Maine, to better understand ongoing eutrophication, oceanic nutrient inputs, and potential management solutions. This report includes the estimation of loads of nitrate, ammonia, total dissolved nitrogen, and total dissolved phosphorus to the estuary derived from runoff within the watershed and oceanic inputs during summers 2011 and 2012. Nutrient outputs from the estuary were also monitored, and nutrient inputs in direct precipitation to the estuary were calculated. Specific conductance, water temperature, and turbidity were monitored at the estuary outlet. This report presents a first-order analysis of the potential effects of projected sea-level rise on the inundated area and estuary volume. Historical aerial photographs were used to investigate the possibility of widening of the estuary channel over time. The scope of this report also includes analysis of sediment cores collected from the estuary and fringing marsh surfaces to assess the sediment mass accumulation rate. Median concentrations of nitrate, ammonium, and total dissolved phosphorus on the flood tide were approximately 25 percent higher than on the ebb tide during the 2011 and 2012 summer seasons. Higher concentrations on the flood tide suggest net assimilation of these nutrients in biota within the estuary. The dissolved organic nitrogen fraction dominated the dissolved nitrogen fraction in all tributaries. The median concentration of dissolved organic nitrogen was about twice as high on the on the ebb tide than the flood tide, indicating net export of dissolved organic nitrogen from the estuary. The weekly total oceanic inputs of nitrate, ammonium, and total dissolved phosphorus to the estuary were usually much larger than inputs from runoff or direct precipitation. The estuary was a net sink for nitrate and ammonium in most weeks during both years. Oceanic inputs of nitrate and ammonium were an important source of inorganic nitrogen to the estuary in both years. In both years, the total seasonal inputs of ammonium to the estuary in flood tides were much larger than the inputs from watershed runoff or direct precipitation. In 2011, the total seasonal input of nitrate from flood tides to the estuary was more than twice as large the inputs from watershed runoff and precipitation, but in 2012, the inputs from flood tides were only marginally larger than the inputs from watershed runoff and precipitation. Turbidity was measured intermittently in 2012, and the pattern that emerged from the measurements indicated that the estuary was a source of particulate matter to the ocean rather than the ocean being a source to the estuary. From the nutrient budgets determined for the estuary it is evident that oceanic sources of nitrate and ammonium are an important part of the supply of nutrients that are contributing to the growth of macroalgae in the estuary. The relative importance of these oceanic nutrients compared with sources within the watershed typically increases as the summer progresses and runoff decreases. It is likely that rising sea levels, estimated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to be 11 centimeters from 1950 through 2006 in nearby Bar Harbor, have resulted in an increase in oceanic inputs (tidal volume and nutrients derived from oceanic sources).

Improving the water use efficiency of olive trees growing in water harvesting systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berliner, Pedro; Leake, Salomon; Carmi, Gennady; Agam, Nurit

2017-04-01

Water is a primary limiting factor for agricultural development in many arid and semi-arid regions in which a runoff generation is a rather frequent event. If conveyed to dyke surrounded plots and ponded, runoff water can thereafter be used for tree production. One of the most promising runoff collection configurations is that of micro-catchments in which water is collected close to the area in which runoff was generated and stored in adjacent shallow pits. The objective of this work was to assess the effect of the geometry of runoff water collection area (shallow pit or trench) on direct evaporative water losses and on the water use efficiency of olive trees grown in them. The study was conducted during the summer of 2013 and 2014. In this study regular micro-catchments with basins of 9 m2 (3 x 3 m) by 0.1 m deep were compared with trenches of one meter deep and one meter wide. Each configuration was replicated three times. One tree was planted in each shallow basin and the distance between trees in the 12 m long trench was four meters. Access tubes for neutron probes were installed in the micro-catchments and trenches (four and seven, respectively) to depths of 2.5 m. Soil water content in the soil profile was monitored periodically throughout drying periods in between simulated runoff events. Transpiration of the trees was estimated from half-hourly sap flow measurements using a Granier system. Total transpiration fluxes were computed for time intervals corresponding to consecutive soil water measurements. During the first year, a large runoff event was simulated by applying once four cubic meters to each plot; and in the second year the same volume of water was split into four applications, simulating a series of small runoff events. In both geometries, trees received the same amount of water per tree. Evaporation from trenches and micro-catchments was estimated as the difference between evapotranspiration obtained computing the differences in total soil water content between two consecutive measurements and transpiration for this interval estimated from sap flow measurements. In both years the evaporation from micro-catchments was significantly larger than that of trenches. The fractional loss due to evaporation from the total applied water for the second year for example, was 53% and 22% for micro-catchments and trenches, respectively. This indicates that a trench geometry reduces the amount of water lost to direct evaporation from the soil, and is thus more efficient in utilizing harvested runoff water.

Redefining the stormwater first flush phenomenon.

PubMed

Bach, Peter M; McCarthy, David T; Deletic, Ana

2010-04-01

The first flush in urban runoff has been an important, yet disputed phenomenon amongst many researchers. The vast differences in the evidence could be solely due to limitations of the first flush current definition and the approach used for its assessment. There is a need for revisiting the first flush theory in the light of its practical applications to urban drainage management practices. We propose that a catchment's first flush behaviour is to be quantified by the runoff volume required to reduce a catchment's stormwater pollutant concentrations to background levels. The proposed method for assessment of this runoff volume starts by finding the average catchment pollutant concentrations for a given increment of discharged volume using a number of event pollutographs. Non-parametric statistics are then used to establish the characteristic pollutograph by pooling statistically indifferent runoff increments (known as slices) together. This allows the identification of the catchment's initial and background pollutant concentrations and for quantification of the first flush volume and its strength. The novel technique was used on seven catchments around Melbourne, Australia, with promising results. Sensitivity to the chosen increment of runoff (for which mean concentrations are calculated) indicated that when dealing with discrete flow-weighted water quality data, a suitable slice size should closely match the flow-weighting of samples. The overall sensitivity to runoff increment and level of significance was found to be negligible. Further research is needed to fully develop this method. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A real-time control strategy for separation of highly polluted storm water based on UV-Vis online measurements--from theory to operation.

PubMed

Hoppe, H; Messmann, S; Giga, A; Gruening, H

2011-01-01

'Classical' real-time control (RTC) strategies in sewer systems are based on water level and flow measurements with the goal of activation of retention volume. The control system rule of 'clean (storm water) runoff into the receiving water - polluted runoff into the treatment plant' has been thwarted by rough operating conditions and lack of measurements. Due to the specific boundary conditions in the city of Wuppertal's separate sewer system (clean stream water is mixed with polluted storm water runoff) a more sophisticated--pollution-based--approach was needed. In addition the requirements to be met by the treatment of storm water runoff have become more stringent in recent years. To separate the highly-polluted storm water runoff during rain events from the cleaner stream flow a pollution-based real-time control (P-RTC) system was developed and installed. This paper describes the measurement and P-RTC equipment, the definition of total suspended solids as the pollution-indicating parameter, the serviceability of the system, and also gives a cost assessment. A sensitivity analysis and pollution load calculations have been carried out in order to improve the P-RTC algorithm. An examination of actual measurements clearly shows the ecological and economic advantages of the P-RTC strategy.

Characterizing dry deposition of mercury in urban runoff

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fulkerson, M.; Nnadi, F.N.; Chasar, L.S.

2007-01-01

Stormwater runoff from urban surfaces often contains elevated levels of toxic metals. When discharged directly into water bodies, these pollutants degrade water quality and impact aquatic life and human health. In this study, the composition of impervious surface runoff and associated rainfall was investigated for several storm events at an urban site in Orlando, Florida. Total mercury in runoff consisted of 58% particulate and 42% filtered forms. Concentration comparisons at the start and end of runoff events indicate that about 85% of particulate total mercury and 93% of particulate methylmercury were removed from the surface before runoff ended. Filtered mercury concentrations showed less than 50% reduction of both total and methylmercury from first flush to final flush. Direct comparison between rainfall and runoff at this urban site indicates dry deposition accounted for 22% of total inorganic mercury in runoff. ?? 2007 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

EPA Science Matters Newsletter: Stormwater Calculator Helps Communities Take Action to Reduce Runoff (Published April 2014)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Learn about the Stormwater Calculator that provides estimates for stormwater runoff from a specific site. Users can input any location within the U.S. and select different scenarios to see how it affects runoff volumes.

A MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACH TO MANAGING STORMWATER RUNOFF IN AN URBAN WATERSHED

EPA Science Inventory

Increased impervious surface (e.g., roofs, pavement) due to urbanization can lead to excess runoff throughout a watershed, overwhelming the existing stormwater infrastructure. High volumes of runoff, delivered to receiving streams over short durations at high flow rates, negative...

[Runoff and sediment yielding processes on red soil engineering accumulation containing gravels by a simulated rainfall experiment].

PubMed

Shi, Qian-hua; Wang, Wen-long; Guo, Ming-ming; Bai, Yun; Deng, Li-qiang; Li, Jian-ming; Li, Yao-lin

2015-09-01

Engineering accumulation formed in production and construction projects is characterized by unique structure and complex material composition. Characteristics of soil erosion on the engineering accumulation significantly differ from those on farmland. An artificially simulated rainfall experiment was carried out to investigate the effects of rainfall intensity on the processes of runoff and sediment yielding on the engineering accumulation of different gravel contents (0%, 10%, 20% and 30%) in red soil regions. Results showed that the initial time of runoff generation decreased with increases in rainfall intensity and gravel content, the decreased amplitudes being about 48.5%-77.9% and 4.2%-34.2%, respectively. The initial time was found to be a power function of rainfall intensity. Both runoff velocity and runoff rate manifested a trend of first rising and then in a steady state with runoff duration. Rainfall intensity was found to be the main factor influencing runoff velocity and runoff rate, whereas the influence of gravel content was not significant. About 10% of gravel content was determined to be a critical value in the influence of gravel content on runoff volume. For the underlying surface of 10% gravel content, the runoff volume was least at rainfall intensity of 1.0 mm · min(-1) and maximum at rainfall intensity of greater than 1.0 mm · min(-1). The runoff volume in- creased 10%-60% with increase in rainfall intensity. Sediment concentration showed a sharp decline in first 6 min and then in a stable state in rest of time. Influence of rainfall intensity on sediment concentration decreased as gravel content increased. Gravels could reduce sediment yield significantly at rainfall intensity of greater than 1.0 mm · min(-1). Sediment yield was found to be a linear function of rainfall intensity and gravel content.

Probability mass first flush evaluation for combined sewer discharges.

PubMed

Park, Inhyeok; Kim, Hongmyeong; Chae, Soo-Kwon; Ha, Sungryong

2010-01-01

The Korea government has put in a lot of effort to construct sanitation facilities for controlling non-point source pollution. The first flush phenomenon is a prime example of such pollution. However, to date, several serious problems have arisen in the operation and treatment effectiveness of these facilities due to unsuitable design flow volumes and pollution loads. It is difficult to assess the optimal flow volume and pollution mass when considering both monetary and temporal limitations. The objective of this article was to characterize the discharge of storm runoff pollution from urban catchments in Korea and to estimate the probability of mass first flush (MFFn) using the storm water management model and probability density functions. As a result of the review of gauged storms for the representative using probability density function with rainfall volumes during the last two years, all the gauged storms were found to be valid representative precipitation. Both the observed MFFn and probability MFFn in BE-1 denoted similarly large magnitudes of first flush with roughly 40% of the total pollution mass contained in the first 20% of the runoff. In the case of BE-2, however, there were significant difference between the observed MFFn and probability MFFn.

Storm Water Management Model Reference Manual Volume I, Hydrology

EPA Science Inventory

SWMM is a dynamic rainfall-runoff simulation model used for single event or long-term (continuous) simulation of runoff quantity and quality from primarily urban areas. The runoff component of SWMM operates on a collection of subcatchment areas that receive precipitation and gene...

Storm Water Management Model Reference Manual Volume II – Hydraulics

EPA Science Inventory

SWMM is a dynamic rainfall-runoff simulation model used for single event or long-term (continuous) simulation of runoff quantity and quality from primarily urban areas. The runoff component of SWMM operates on a collection of subcatchment areas that receive precipitation and gene...

Study on glacier changes from multi-source remote sensing data in the mountainous areas of the upper reaches of Shule River Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, S.; Li, H.

2017-12-01

The changes of glacier area, ice surface elevation and ice storage in the upper reaches of the Shule River Basin were investigated by the Landsat TM series SRTM and stereo image pairs of Third Resources Satellite (ZY-3)from 2000 to 2015. There are 510 glaciers with areas large than 0.01 km2 in 2015, and the glacier area is 435 km2 in the upper reach of Shule River basin. 96 glaciers were disappeared from 2000 to 2015, and the total glacier area decreased by 57.6±2.68km2 (11.7 %). After correcting the elevation difference between ZY-3 DEM and SRTM and aspect, we found that the average ice surface elevation of glaciers reduced by 2.58±0.6m from 2000 to 2015 , with average reduction 0.172 ±0.04m a-1, and the ice storage reduced by 1.277±0.311km3. Elevation variation of ice surface in different sub-regions reflects the complexity of glacier change. The ice storage change calculated from the sum of single glacier area-volume relationship is glacier 1.46 times higher than that estimated from ice surface elevation change, indicating that the global ice storage change estimated from glacier area-volume change probably overestimated. The shrinkage of glacier increased glacier runoff, and led the significant increase of river runoff. The accuracy of projecting the potential glacier change, glacier runoff and river runoff is the key issues of delicacy water resource management in Shule River Basin.

Measured and simulated runoff to the lower Charles River, Massachusetts, October 1999-September 2000

USGS Publications Warehouse

Zarriello, Phillip J.; Barlow, Lora K.

2002-01-01

The lower Charles River, the water body between the Watertown Dam and the New Charles River Dam, is an important recreational resource for the Boston, Massachusetts, metropolitan area, but impaired water quality has affected its use. The goal of making this resource fishable and swimmable requires a better understanding of combined-sewer-overflow discharges, non-combined-sewer-overflow stormwater runoff, and constituent loads. This report documents the modeling effort used to calculate non-combined-sewer-overflow runoff to the lower Charles River. During the 2000 water year, October 1, 1999?September 30, 2000, the U.S. Geological Survey collected precipitation data at Watertown Dam and compiled data from five other precipitation gages in or near the watershed. In addition, surface-water discharge data were collected at eight sites?three relatively homogenous land-use sites, four major tributary sites, and the Charles River at Watertown Dam, which is the divide between the upper and lower watersheds. The precipitation and discharge data were used to run and calibrate Stormwater Management Models developed for the three land-use subbasins (single-family, multi-family, and commercial), and the two tributary subbasins (Laundry and Faneuil Brooks). These calibrated models were used to develop a sixth model to simulate 54 ungaged outfalls to the lower Charles River. Models developed by the U.S. Geological Survey at gaged sites were calibrated with up to 24 storms. Each model was evaluated by comparing simulated discharge against measured discharge for all storms with appreciable precipitation and reliable discharge data. The model-fit statistics indicated that the models generally were well calibrated to peak discharge and runoff volumes. The model fit of the commercial land-use subbasin was not as well calibrated compared to the other models because the measured flows appear to be affected by variable conditions not represented in the model. A separate Stormwater Management Model of the Stony Brook Subbasin previously developed by others was evaluated with the newly collected data from this study; this model had a model fit comparable to the models developed by the U.S. Geological Survey. The total annual runoff to the lower Charles River during the 2000 water year, not including contributions from combined-sewer-overflows except from the Stony Brook Subbasin, was 16,500 million cubic feet; 92 percent of the inflow was from the Charles River above Watertown Dam, 3 percent was from the Stony Brook Subbasin, 2 percent was from the Muddy River Subbasin, and less than 1 percent was from the combined inflows of Laundry and Faneuil Brooks. The remaining ungaged drainage area contributed about 2 percent of the total annual inflow to the lower Charles River. Excluding discharge from the Charles River above Watertown Dam, total annual runoff to the lower Charles River was 1,240 million cubic feet; 39 percent was from the Stony Brook Subbasin, 27 percent was from the Muddy River, which includes runoff that drains to the Muddy River conduit, 7 percent was from the Laundry Brook Subbasin, and 4 percent was from the Faneuil Brook Subbasin. Flow from the ungaged areas composed about 23 percent of the total annual inflow to the lower Charles River, excluding discharge from the Charles River above Watertown Dam. Runoff to the lower Charles River was calculated for two design storms representing a 3-month and a 1-year event, 1.84 and 2.79 inches of total rainfall, respectively. These simulated discharges were provided to the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority for use in a receiving-water model of the lower Charles River. Total storm runoff to the lower Charles River was 111 and 257 million cubic feet for the 3-month and 1-year storms, respectively. Excluding discharge from the Charles River above Watertown Dam, total runoff to the lower Charles River was 30 and 53 million cubic feet for the 3-month and 1-year storms, respectively. Runoff from

Storm Water Management Model Reference Manual Volume III – Water Quality

EPA Science Inventory

SWMM is a dynamic rainfall-runoff simulation model used for single event or long-term (continuous) simulation of runoff quantity and quality from primarily urban areas. The runoff component of SWMM operates on a collection of subcatchment areas that receive precipitation and gene...

A protocol for conducting rainfall simulation to study soil runoff.

PubMed

Kibet, Leonard C; Saporito, Louis S; Allen, Arthur L; May, Eric B; Kleinman, Peter J A; Hashem, Fawzy M; Bryant, Ray B

2014-04-03

Rainfall is a driving force for the transport of environmental contaminants from agricultural soils to surficial water bodies via surface runoff. The objective of this study was to characterize the effects of antecedent soil moisture content on the fate and transport of surface applied commercial urea, a common form of nitrogen (N) fertilizer, following a rainfall event that occurs within 24 hr after fertilizer application. Although urea is assumed to be readily hydrolyzed to ammonium and therefore not often available for transport, recent studies suggest that urea can be transported from agricultural soils to coastal waters where it is implicated in harmful algal blooms. A rainfall simulator was used to apply a consistent rate of uniform rainfall across packed soil boxes that had been prewetted to different soil moisture contents. By controlling rainfall and soil physical characteristics, the effects of antecedent soil moisture on urea loss were isolated. Wetter soils exhibited shorter time from rainfall initiation to runoff initiation, greater total volume of runoff, higher urea concentrations in runoff, and greater mass loadings of urea in runoff. These results also demonstrate the importance of controlling for antecedent soil moisture content in studies designed to isolate other variables, such as soil physical or chemical characteristics, slope, soil cover, management, or rainfall characteristics. Because rainfall simulators are designed to deliver raindrops of similar size and velocity as natural rainfall, studies conducted under a standardized protocol can yield valuable data that, in turn, can be used to develop models for predicting the fate and transport of pollutants in runoff.

A Protocol for Conducting Rainfall Simulation to Study Soil Runoff

PubMed Central

Kibet, Leonard C.; Saporito, Louis S.; Allen, Arthur L.; May, Eric B.; Kleinman, Peter J. A.; Hashem, Fawzy M.; Bryant, Ray B.

2014-01-01

Rainfall is a driving force for the transport of environmental contaminants from agricultural soils to surficial water bodies via surface runoff. The objective of this study was to characterize the effects of antecedent soil moisture content on the fate and transport of surface applied commercial urea, a common form of nitrogen (N) fertilizer, following a rainfall event that occurs within 24 hr after fertilizer application. Although urea is assumed to be readily hydrolyzed to ammonium and therefore not often available for transport, recent studies suggest that urea can be transported from agricultural soils to coastal waters where it is implicated in harmful algal blooms. A rainfall simulator was used to apply a consistent rate of uniform rainfall across packed soil boxes that had been prewetted to different soil moisture contents. By controlling rainfall and soil physical characteristics, the effects of antecedent soil moisture on urea loss were isolated. Wetter soils exhibited shorter time from rainfall initiation to runoff initiation, greater total volume of runoff, higher urea concentrations in runoff, and greater mass loadings of urea in runoff. These results also demonstrate the importance of controlling for antecedent soil moisture content in studies designed to isolate other variables, such as soil physical or chemical characteristics, slope, soil cover, management, or rainfall characteristics. Because rainfall simulators are designed to deliver raindrops of similar size and velocity as natural rainfall, studies conducted under a standardized protocol can yield valuable data that, in turn, can be used to develop models for predicting the fate and transport of pollutants in runoff. PMID:24748061

Final Environmental Assessment: Mental Health Clinic Hanscom Air Force Base Massachusetts

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-08-19

the environmental assessment. QAULITY ASSURANCE LEADER Cravedi, Gregory. 66 MSG/CE. B.S. in Management ; As an Environmental Protection...are insignificant and can be minimized further by using the best management practices described in this EA. iii There are positive impacts that...thus the total volume of storm water runoff from the site will be reduced. It is anticipated that the following best management practices would be

Effect of Check Dams on Erosion and Flow Dynamics on Small Semi-Arid Watersheds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Polyakov, V.; Nearing, M.; Nichols, M.; McClaran, M. P.

2012-12-01

Erosion dynamics in semi-arid environments is defined by high magnitude, low frequency rainfalls that produce runoff with high sediment concentration. Check dams were shown to be an effective sedimentation mitigation technique on small watersheds. Constructed of rocks, or other materials placed across the flow and anchored into the bottom and sides of the channel, these barriers produce upstream and downstream effects. By impounding runoff they reduce flow velocity, increase infiltration and allow sediment settling thus decreasing channel slope. Decreased sediment load downstream of the dam may result in accelerated channel scouring. While the effect of check dams on channel stability has been studied extensively their impact on overall watershed sediment balance is not well known. In 2008 a total of 37 loose rock semi permeable check dams were installed on two small (4.0 and 3.1 ha) watersheds located on the alluvial fan of the Santa Rita Mountains in southern Arizona, USA. Each watershed was equipped with high resolution weighing type rain gauge a supercritical flow flume and sediment sampler. Hyetographs, hydrographs, and sediment load data for the watersheds were collected since 1975. The erosion dynamics and flow characteristics following the check dam installation were compared with historical records. The volume of the sediment retained upstream of each dam was calculated through survey. After 4 years the check dams were filled to over 80% of their capacity and no significant increase in downstream scouring has been observed. Maximum 30-min intensity (I30) was overall best predictor variable for total runoff. After check dam installation the number ratio of runoff to rainfall events has been reduced by half. However, runoff peak rates were not significantly effected.

Chemical application strategies to protect water quality.

PubMed

Rice, Pamela J; Horgan, Brian P; Barber, Brian L; Koskinen, William C

2018-07-30

Management of turfgrass on golf courses and athletic fields often involves application of plant protection products to maintain or enhance turfgrass health and performance. However, the transport of fertilizer and pesticides with runoff to adjacent surface waters can enhance algal blooms, promote eutrophication and may have negative impacts on sensitive aquatic organisms and ecosystems. Thus, we evaluated the effectiveness of chemical application setbacks to reduce the off-site transport of chemicals with storm runoff. Experiments with water soluble tracer compounds confirmed an increase in application setback distance resulted in a significant increase in the volume of runoff measured before first off-site chemical detection, as well as a significant reduction in the total percentage of applied chemical transported with the storm runoff. For example, implementation of a 6.1 m application setback reduced the total percentage of an applied water soluble tracer by 43%, from 18.5% of applied to 10.5% of applied. Evaluation of chemographs revealed the efficacy of application setbacks could be observed with storms resulting in lesser (e.g. 100 L) and greater (e.g. > 300 L) quantities of runoff. Application setbacks offer turfgrass managers a mitigation approach that requires no additional resources or time inputs and may serve as an alternative practice when buffers are less appropriate for land management objectives or site conditions. Characterizing potential contamination of surface waters and developing strategies to safeguard water quality will help protect the environment and improve water resource security. This information is useful to grounds superintendents for designing chemical application strategies to maximize environmental stewardship. The data will also be useful to scientists and regulators working with chemical transport and risk models. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Phosphorus and nitrate nitrogen in runoff following fertilizer application to turfgrass.

PubMed

Shuman, L M

2002-01-01

Intensively managed golf courses are perceived by the public as possibly adding nutrients to surface waters via surface transport. An experiment was designed to determine the transport of nitrate N and phosphate P from simulated golf course fairways of 'Tifway' bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.]. Fertilizer treatments were 10-10-10 granular at three rates and rainfall events were simulated at four intervals after treatment (hours after treatment, HAT). Runoff volume was directly related to simulated rainfall amounts and soil moisture at the time of the event and varied from 24.3 to 43.5% of that added for the 50-mm events and 3.1 to 27.4% for the 25-mm events. The highest concentration and mass of phosphorus in runoff was during the first simulated rainfall event at 4 HAT with a dramatic decrease at 24 HAT and subsequent events. Nitrate N concentrations were low in the runoff water (approximately 0.5 mg L-1) for the first three runoff events and highest (approximately 1-1.5 mg L-1) at 168 HAT due to the time elapsed for conversion of ammonia to nitrate. Nitrate N mass was highest at the 4 and 24 HAT events and stepwise increases with rate were evident at 24 HAT. Total P transported for all events was 15.6 and 13.8% of that added for the two non-zero rates, respectively. Total nitrate N transported was 1.5 and 0.9% of that added for the two rates, respectively. Results indicate that turfgrass management should include applying minimum amounts of irrigation after fertilizer application and avoiding application before intense rain or when soil is very moist.

Environmental Assessment MSP-EA-03-06: Minneapolis-St. Paul Joint Air Reserve Station 2014 Development Plan

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-09-04

an increase in the volume of storm water runoff from the aircraft ramp area, but no changes to storm water quality . No groundwater impacts were...in the volume of stonn water runoff from the aircraft ramp area, but no changes to storm water quality . No groundwater impacts were identified. In

Hydrologic modeling of two glaciated watersheds in Northeast Pennsylvania

USGS Publications Warehouse

Srinivasan, M.S.; Hamlett, J.M.; Day, R.L.; Sams, J.I.; Petersen, G.W.

1998-01-01

A hydrologic modeling study, using the Hydrologic Simulation Program - FORTRAN (HSPF), was conducted in two glaciated watersheds, Purdy Creek and Ariel Creek in northeastern Pennsylvania. Both watersheds have wetlands and poorly drained soils due to low hydraulic conductivity and presence of fragipans. The HSPF model was calibrated in the Purdy Creek watershed and verified in the Ariel Creek watershed for June 1992 to December 1993 period. In Purdy Creek, the total volume of observed streamflow during the entire simulation period was 13.36 x 106 m3 and the simulated streamflow volume was 13.82 x 106 m3 (5 percent difference). For the verification simulation in Ariel Creek, the difference between the total observed and simulated flow volumes was 17 percent. Simulated peak flow discharges were within two hours of the observed for 30 of 46 peak flow events (discharge greater than 0.1 m3/sec) in Purdy Creek and 27 of 53 events in Ariel Creek. For 22 of the 46 events in Purdy Creek and 24 of 53 in Ariel Creek, the differences between the observed and simulated peak discharge rates were less than 30 percent. These 22 events accounted for 63 percent of total volume of streamflow observed during the selected 46 peak flow events in Purdy Creek. In Ariel Creek, these 24 peak flow events accounted for 62 percent of the total flow observed during all peak flow events. Differences in observed and simulated peak flow rates and volumes (on a percent basis) were greater during the snowmelt runoff events and summer periods than for other times.A hydrologic modeling study, using the Hydrologic Simulation Program - FORTRAN (HSPF), was conducted in two glaciated watersheds, Purdy Creek and Ariel Creek in northeastern Pennsylvania. Both watersheds have wetlands and poorly drained soils due to low hydraulic conductivity and presence of fragipans. The HSPF model was calibrated in the Purdy Creek watershed and verified in the Ariel Creek watershed for June 1992 to December 1993 period. In Purdy Creek, the total volume of observed streamflow during the entire simulation period was 13.36??106 m3 and the simulated streamflow volume was 13.82??106 m3 (5 percent difference). For the verification simulation in Ariel Creek, the difference between the total observed and simulated flow volumes was 17 percent. Simulated peak flow discharges were within two hours of the observed for 30 of 46 peak flow events (discharge greater than 0.1 m3/sec) in Purdy Creek and 27 of 53 events in Ariel Creek. For 22 of the 46 events in Purdy Creek and 24 of 53 in Ariel Creek, the differences between the observed and simulated peak discharge rates were less than 30 percent. These 22 events accounted for 63 percent of total volume of streamflow observed during the selected 46 peak flow events in Purdy Creek. In Ariel Creek, these 24 peak flow events accounted for 62 percent of the total flow observed during all peak flow events. Differences in observed and simulated peak flow rates and volumes (on a percent basis) were greater during the snowmelt runoff events and summer periods than for other times.

Impact of the rainfall pattern on synthetic pesticides and copper runoff from a vineyard catchment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Payraudeau, Sylvain; Meite, Fatima; Wiegert, Charline; Imfeld, Gwenaël

2017-04-01

Runoff is a major process of pesticide transport from agricultural land to downstream aquatic ecosystems. The impact of rainfall characteristics on the transport of runoff-related pesticide is rarely evaluated at the catchment scale. Here, we evaluate the influence of rainfall pattern on the mobilization of synthetic pesticides and copper fungicides in runoff from a small vineyard catchment, both at the plot and catchment scales. During two vineyard growing seasons in 2015 and 2016 (from March to October), we monitored rainfall, runoff, and concentrations of copper and 20 fungicides and herbicides applied by winegrowers at the Rouffach vineyard catchment (France, Alsace; 42.5 ha). Rainfall data were recorded within the catchment while runoff measurement and flow-proportional water sampling were carried out at the outlet of the plot (1486 m2; 87.5 × 17 m) and the catchment. In total, discharges of the 14 runoff events were continuously monitored between March and October 2015 using bubbler flow modules combined with Venturi channels. Detailed and distributed dataset on pesticide applications were extracted from survey (copper formulations and type of pesticides, amount and application dates). Pools of copper and synthetic pesticides were quantified weekly in the topsoil (0-3 cm) by systematic sampling across the catchment. The concentrations of copper (10 mg.kg-1 dried soil) and synthetic pesticides (close to the quantification limit, i.e. 0.05 µg.L-1) available in the top soil for off-site transport largely differed over time. Between March and October, an accumulation of copper of 10% was observed in the top-soil while pesticide concentration decreased below the quantification limits after a few days or weeks following application, depending of the compounds. The average runoff generated at the plot scale was very low (0.13% ± 0.30). The maximum runoff reached 1.37% during the storm of July 22, 2015. Synthetic pesticides exported by runoff was less than 1‰ of the applications. The copper mass exported represented about 1% (i.e. 2,085 g at the plot's scale) of the seasonal input, and mainly occurred during the major storm event. Copper were mainly exported in association with suspended particulate matter (SPM) (>80% of the total load). The partitioning between dissolved and SPM phases differs for the synthetic pesticides as expected by their properties. The rainfall pattern influences concentrations and loads of copper and the pesticides. Dissolved pesticide loads normalized by the pesticide mass in soil varied with larger rainfall intensities, runoff discharges and volumes. Contrasted relationships between rainfall characteristics (i.e. intensity, duration and total amount) and the load exported suggest that mechanisms of contaminant delivery from the vineyard soil differs among the pesticides and for copper. The results support the idea that, even in small catchment areas, the rainfall pattern (i.e. rainfall intensity and duration) partly controls the transport of pesticide and copper loads in runoff. Though other factors, such as the chemical characteristics and the amount and timing of applications, are important drivers for pesticide runoff, the rainfall patterns also determine the transport of pesticides from catchment to downstream aquatic ecosystems, and thus the ecotoxicological risk.

Water quality of surface runoff and lint yield in cotton under furrow irrigation in Northeast Arkansas.

PubMed

Adviento-Borbe, M Arlene A; Barnes, Brittany D; Iseyemi, Oluwayinka; Mann, Amanda M; Reba, Michele L; Robertson, William J; Massey, Joseph H; Teague, Tina G

2018-02-01

Use of furrow irrigation in row crop production is a common practice through much of the Midsouth US and yet, nutrients can be transported off-site through surface runoff. A field study with cotton (Gossypium hirsutum, L.) was conducted to understand the impact of furrow tillage practices and nitrogen (N) fertilizer placement on characteristics of runoff water quality during the growing season. The experiment was designed as a randomized complete block design with conventional (CT) and conservation furrow tillage (FT) in combination with either urea (URN) broadcast or 32% urea ammonium nitrate (UAN) injected, each applied at 101kgNha -1 . Concentrations of ammonium (NH 4 -N), nitrate (NO 3 -N), nitrite (NO 2 -N), and dissolved phosphorus (P) in irrigation runoff water and lint yields were measured in all treatments. The intensity and chemical form of nutrient losses were primarily controlled by water runoff volume and agronomic practice. Across tillage and fertilizer N treatments, median N concentrations in the runoff were <0.3mgNL -1 , with NO 3 -N being relatively the highest among N forms. Concentrations of runoff dissolved P were <0.05mgPL -1 and were affected by volume of runoff water. Water pH, specific electrical conductivity, alkalinity and hardness were within levels that common to local irrigation water and less likely to impair pollution in waterways. Lint yields averaged 1111kgha -1 and were higher (P-value=0.03) in FT compared to CT treatments. Runoff volumes across irrigation events were greater (P-value=0.02) in CT than FT treatments, which increased NO 3 -N mass loads in CT treatments (394gNO 3 -Nha -1 season -1 ). Nitrate-N concentrations in CT treatments were still low and pose little threat to N contaminations in waterways. The findings support the adoption of conservation practices for furrow tillage and N fertilizer placement that can reduce nutrient runoff losses in furrow irrigation systems. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Urbanisation impacts on storm runoff along a rural-urban gradient

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, James David; Hess, Tim

2017-09-01

Urbanisation alters the hydrological response of catchments to storm events and spatial measures of urban extent and imperviousness are routinely used in hydrological modelling and attribution of runoff response to land use changes. This study evaluates whether a measure of catchment urban extent can account for differences in runoff generation from storm events along an rural-urban gradient. We employed a high-resolution monitoring network across 8 catchments in the south of the UK - ranging from predominantly rural to heavily urbanised - over a four year period, and from this selected 336 storm events. Hydrological response was compared using volume- and scaled time-based hydrograph metrics within a statistical framework that considered the effect of antecedent soil moisture. Clear differences were found between rural and urban catchments, however above a certain threshold of urban extent runoff volume was relatively unaffected by changes and runoff response times were highly variable between catchments due to additional hydraulic controls. Results indicate a spatial measure of urbanisation can generally explain differences in the hydrological response between rural and urban catchments but is insufficient to explain differences between urban catchments along an urban gradient. Antecedent soil moisture alters the volume and timing of runoff generated in catchments with large rural areas, but was not found to affect the runoff response where developed areas are much greater. The results of this study suggest some generalised relationships between urbanisation and storm runoff are not represented in observed storm events and point to limitations in using a simplified representations of the urban environment for attribution of storm runoff in small urban catchments. The study points to the need for enhanced hydrologically relevant catchment descriptors specific to small urban catchments and more focused research on the role of urban soils and soil moisture in storm runoff generation in mixed land-use catchments.

Application of the precipitation-runoff modeling system to the Ah- shi-sle-pah Wash watershed, San Juan County, New Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hejl, H.R.

1989-01-01

The precipitation-runoff modeling system was applied to the 8.21 sq-mi drainage area of the Ah-shi-sle-pah Wash watershed in northwestern New Mexico. The calibration periods were May to September of 1981 and 1982, and the verification period was May to September 1983. Twelve storms were available for calibration and 8 storms were available for verification. For calibration A (hydraulic conductivity estimated from onsite data and other storm-mode parameters optimized), the computed standard error of estimate was 50% for runoff volumes and 72% of peak discharges. Calibration B included hydraulic conductivity in the optimization, which reduced the standard error of estimate to 28 % for runoff volumes and 50% for peak discharges. Optimized values for hydraulic conductivity resulted in reductions from 1.00 to 0.26 in/h and 0.20 to 0.03 in/h for the 2 general soils groups in the calibrations. Simulated runoff volumes using 7 of 8 storms occurring during the verification period had a standard error of estimate of 40% for verification A and 38% for verification B. Simulated peak discharge had a standard error of estimate of 120% for verification A and 56% for verification B. Including the eighth storm which had a relatively small magnitude in the verification analysis more than doubled the standard error of estimating volumes and peaks. (USGS)

A Meta-Analysis to Evaluate Property Value Co-Benefits of Using Environmental Site Design for Stormwater Runoff Reduction

EPA Science Inventory

Practices to reduce stormwater runoff are implemented for several primary purposes: to protect and improve water quality and hydromorphology in water bodies that receive stormwater runoff, to prevent soil erosion, to maintain groundwater recharge volume, and to prevent increasing...

Hydrological modelling in sandstone rocks watershed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ponížilová, Iva; Unucka, Jan

2015-04-01

The contribution is focused on the modelling of surface and subsurface runoff in the Ploučnice basin. The used rainfall-runoff model is HEC-HMS comprising of the method of SCS CN curves and a recession method. The geological subsurface consisting of sandstone is characterised by reduced surface runoff and, on the contrary, it contributes to subsurface runoff. The aim of this paper is comparison of the rate of influence of sandstone on reducing surface runoff. The recession method for subsurface runoff was used to determine the subsurface runoff. The HEC-HMS model allows semi- and fully distributed approaches to schematisation of the watershed and rainfall situations. To determine the volume of runoff the method of SCS CN curves is used, which results depend on hydrological conditions of the soils. The rainfall-runoff model assuming selection of so-called methods of event of the SCS-CN type is used to determine the hydrograph and peak flow rate based on simulation of surface runoff in precipitation exceeding the infiltration capacity of the soil. The recession method is used to solve the baseflow (subsurface) runoff. The method is based on the separation of hydrograph to direct runoff and subsurface or baseflow runoff. The study area for the simulation of runoff using the method of SCS CN curves to determine the hydrological transformation is the Ploučnice basin. The Ploučnice is a hydrologically significant river in the northern part of the Czech Republic, it is a right tributary of the Elbe river with a total basin area of 1.194 km2. The average value of CN curves for the Ploučnice basin is 72. The geological structure of the Ploučnice basin is predominantly formed by Mesozoic sandstone. Despite significant initial loss of rainfall the basin response to the causal rainfall was demonstrated by a rapid rise of the surface runoff from the watershed and reached culmination flow. Basically, only surface runoff occures in the catchment during the initial phase of this extreme event. The increase of the baseflow runoff is slower and remains constant after reaching a certain level. The rise of the baseflow runoff is showed in a descending part of the hydrograph. The recession method in this case shows almost 20 hours delay. Results from the HEC-HMS prove availability of both methods for the runoff modeling in this type of catchment. When simulating extreme short-term rainfall-runoff episodes, the influence of geological subsurface is not significant, but it is manifested. Using more relevant rainfall events would bring more satisfactory results.

Concentrations, loads, and yields of total phosphorus, total nitrogen, and suspended sediment and bacteria concentrations in the Wister Lake Basin, Oklahoma and Arkansas, 2011-13

USGS Publications Warehouse

Buck, Stephanie D.

2014-01-01

The Poteau Valley Improvement Authority uses Wister Lake in southeastern Oklahoma as a public water supply. Total phosphorus, total nitrogen, and suspended sediments from agricultural runoff and discharges from wastewater treatment plants and other sources have degraded water quality in the lake. As lake-water quality has degraded, water-treatment cost, chemical usage, and sludge production have increased for the Poteau Valley Improvement Authority. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Poteau Valley Improvement Authority, investigated and summarized concentrations of total phosphorus, total nitrogen, suspended sediment, and bacteria (Escherichia coli and Enterococcus sp.) in surface water flowing to Wister Lake. Estimates of total phosphorus, total nitrogen, and suspended sediment loads, yields, and flow-weighted mean concentrations of total phosphorus and total nitrogen concentrations were made for the Wister Lake Basin for a 3-year period from October 2010 through September 2013. Data from water samples collected at fixed time increments during base-flow conditions and during runoff conditions at the Poteau River at Loving, Okla. (USGS station 07247015), the Poteau River near Heavener, Okla. (USGS station 07247350), and the Fourche Maline near Leflore, Okla. (USGS station 07247650), water-quality stations were used to evaluate water quality over the range of streamflows in the basin. These data also were collected to estimate annual constituent loads and yields by using regression models. At the Poteau River stations, total phosphorus, total nitrogen, and suspended sediment concentrations in surface-water samples were significantly larger in samples collected during runoff conditions than in samples collected during base-flow conditions. At the Fourche Maline station, in contrast, concentrations of these constituents in water samples collected during runoff conditions were not significantly larger than concentrations during base-flow conditions. Flow-weighted mean total phosphorus concentrations at all three stations from 2011 to 2013 were several times larger than the Oklahoma State Standard for Scenic Rivers (0.037 milligrams per liter [mg/L]), with the largest flow-weighted phosphorus concentrations typically being measured at the Poteau River at Loving, Okla., station. Flow-weighted mean total nitrogen concentrations did not vary substantially between the Poteau River stations and the Fourche Maline near Leflore, Okla., station. At all of the sampled water-quality stations, bacteria (Escherichia coli and Enterococcus sp.) concentrations were substantially larger in water samples collected during runoff conditions than in water samples collected during base-flow conditions from 2011 to 2013. Estimated annual loads of total phosphorus, total nitrogen, and suspended sediment in the Poteau River stations during runoff conditions ranged from 82 to 98 percent of the total annual loads of those constituents. Estimated annual loads of total phosphorus, total nitrogen, and suspended sediment in the Fourche Maline during runoff conditions ranged from 86 to nearly 100 percent of the total annual loads. Estimated seasonal total phosphorus loads generally were smallest during base-flow and runoff conditions in autumn. Estimated seasonal total phosphorus loads during base-flow conditions tended to be largest in winter and during runoff conditions tended to be largest in the spring. Estimated seasonal total nitrogen loads tended to be smallest in autumn during base-flow and runoff conditions and largest in winter during runoff conditions. Estimated seasonal suspended sediment loads tended to be smallest during base-flow conditions in the summer and smallest during runoff conditions in the autumn. The largest estimated seasonal suspended sediment loads during runoff conditions typically were in the spring. The estimated mean annual total phosphorus yield was largest at the Poteau River at Loving, Okla., water-quality station. The estimated mean annual total phosphorus yield was largest during base flow at the Poteau River at Loving, Okla., water-quality station and at both of the Poteau River water-quality stations during runoff conditions. The estimated mean annual total nitrogen yields were largest at the Poteau River water-quality stations. Estimated mean annual total nitrogen yields were largest during base-flow and runoff conditions at the Poteau River at Loving, Okla., water-quality station. The estimated mean annual suspended sediment yield was largest at the Poteau River near Heavener, Okla., water-quality station during base-flow and runoff conditions. Flow-weighted mean concentrations indicated that total phosphorus inputs from the Poteau River Basin in the Wister Lake Basin were larger than from the Fourche Maline Basin. Flow-weighted mean concentrations of total nitrogen did not vary spatially in a consistent manner. The Poteau River and the Fourche Maline contributed estimated annual total phosphorus loads of 137 to 278 tons per year (tons/yr) to Wister Lake. Between 89 and 95 percent of the annual total phosphorus loads were transported to Wister Lake during runoff conditions. The Poteau River and the Fourche Maline contributed estimated annual total nitrogen loads of 657 to 1,294 tons/yr, with 86 to 94 percent of the annual total nitrogen loads being transported to Wister Lake during runoff conditions. The Poteau River and the Fourche Maline contributed estimated annual total suspended sediment loads of 110,919 to 234,637 tons/yr, with 94 to 99 percent of the annual suspended sediment loads being transported to Wister Lake during runoff conditions. Most of the total phosphorus and suspended sediment were delivered to Wister Lake during runoff conditions in the spring. The majority of the total nitrogen was delivered to Wister Lake during runoff conditions in winter.

Cenozoic North American Drainage Basin Evolution, Sediment Yield, and Accumulation in the Gulf of Mexico Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galloway, W.; Ganey-Curry, P. E.

2010-12-01

The Cenozoic fill of the Gulf of Mexico basin contains a continuous record of sediment supply from the North American continental interior for the past 65 million years. Regional mapping of unit thickness and paleogeography for 18 depositional episodes defines patterns of shifting entry points of continental fluvial systems and quantifies the total volume of sediment supplied during each episode. Eight fluvio-deltaic depocenters, named for geographic similarities to entry points and drainage basins of modern rivers, are present. From southwest to northeast, they are the Rio Bravo, Rio Grande, Guadalupe, Colorado, Houston-Brazos, Red, Mississippi, and Tennessee axes. Sediment volume was calculated from hand-contoured unit thickness maps compiled from basin-wide well and seismic control. Using a GIS algorithm to sum volumes within polygons bounding interpreted North American river contribution, the total extant volume was then calculated. General compaction factors were used to convert modern volume to quantitative approximations of total grain volume. Grain volume rate of supply for each depositional episode was then calculated. Values vary by more than an order of magnitude. Supply rate has commonly varied by two-fold or more between successive depositional episodes. Sediment supply is a significant, independent variable in development of stratigraphic sequences within the Gulf basin. Paleogeographic maps of the continental interior for eleven Cenozoic time intervals display the evolving and complex interplay of intracontinental tectonism, climate change, and drainage basin evolution. Five tectono-climatic eras are differentiated: Paleocene late Laramide era; early to middle Eocene terminal Laramide era; middle Cenozoic (Late Eocene—Early Miocene) dry, volcanogenic era; middle Neogene (Middle—Late Miocene) arid, extensional era; and late Neogene (Plio—Pleistocene) monsoonal, epeirogenic uplift era. Sediment supply to the GOM reflects the interplay of (1) areal extent of river drainage basins, (2) source area relief, (3) climate of the source areas and tributary systems, (4) source lithology, and (5) sediment storage within the upper drainage basin. Climate has played an important and complex role in modulating supply. In wet tropical to temperate climate regimes, abundant runoff efficiently removed entrained sediment. Arid climate limited runoff; resultant transport-limited tributaries and trunk streams deposited aggradational alluvial aprons, storing sediment in the drainage basin even in the absence of a structural depression. Eolian deposition commonly accompanied such alluvial aggradation. In contrast, seasonality and consequent runoff variability favored erosion and efficient sediment evacuation from the upper parts of drainage basins. Tectonism has played a prominent but equally complex role. Elevation of uplands by compression, crustal heating, or extrusive volcanism created primary loci of erosion and high sediment yield. At the same time, accompanying subsidence sometimes created long-lived sediment repositories that intercepted and sequestered sediment adjacent to sources. Regional patterns of uplift and subsidence relocated drainage divides and redirected trunk stream paths to the Gulf margin.

Runoff thresholds and land-to-marine ecosystem connectivity in a dry tropical setting: St. John, US Virgin Islands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramos-Scharron, C. E.; LaFevor, M. C.; Roy, J.

2017-12-01

Developing a conceptually sound yet practical understanding of runoff and sediment delivery from human occupied lands to tropical ocean waters still represents a pivotal need of coral reef management worldwide. In the dry tropical and ephemeral streamflow setting that typifies the small watersheds ( 1s km2) draining the US Virgin Islands, changes in hydrologic and sediment delivery dynamics provoked by unsurfaced road networks represent a major threat to coral reefs and other sensitive marine ecosystems. Through a combined empirical and modeling approach, this study evaluates how road building and associated stormflow restoration strategies affect rainfall thresholds for runoff generation at varying spatial scales and their impact on land-to-sea connectivity. Rainfall thresholds and runoff coefficients for precipitation excess on unpaved roads are 2-3 mm and 22-30% (respectively) or a full order of magnitude different from those for undisturbed hillslopes and watersheds. Here we discuss the use of a `volume-to-breakthrough' inspired index to predict the potential of road runoff to reach downslope portions of the watershed and the coastline as runon. The index integrates the effects of storm-by-storm runoff accumulation for every road drainage point with its flow distance to specific locations along the stream network. While large runoff volumes and short flow distances imply a relatively high connectivity potential, small volumes and long distances are associated to low delivery potential. The index has proven able to discern observed runoff responses under a variety of road-stream network scenarios and rainfall conditions. These results enhance our understanding of ephemeral stream hydrology and are serving to improve coral reef management strategies throughout the Northeastern Caribbean.

Mixing the Green-Ampt model and Curve Number method as an empirical tool for rainfall excess estimation in small ungauged catchments.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grimaldi, S.; Petroselli, A.; Romano, N.

2012-04-01

The Soil Conservation Service - Curve Number (SCS-CN) method is a popular rainfall-runoff model that is widely used to estimate direct runoff from small and ungauged basins. The SCS-CN is a simple and valuable approach to estimate the total stream-flow volume generated by a storm rainfall, but it was developed to be used with daily rainfall data. To overcome this drawback, we propose to include the Green-Ampt (GA) infiltration model into a mixed procedure, which is referred to as CN4GA (Curve Number for Green-Ampt), aiming to distribute in time the information provided by the SCS-CN method so as to provide estimation of sub-daily incremental rainfall excess. For a given storm, the computed SCS-CN total net rainfall amount is used to calibrate the soil hydraulic conductivity parameter of the Green-Ampt model. The proposed procedure was evaluated by analyzing 100 rainfall-runoff events observed in four small catchments of varying size. CN4GA appears an encouraging tool for predicting the net rainfall peak and duration values and has shown, at least for the test cases considered in this study, a better agreement with observed hydrographs than that of the classic SCS-CN method.

Synthetic calibration of a Rainfall-Runoff Model

USGS Publications Warehouse

Thompson, David B.; Westphal, Jerome A.; ,

1990-01-01

A method for synthetically calibrating storm-mode parameters for the U.S. Geological Survey's Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System is described. Synthetic calibration is accomplished by adjusting storm-mode parameters to minimize deviations between the pseudo-probability disributions represented by regional regression equations and actual frequency distributions fitted to model-generated peak discharge and runoff volume. Results of modeling storm hydrographs using synthetic and analytic storm-mode parameters are presented. Comparisons are made between model results from both parameter sets and between model results and observed hydrographs. Although mean storm runoff is reproducible to within about 26 percent of the observed mean storm runoff for five or six parameter sets, runoff from individual storms is subject to large disparities. Predicted storm runoff volume ranged from 2 percent to 217 percent of commensurate observed values. Furthermore, simulation of peak discharges was poor. Predicted peak discharges from individual storm events ranged from 2 percent to 229 percent of commensurate observed values. The model was incapable of satisfactorily executing storm-mode simulations for the study watersheds. This result is not considered a particular fault of the model, but instead is indicative of deficiencies in similar conceptual models.

Characterization of urban runoff pollution between dissolved and particulate phases.

PubMed

Wei, Zhang; Simin, Li; Fengbing, Tang

2013-01-01

To develop urban stormwater management effectively, characterization of urban runoff pollution between dissolved and particulate phases was studied by 12 rainfall events monitored for five typical urban catchments. The average event mean concentration (AEMC) of runoff pollutants in different phases was evaluated. The AEMC values of runoff pollutants in different phases from urban roads were higher than the ones from urban roofs. The proportions of total dissolved solids, total dissolved nitrogen, and total dissolved phosphorus in total ones for all the catchments were 26.19%-30.91%, 83.29%-90.51%, and 61.54-68.09%, respectively. During rainfall events, the pollutant concentration at the initial stage of rainfall was high and then sharply decreased to a low value. Affected by catchments characterization and rainfall distribution, the highest concentration of road pollutants might appear in the later period of rainfall. Strong correlations were also found among runoffs pollutants in different phases. Total suspended solid could be considered as a surrogate for particulate matters in both road and roof runoff, while dissolved chemical oxygen demand could be regarded as a surrogate for dissolved matters in roof runoff.

Runoff and phosphorus loads from two Iowa fields with and without applied manure, 2000-2011

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Understanding the dynamics of field-edge runoff water quality and responses to changes in management practices and climate through monitoring will probably require decade-duration data sets. This study compared runoff volumes and phosphorus loads from two fields in central Iowa, where the glacial la...

Plant species richness enhances nitrogen retention in green roof plots.

PubMed

Johnson, Catherine; Schweinhart, Shelbye; Buffam, Ishi

2016-10-01

Vegetated (green) roofs have become common in many cities and are projected to continue to increase in coverage, but little is known about the ecological properties of these engineered ecosystems. In this study, we tested the biodiversity-ecosystem function hypothesis using commercially available green roof trays as replicated plots with varying levels of plant species richness (0, 1, 3, or 6 common green roof species per plot, using plants with different functional characteristics). We estimated accumulated plant biomass near the peak of the first full growing season (July 2013) and measured runoff volume after nearly every rain event from September 2012 to September 2013 (33 events) and runoff fluxes of inorganic nutrients ammonium, nitrate, and phosphate from a subset of 10 events. We found that (1) total plant biomass increased with increasing species richness, (2) green roof plots were effective at reducing storm runoff, with vegetation increasing water retention more than soil-like substrate alone, but there was no significant effect of plant species identity or richness on runoff volume, (3) green roof substrate was a significant source of phosphate, regardless of presence/absence of plants, and (4) dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN = nitrate + ammonium) runoff fluxes were different among plant species and decreased significantly with increasing plant species richness. The variation in N retention was positively related to variation in plant biomass. Notably, the increased biomass and N retention with species richness in this engineered ecosystem are similar to patterns observed in published studies from grasslands and other well-studied ecosystems. We suggest that more diverse plantings on vegetated roofs may enhance the retention capacity for reactive nitrogen. This is of importance for the sustained health of vegetated roof ecosystems, which over time often experience nitrogen limitation, and is also relevant for water quality in receiving waters downstream of green roofs. © 2016 by the Ecological Society of America.

Empirical solution of Green-Ampt equation using soil conservation service - curve number values

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grimaldi, S.; Petroselli, A.; Romano, N.

2012-09-01

The Soil Conservation Service - Curve Number (SCS-CN) method is a popular widely used rainfall-runoff model for quantifying the total stream-flow volume generated by storm rainfall, but its application is not appropriate for sub-daily resolutions. In order to overcome this drawback, the Green-Ampt (GA) infiltration equation is considered and an empirical solution is proposed and evaluated. The procedure, named CN4GA (Curve Number for Green-Ampt), aims to calibrate the Green-Ampt model parameters distributing in time the global information provided by the SCS-CN method. The proposed procedure is evaluated by analysing observed rainfall-runoff events; results show that CN4GA seems to provide better agreement with the observed hydrographs respect to the classic SCS-CN method.

Hydrologic conditions and water quality in an agricultural area in Kleberg and Nueces Counties, Texas, 1996-98

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ockerman, Darwin J.; Petri, Brian L.

2001-01-01

During 1996?98, rainfall and runoff were monitored on a 49,680-acre agricultural watershed in Kleberg and Nueces Counties in South Texas. Nineteen rainfall samples were analyzed for selected nutrients, and runoff samples from 29 storms were analyzed for major ions, nutrients, and pesticides. Loads of nutrients in rainfall and loads of nutrients and pesticides in runoff were computed. For a 40,540-acre part of the watershed (lower study area), constituent loads entering the watershed in rainfall, in runoff from the upper study area, and from agricultural chemical applications to the lower study area were compared with runoff loads exiting the lower study area. Total rainfall for 1996?98 averaged 25.86 inches per year, which is less than the long-term annual average rainfall of 29.80 inches for the area. Rainfall and runoff during 1996?98 were typical of historical patterns, with periods of below average rainfall and runoff interspersed with extreme events. Five individual storms accounted for about 38 percent of the total rainfall and 94 percent of the total runoff. During the 3-year study, the total nitrogen runoff yield from the lower study area was 1.3 pounds per acre per year, compared with 49 pounds per acre per year applied as fertilizer and 3.1 pounds per acre per year from rainfall. While almost all of the fertilizer and rainfall nitrogen was ammonia and nitrate, most of the nitrogen in runoff was particulate organic nitrogen, associated with crop residue. Total nitrogen exiting the lower study area in surface-water runoff was about 2.5 percent of the nitrogen inputs (fertilizer and rainfall nitrogen). Annual deposition of total nitrogen entering the lower study area in rainfall exceeded net yields of total nitrogen exiting the watershed in runoff because most of the rainfall does not contribute to runoff. During the study, the total phosphorus runoff yield from the lower study area was 0.48 pound per acre per year compared with 4.2 pounds per acre per year applied as fertilizer and 0.03 pound per acre per year from rainfall. Twenty-one pesticides were detected in runoff with varying degrees of frequency during the study. The herbicide atrazine was detected in all runoff samples. All of the most frequently detected pesticides (atrazine, trifluralin, simazine, pendimethalin, and diuron) exhibited higher concentrations during the pre-harvest period (March? May) than during the post-harvest period (August? October). During 1996?98, an average of 0.37 pound per acre per year of atrazine was applied to the lower study area. During the same period, 0.0027 pound per acre per year of atrazine and its breakdown product deethylatrazine exited the lower study area in runoff (about 0.7 percent of the total atrazine applied to the cropland). During 1997, when heavy rainfall occurred during the months of April and May, the atrazine plus deethylatrazine exiting the lower study area was 1.8 percent of the applied atrazine. The 1996?98 average sediment yield was 610 pounds per acre per year. Sediment loads from the study area are associated with large storm events. Of the 45,300 tons of sediment transported from the study area during 1996?98 about 87 percent was transported during the three largest runoff events (April 1997, October 1997, and October 1998). Runoff-weighted average concentrations were computed for selected nutrients and pesticides. The 1996?98 runoff-weighted concentrations for total nitrogen and total phosphorus were 1.3 and 0.50 milligrams per liter, respectively. The 1996?98 runoff-weighted concentration for atrazine plus deethylatrazine was 2.7 micrograms per liter.

Managing broiler litter application rate and grazing to decrease watershed runoff losses.

PubMed

Sistani, K R; Brink, G E; Oldham, J L

2008-01-01

Pasture management and broiler litter application rate are critical factors influencing the magnitude of nutrients being transported by runoff from fields. We investigated the impact of pasture management and broiler litter application rate on nutrient runoff from bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) pastures. The experiment was conducted on a Ruston fine sandy loam with a factorial arrangement on 21 large paddocks. Runoff water was collected from natural rainfall events from 2001 to 2003. Runoff water and soil samples were analyzed for nutrients and sediments. Runoff was generally greater (29%) from grazed than hayed pastures regardless of the litter application rate. There was greater inorganic N in the runoff from grazed paddocks when litter rate was based on N rather than P. The mean total P loss per runoff event for all treatments ranged from 7 to 45 g ha(-1) and the grazed treatment with litter applied on N basis had the greatest total P loss. Total dissolved P was the dominant P fraction in the runoff, ranging from 85% to 93% of the total P. The soluble reactive P was greater for treatments with litter applied on N basis regardless of pasture management. Runoff total sediments were greater for N-based litter application compared to those which received litter on P basis. Our results indicate that litter may be applied on N basis if the pasture is hayed and the soil P is low. In contrast, litter rates should be based on a P-basis if pasture is grazed.

Statistical Determination of Rainfall-Runoff Erosivity Indices for Single Storms in the Chinese Loess Plateau

PubMed Central

Zheng, Mingguo; Chen, Xiaoan

2015-01-01

Correlation analysis is popular in erosion- or earth-related studies, however, few studies compare correlations on a basis of statistical testing, which should be conducted to determine the statistical significance of the observed sample difference. This study aims to statistically determine the erosivity index of single storms, which requires comparison of a large number of dependent correlations between rainfall-runoff factors and soil loss, in the Chinese Loess Plateau. Data observed at four gauging stations and five runoff experimental plots were presented. Based on the Meng’s tests, which is widely used for comparing correlations between a dependent variable and a set of independent variables, two methods were proposed. The first method removes factors that are poorly correlated with soil loss from consideration in a stepwise way, while the second method performs pairwise comparisons that are adjusted using the Bonferroni correction. Among 12 rainfall factors, I 30 (the maximum 30-minute rainfall intensity) has been suggested for use as the rainfall erosivity index, although I 30 is equally correlated with soil loss as factors of I 20, EI 10 (the product of the rainfall kinetic energy, E, and I 10), EI 20 and EI 30 are. Runoff depth (total runoff volume normalized to drainage area) is more correlated with soil loss than all other examined rainfall-runoff factors, including I 30, peak discharge and many combined factors. Moreover, sediment concentrations of major sediment-producing events are independent of all examined rainfall-runoff factors. As a result, introducing additional factors adds little to the prediction accuracy of the single factor of runoff depth. Hence, runoff depth should be the best erosivity index at scales from plots to watersheds. Our findings can facilitate predictions of soil erosion in the Loess Plateau. Our methods provide a valuable tool while determining the predictor among a number of variables in terms of correlations. PMID:25781173

Regression Techniques for Determining the Effective Impervious Area in Southern California Watersheds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sultana, R.; Mroczek, M.; Dallman, S.; Sengupta, A.; Stein, E. D.

2016-12-01

The portion of the Total Impervious Area (TIA) that is hydraulically connected to the storm drainage network is called the Effective Impervious Area (EIA). The remaining fraction of impervious area, called the non-effective impervious area, drains onto pervious surfaces which do not contribute to runoff for smaller events. Using the TIA instead of EIA in models and calculations can lead to overestimates of runoff volumes peak discharges and oversizing of drainage system since it is assumed all impervious areas produce urban runoff that is directly connected to storm drains. This makes EIA a better predictor of actual runoff from urban catchments for hydraulic design of storm drain systems and modeling non-point source pollution. Compared to TIA, determining the EIA is considerably more difficult to calculate since it cannot be found by using remote sensing techniques, readily available EIA datasets, or aerial imagery interpretation alone. For this study, EIA percentages were calculated by two successive regression methods for five watersheds (with areas of 8.38 - 158mi2) located in Southern California using rainfall-runoff event data for the years 2004 - 2007. Runoff generated from the smaller storm events are considered to be emanating only from the effective impervious areas. Therefore, larger events that were considered to have runoff from both impervious and pervious surfaces were successively removed in the regression methods using a criterion of (1) 1mm and (2) a max (2 , 1mm) above the regression line. MSE is calculated from actual runoff and runoff predicted by the regression. Analysis of standard deviations showed that criterion of max (2 , 1mm) better fit the regression line and is the preferred method in predicting the EIA percentage. The estimated EIAs have shown to be approximately 78% to 43% of the TIA which shows use of EIA instead of TIA can have significant impact on the cost building urban hydraulic systems and stormwater capture devices.

Statistical determination of rainfall-runoff erosivity indices for single storms in the Chinese Loess Plateau.

PubMed

Zheng, Mingguo; Chen, Xiaoan

2015-01-01

Correlation analysis is popular in erosion- or earth-related studies, however, few studies compare correlations on a basis of statistical testing, which should be conducted to determine the statistical significance of the observed sample difference. This study aims to statistically determine the erosivity index of single storms, which requires comparison of a large number of dependent correlations between rainfall-runoff factors and soil loss, in the Chinese Loess Plateau. Data observed at four gauging stations and five runoff experimental plots were presented. Based on the Meng's tests, which is widely used for comparing correlations between a dependent variable and a set of independent variables, two methods were proposed. The first method removes factors that are poorly correlated with soil loss from consideration in a stepwise way, while the second method performs pairwise comparisons that are adjusted using the Bonferroni correction. Among 12 rainfall factors, I30 (the maximum 30-minute rainfall intensity) has been suggested for use as the rainfall erosivity index, although I30 is equally correlated with soil loss as factors of I20, EI10 (the product of the rainfall kinetic energy, E, and I10), EI20 and EI30 are. Runoff depth (total runoff volume normalized to drainage area) is more correlated with soil loss than all other examined rainfall-runoff factors, including I30, peak discharge and many combined factors. Moreover, sediment concentrations of major sediment-producing events are independent of all examined rainfall-runoff factors. As a result, introducing additional factors adds little to the prediction accuracy of the single factor of runoff depth. Hence, runoff depth should be the best erosivity index at scales from plots to watersheds. Our findings can facilitate predictions of soil erosion in the Loess Plateau. Our methods provide a valuable tool while determining the predictor among a number of variables in terms of correlations.

Enhancing Seasonal Water Outlooks: Needs and Opportunities in the Critical Runoff Season

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ray, A. J.; Barsugli, J. J.; Yocum, H.; Stokes, M.; Miskus, D.

2017-12-01

The runoff season is a critical period for the management of water supply in the western U.S., where in many places over 70% of the annual runoff occurs in the snowmelt period. Managing not only the volume, but the intra-seasonal timing of the runoff is important for optimizing storage, as well as achieving other goals such as mitigating flood risk, and providing peak flows for riparian habitat management, for example, for endangered species. Western river forecast centers produce volume forecasts for western reservoirs that are key input into many water supply decisions, and also short term river forecasts out to 10 days. The early volume forecasts each year typically begin in December, and are updated throughout the winter and into the runoff season (April-July for many areas, but varies). This presentation will discuss opportunities for enhancing this existing suite of RFC water outlooks, including the needs for and potential use for "intraseasonal" products beyond those provided by the Ensemble Streamflow Prediction system and the volume forecasts. While precipitation outlooks have little skill for many areas and seasons, and may not contribute significantly to the outlook, late winter and spring temperature forecasts have meaningful skill in certain areas and sub-seasonal to seasonal time scales. This current skill in CPC temperature outlooks is an opportunity to translate these products into information about the snowpack and potential runoff timing, even where the skill in precipitation is low. Temperature is important for whether precipitation falls as snow or rain, which is critical for streamflow forecasts, especially in the melt season in snowpack-dependent watersheds. There is a need for better outlooks of the evolution of snowpack, conditions influencing the April-July runoff, and the timing of spring peak or shape of the spring hydrograph. The presentation will also discuss a our work with stakeholders of the River Forecast Centers and the NIDIS Drought Early Warning Systems to refine stakeholder needs and create a refined decision calendar for upper Colorado River reservoirs that details decisions in the runoff period.

Rainfall-Runoff Dynamics Following Wildfire in Mountainous Headwater Catchments, Alberta, Canada.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, C.; Silins, U.; Bladon, K. D.; Martens, A. M.; Wagner, M. J.; Anderson, A.

2015-12-01

Severe wildfire has been shown to increase the magnitude and advance the timing of rainfall-generated stormflows across a range of hydro-climate regions. Loss of canopy and forest floor interception results in increased net precipitation which, along with the removal of forest organic layers and increased shorter-term water repellency, can result in strongly increased surface flow pathways and efficient routing of precipitation to streams. These abrupt changes have the potential to exacerbate flood impacts and alter the timing of runoff delivery to streams. However, while these effects are well documented in drier temperate mountain regions, changes in post-fire rainfall-runoff processes are less well understood in colder, more northern, snowfall dominated regimes. The objectives of this study are to explore longer term precipitation and runoff dynamics of burned and unburned (reference) watersheds from the Southern Rockies Watershed Project (SRWP) after the 2003 Lost Creek wildfire in the front-range Rocky Mountains of southwestern Alberta, Canada. Streamflow and precipitation were measured in 5 watersheds (3.7 - 10.4 km2) for 10 years following the wildfire (2005-2014). Measurements were collected from a dense network of meteorological and hydrometric stations. Stormflow volume, peak flow, time to peak flow, and total annual streamflow were compared between burned and reference streams. Event-based data were separated into 3 post-fire periods to detect changes in rainfall-runoff dynamics as vegetation regenerated. Despite large increases in post-fire snowpacks and net summer rainfall, rainfall-generated runoff from fire-affected watersheds was not large in comparison to that reported from more temperate snowfall-dominated Rocky Mountain hydrologic settings. High proportions of groundwater contribution to annual runoff regimes (as opposed to surface flow pathways) and groundwater storage were likely contributors to greater watershed resistance to wildfire effects in these northern Rocky Mountain catchments.

Optimization of contour ridge water harvesting systems for arid zones.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berliner, Pedro; Arazi, Adit

2017-04-01

Runoff is generated along slopes in semi-arid regions during rainfall events and flows into the lower lying areas, usually ephemeral streams. Depending on the slope and volume of water involved, the flow can become turbulent and cause the detachments of soil particles (erosion). The purpose of the system under investigation is to capture the water after a relatively short flow distance and allow it to be absorbed by the soil. This action accomplishes two objectives: erosion is averted and the stored water can be used for plant production. Depending on the ratio of contributing to receiving areas and storm characteristics the stored water can be significantly higher than the precipitation. The objective of the present project was to develop a simple model that describes the above biomass production in such a system and allows to determine the optimum distribution of structures along a given slope in order to meet one criteria (e.g. minimize variance, maximize production, maximize lowest production, etc.) or a suite of them. The basic assumption is that tree above ground biomass production is linearly related to transpired water, the latter driven by an external force (potential evaporation) and modulated by water availability in the soil. PET is computed using the standard Penman-Monteith formulation for evaporation from open water bodies, if the latter is not available. Four water fluxes are computed: Evaporation, Transpiration, Runoff and Drainage, the first two not interacting directly. All of the above mentioned fluxes and rates are daily lumped values and water content in the profile is updated daily, assuming that rainfall events happen after the computation of fluxes. Daily water inputs are estimated from rainfall data and computed runoff. A dynamic runoff coefficient (=cumulative generated runoff generated/cumulative precipitation) was derived from measurements carried out in the area and used in order to estimate runoff volumes from total recorded precipitation and varying runoff generating areas. Tree development, as parameterized by cross-sectional canopy area, was estimated from the sigmoid that describes cross-sectional as a function of cumulative water used. Results of simulations carried out for consecutive five year periods in one thirty-year period indicated that contour ridges at 2 m. intervals resulted in the highest canopy covered area, irrespective of soil depth.

[A review of green roof performance towards management of roof runoff].

PubMed

Chen, Xiao-ping; Huang, Pei; Zhou, Zhi-xiang; Gao, Chi

2015-08-01

Green roof has a significant influence on reducing runoff volume, delaying runoff-yielding time, reducing the peak flow and improving runoff quality. This paper addressed the related research around the world and concluded from several aspects, i.e., the definition of green roof of different types, the mechanism how green roof manages runoff quantity and quality, the ability how green roof controls roof runoff, and the influence factors of green roof toward runoff quantity and quality. Afterwards, there was a need for more future work on research of green roof toward roof runoff, i.e., vegetation selection of green roof, efficient construction model selection of green roof, the regulating characteristics of green roof on roof runoff, the value assessment of green roof on roof runoff, analysis of source-sink function of green roof on the water pollutants of roof runoff and the research on the mitigation measures of roof runoff pollution. This paper provided a guideline to develop green roofs aiming to regulating roof runoff.

Precipitation-runoff relations and water-quality characteristics at edge-of-field stations, Discovery Farms and Pioneer Farm, Wisconsin, 2003-8

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stuntebeck, Todd D.; Komiskey, Matthew J.; Peppler, Marie C.; Owens, David W.; Frame, Dennis R.

2011-01-01

A cooperative study between the U.S. Geological Survey, the University of Wisconsin (UW)-Madison Discovery Farms program (Discovery Farms), and the UW-Platteville Pioneer Farm program (Pioneer Farm) was developed to identify typical ranges and magnitudes, temporal distributions, and principal factors affecting concentrations and yields of sediment, nutrients, and other selected constituents in runoff from agricultural fields. Hydrologic and water-quality data were collected year-round at 23 edge-of-field monitoring stations on 5 privately owned Discovery Farms and on Pioneer Farm during water years 2003-8. The studied farms represented landscapes, soils, and farming systems typical of livestock farms throughout southern Wisconsin. Each farm employed a variety of soil, nutrient, and water-conservation practices to help minimize sediment and nutrient losses from fields and to improve crop productivity. This report summarizes the precipitation-runoff relations and water-quality characteristics measured in edge-of-field runoff for 26 "farm years" (aggregate years of averaged station data from all 6 farms for varying monitoring periods). A relatively wide range of constituents typically found in agricultural runoff were measured: suspended sediment, phosphorus (total, particulate, dissolved reactive, and total dissolved), and nitrogen (total, nitrate plus nitrite, organic, ammonium, total Kjeldahl and total Kjeldahl-dissolved), chloride, total solids, total suspended solids, total volatile suspended solids, and total dissolved solids. Mean annual precipitation was 32.8 inches for the study period, about 3 percent less than the 30-year mean. Overall mean annual runoff was 2.55 inches per year (about 8 percent of precipitation) and the distribution was nearly equal between periods of frozen ground (54 percent) and unfrozen ground (46 percent). Mean monthly runoff was highest during two periods: February to March and May to June. Ninety percent of annual runoff occurred between January and the end of June. Event mean concentrations of suspended sediment in runoff during unfrozen-ground periods were significantly higher (p2= 0.92), indicating that the sources of nitrogen and phosphorus in runoff were likely similar. Analysis of runoff, concentration, and yield data on annual, monthly, and seasonal time scales, when combined with precipitation, soil moisture, soil temperature, and on-farm field-activity information, revealed conditions in which runoff was most likely. The analysis also revealed the effects that field conditions and the timing of field-management activities-most notably, manure applications and tillage-had on the quantity and quality of surface runoff from agricultural fields.

Retrofitting LID Practices into Existing Neighborhoods: Is It Worth It?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wright, Timothy J.; Liu, Yaoze; Carroll, Natalie J.; Ahiablame, Laurent M.; Engel, Bernard A.

2016-04-01

Low-impact development (LID) practices are gaining popularity as an approach to manage stormwater close to the source. LID practices reduce infrastructure requirements and help maintain hydrologic processes similar to predevelopment conditions. Studies have shown LID practices to be effective in reducing runoff and improving water quality. However, little has been done to aid decision makers in selecting the most effective practices for their needs and budgets. The long-term hydrologic impact assessment LID model was applied to four neighborhoods in Lafayette, Indiana using readily available data sources to compare LID practices by analyzing runoff volumes, implementation cost, and the approximate period needed to achieve payback on the investment. Depending on the LID practice and adoption level, 10-70 % reductions in runoff volumes could be achieved. The cost per cubic meter of runoff reduction was highly variable depending on the LID practice and the land use to which it was applied, ranging from around 3 to almost 600. In some cases the savings from reduced runoff volumes paid back the LID practice cost with interest in less than 3 years, while in other cases it was not possible to generate a payback. Decision makers need this information to establish realistic goals and make informed decisions regarding LID practices before moving into detailed designs, thereby saving time and resources.

Influence of storm characteristics on soil erosion and storm runoff

Treesearch

Johnny M. III Grace

2008-01-01

Unpaved forest roads can be major sources of sediment from forested watersheds. Storm runoff from forest roads are a concern due to their potential delivery of sediments and nutrients to stream systems resulting in degraded water quality. The volume and sediment concentrations of stormwater runoff emanating from forest roads can be greatly influenced by storm...

Wildcat5 for Windows, a rainfall-runoff hydrograph model: user manual and documentation

Treesearch

R. H. Hawkins; A. Barreto-Munoz

2016-01-01

Wildcat5 for Windows (Wildcat5) is an interactive Windows Excel-based software package designed to assist watershed specialists in analyzing rainfall runoff events to predict peak flow and runoff volumes generated by single-event rainstorms for a variety of watershed soil and vegetation conditions. Model inputs are: (1) rainstorm characteristics, (2) parameters related...

Modeling erosion on steep sagebrush rangeland before and after prescribed fire

Treesearch

Corey A. Moffet; Frederick B. Pierson; Kenneth E. Spaeth

2007-01-01

Fire in sagebrush rangelands significantly alters canopy cover, ground cover, and soil properties that influence runoff and erosion processes. Runoff is generated more quickly and a larger volume of runoff is produced following prescribed fire. The result is increased risk of severe erosion and downstream flooding. The Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP), developed...

Mean annual, seasonal, and monthly precipitation and runoff in Arkansas, 1951-2011

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pugh, Aaron L.; Westerman, Drew A.

2014-01-01

This report describes long-term annual, seasonal, and monthly means for precipitation and runoff in Arkansas for the period from 1951 through 2011. Precipitation means were estimated using data from the Parameter-elevation Regressions on Independent Slopes Model database; while total runoff, groundwater runoff, and surface runoff means were estimated using data from 123 active and inactive U.S. Geological Survey continuous-record streamflow-gaging stations located in Arkansas and surrounding States. Annual precipitation in Arkansas for the period from 1951 through 2011 had a mean of 49.8 inches. Of the six physiographic sections in Arkansas, the Ouachita Mountains had the largest mean annual precipitation at 53.0 inches, while the Springfield-Salem plateaus had the smallest mean annual precipitation at 45.5 inches. The mean annual total runoff for Arkansas was 17.8 inches. The Ouachita Mountains had the largest mean annual total runoff at 20.4 inches, while the Springfield-Salem plateaus had the smallest mean annual total runoff at 15.0 inches. Runoff is diminished during the dry season, which is attributed to increased losses from evapotranspiration, consumptive uses including irrigation, and increased withdrawals for public and private water supplies. The decline in runoff during the dry season is observed across the State in all physiographic sections. Spatial results for precipitation and runoff are presented in a series of maps that are available for download from the publication Web page in georeferenced raster formats.

Joint variability of global runoff and global sea surface temperatures

USGS Publications Warehouse

McCabe, G.J.; Wolock, D.M.

2008-01-01

Global land surface runoff and sea surface temperatures (SST) are analyzed to identify the primary modes of variability of these hydroclimatic data for the period 1905-2002. A monthly water-balance model first is used with global monthly temperature and precipitation data to compute time series of annual gridded runoff for the analysis period. The annual runoff time series data are combined with gridded annual sea surface temperature data, and the combined dataset is subjected to a principal components analysis (PCA) to identify the primary modes of variability. The first three components from the PCA explain 29% of the total variability in the combined runoff/SST dataset. The first component explains 15% of the total variance and primarily represents long-term trends in the data. The long-term trends in SSTs are evident as warming in all of the oceans. The associated long-term trends in runoff suggest increasing flows for parts of North America, South America, Eurasia, and Australia; decreasing runoff is most notable in western Africa. The second principal component explains 9% of the total variance and reflects variability of the El Ni??o-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and its associated influence on global annual runoff patterns. The third component explains 5% of the total variance and indicates a response of global annual runoff to variability in North Aflantic SSTs. The association between runoff and North Atlantic SSTs may explain an apparent steplike change in runoff that occurred around 1970 for a number of continental regions.

Green-blue water in the city: quantification of impact of source control versus end-of-pipe solutions on sewer and river floods.

PubMed

De Vleeschauwer, K; Weustenraad, J; Nolf, C; Wolfs, V; De Meulder, B; Shannon, K; Willems, P

2014-01-01

Urbanization and climate change trends put strong pressures on urban water systems. Temporal variations in rainfall, runoff and water availability increase, and need to be compensated for by innovative adaptation strategies. One of these is stormwater retention and infiltration in open and/or green spaces in the city (blue-green water integration). This study evaluated the efficiency of three adaptation strategies for the city of Turnhout in Belgium, namely source control as a result of blue-green water integration, retention basins located downstream of the stormwater sewers, and end-of-pipe solutions based on river flood control reservoirs. The efficiency of these options is quantified by the reduction in sewer and river flood frequencies and volumes, and sewer overflow volumes. This is done by means of long-term simulations (100-year rainfall simulations) using an integrated conceptual sewer-river model calibrated to full hydrodynamic sewer and river models. Results show that combining open, green zones in the city with stormwater retention and infiltration for only 1% of the total city runoff area would lead to a 30 to 50% reduction in sewer flood volumes for return periods in the range 10-100 years. This is due to the additional surface storage and infiltration and consequent reduction in urban runoff. However, the impact of this source control option on downstream river floods is limited. Stormwater retention downstream of the sewer system gives a strong reduction in peak discharges to the receiving river. However due to the difference in response time between the sewer and river systems, this does not lead to a strong reduction in river flood frequency. The paper shows the importance of improving the interface between urban design and water management, and between sewer and river flood management.

Statistics for stochastic modeling of volume reduction, hydrograph extension, and water-quality treatment by structural stormwater runoff best management practices (BMPs)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Granato, Gregory E.

2014-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) developed the Stochastic Empirical Loading and Dilution Model (SELDM) in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to indicate the risk for stormwater concentrations, flows, and loads to be above user-selected water-quality goals and the potential effectiveness of mitigation measures to reduce such risks. SELDM models the potential effect of mitigation measures by using Monte Carlo methods with statistics that approximate the net effects of structural and nonstructural best management practices (BMPs). In this report, structural BMPs are defined as the components of the drainage pathway between the source of runoff and a stormwater discharge location that affect the volume, timing, or quality of runoff. SELDM uses a simple stochastic statistical model of BMP performance to develop planning-level estimates of runoff-event characteristics. This statistical approach can be used to represent a single BMP or an assemblage of BMPs. The SELDM BMP-treatment module has provisions for stochastic modeling of three stormwater treatments: volume reduction, hydrograph extension, and water-quality treatment. In SELDM, these three treatment variables are modeled by using the trapezoidal distribution and the rank correlation with the associated highway-runoff variables. This report describes methods for calculating the trapezoidal-distribution statistics and rank correlation coefficients for stochastic modeling of volume reduction, hydrograph extension, and water-quality treatment by structural stormwater BMPs and provides the calculated values for these variables. This report also provides robust methods for estimating the minimum irreducible concentration (MIC), which is the lowest expected effluent concentration from a particular BMP site or a class of BMPs. These statistics are different from the statistics commonly used to characterize or compare BMPs. They are designed to provide a stochastic transfer function to approximate the quantity, duration, and quality of BMP effluent given the associated inflow values for a population of storm events. A database application and several spreadsheet tools are included in the digital media accompanying this report for further documentation of methods and for future use. In this study, analyses were done with data extracted from a modified copy of the January 2012 version of International Stormwater Best Management Practices Database, designated herein as the January 2012a version. Statistics for volume reduction, hydrograph extension, and water-quality treatment were developed with selected data. Sufficient data were available to estimate statistics for 5 to 10 BMP categories by using data from 40 to more than 165 monitoring sites. Water-quality treatment statistics were developed for 13 runoff-quality constituents commonly measured in highway and urban runoff studies including turbidity, sediment and solids; nutrients; total metals; organic carbon; and fecal coliforms. The medians of the best-fit statistics for each category were selected to construct generalized cumulative distribution functions for the three treatment variables. For volume reduction and hydrograph extension, interpretation of available data indicates that selection of a Spearman’s rho value that is the average of the median and maximum values for the BMP category may help generate realistic simulation results in SELDM. The median rho value may be selected to help generate realistic simulation results for water-quality treatment variables. MIC statistics were developed for 12 runoff-quality constituents commonly measured in highway and urban runoff studies by using data from 11 BMP categories and more than 167 monitoring sites. Four statistical techniques were applied for estimating MIC values with monitoring data from each site. These techniques produce a range of lower-bound estimates for each site. Four MIC estimators are proposed as alternatives for selecting a value from among the estimates from multiple sites. Correlation analysis indicates that the MIC estimates from multiple sites were weakly correlated with the geometric mean of inflow values, which indicates that there may be a qualitative or semiquantitative link between the inflow quality and the MIC. Correlations probably are weak because the MIC is influenced by the inflow water quality and the capability of each individual BMP site to reduce inflow concentrations.

[Characteristics of nitrogen and phosphorus runoff losses from croplands with different planting patterns in a riverine plain area of Zhejiang Province, East China].

PubMed

Zhang, Ming-Kui; Wang, Yang; Huang, Chao

2011-12-01

By the method of site-specific observation, and selecting 27 field plots with 7 planting patterns in Shaoxing county of Zhejiang Province as test objects, this paper studied the characteristics of nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P) runoff losses, loads, and their affecting factors in the croplands with different planting patterns in riverine plain area of the Province under natural rainfall. The mean annual runoff loads of total P, dissolved P, and particulate P from the field plots were 4.75, 0.74 and 4.01 kg x hm(-2), respectively, and the load of particulate P was much higher than that of dissolved P. The mean annual runoff loads of total N, dissolved total N, dissolved organic N, NH4(+)-N, and NO3(-)-N were 21.87, 17.19, 0.61, 3.63 and 12.95 kg x hm(-2), respectively, and the load of different fractions of dissolved total N was in the sequence of NO3(-)-N > NH4(+)-N > dissolved organic N. As for the field plots with different planting patterns, the runoff loads of total N, dissolved total N, dissolved organic N, and NO3(-)-N were in the sequence of fallow land < nursery land < single late rice field < double rice field < rape (or wheat)-single late rice field < wheat-early rice-late rice field < vegetable field, while those of total P and particulate P were in the sequence of fallow land < nursery land < single late rice field and double rice field < wheat-early rice-late rice field < rape (wheat)-single late rice field < vegetable field. No significant difference was observed in the load of water-dissolved P among the test plots with different planting patterns. The runoff losses of N and P mainly occurred in crop growth period, and the proportions of N and P losses in the growth period increased with increasing multiple crop index. The runoff losses of total N, dissolved N, and NO3(-)-N were mainly related to the application rate of N fertilizer, and soil NO3(-)-N content also had obvious effects on the runoff losses of total N and dissolved N. The runoff loss of dissolved organic N was related not only to N application rate, but also to soil total N and organic carbon. The runoff loss of NH4(+)-N was mainly related to soil available NH4(+)-N, but not related to N application rate. The runoff losses of total P and particulate P were related to both P application rate and soil available P, while the runoff loss of water dissolved P was less related to P application rate but had relations to soil total P and available P.

Characterization of Urban Runoff Pollution between Dissolved and Particulate Phases

PubMed Central

Wei, Zhang; Simin, Li; Fengbing, Tang

2013-01-01

To develop urban stormwater management effectively, characterization of urban runoff pollution between dissolved and particulate phases was studied by 12 rainfall events monitored for five typical urban catchments. The average event mean concentration (AEMC) of runoff pollutants in different phases was evaluated. The AEMC values of runoff pollutants in different phases from urban roads were higher than the ones from urban roofs. The proportions of total dissolved solids, total dissolved nitrogen, and total dissolved phosphorus in total ones for all the catchments were 26.19%–30.91%, 83.29%–90.51%, and 61.54–68.09%, respectively. During rainfall events, the pollutant concentration at the initial stage of rainfall was high and then sharply decreased to a low value. Affected by catchments characterization and rainfall distribution, the highest concentration of road pollutants might appear in the later period of rainfall. Strong correlations were also found among runoffs pollutants in different phases. Total suspended solid could be considered as a surrogate for particulate matters in both road and roof runoff, while dissolved chemical oxygen demand could be regarded as a surrogate for dissolved matters in roof runoff. PMID:23935444

Effects of increasing seawater circulation by tidal power plant operation on the water quality in the Shihwa coastal reservoir, Republic of Korea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, B. Y.; Lee, C. H.; KIm, K. T.

2016-02-01

Since 2012 to present, the Tidal Power Plant (TPP) has been operated in Shihwa Coastal Reservoir (SCR) to improve the water quality. The tidal mixing volume increased about 5 times from 0.03 to 0.16 billion ton/day which represents about 50% of the SCR water volume. Water quality monitoring data showed that it break a strong stratification and hypoxia (≤3 mg/L Dissolved Oxygen) during summer season in main tidal channel. In addition, Total Phosphorus (TP), Total Nitrogen (TN) and Chemical Oxygen Demand concentrations in the main tidal channel reached to similar level with outside SCR concentrations. However, inner area with limited tidal mixing has not experienced improvement in TN and TP concentrations after the TPP operation. Trophic State Index (TSI) which was composite index of trophic condition also kept high score (>50) and remained in eutrophic state especially in summer season. Overall, an increase of seawater circulation has a positive effect on water quality in main tidal channel but not in inner area because of limited seawater mixing and effects of stormwater runoff. The stormwater runoff should be properly managed in this case because most point source pollution load is discharged outside of SCR. Acknowledgement : This research was a part of the project titled 'Development of integrated estuarine management system', funded by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Korea

Parking lot runoff quality and treatment efficiencies of a hydrodynamic-settling device in Madison, Wisconsin, 2005-6

USGS Publications Warehouse

Horwatich, Judy A.; Bannerman, Roger T.

2012-01-01

A hydrodynamic-settling device was installed in 2004 to treat stormwater runoff from a roof and parking lot located at the Water Utility Administration Building in Madison, Wis. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the City of Madison, cities in the Waukesha Permit Group, Hydro International, Earth Tech, Inc., National Sanitation Foundation International, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, monitored the device from November 2005 through September 2006 to evaluate it as part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Environmental Technology Verification Program. Twenty-three runoff events monitored for flow volume and water quality at the device's inlet and outlet were used to calculate the percentage of pollutant reduction for the device. The geometric mean concentrations of suspended sediment (SS), "adjusted" total suspended solids (TSS), total phosphorus (TP), dissolved phosphorus (DP), total recoverable zinc (TZn), and total recoverable copper (TCu) measured at the inlet were 107 mg/L (milligrams per liter), 92 mg/L, 0.17 mg/L, 0.05 mg/L, 38 μg/L (micrograms per liter), and 12 μg/L, respectively, and these concentrations are in the range of values observed in stormwater runoff from other parking lots in Wisconsin and Michigan. Efficiency of the settling device was calculated using the efficiency ratio and summation of loads (SOL) methods. Using the efficiency ratio method, the device reduced concentrations of SS, and DP, by 19, and 15, percent, respectively. Using the efficiency ratio method, the device increased "adjusted" TSS and TZn concentrations by 5 and 19, respectively. Bypass occurred for 3 of the 23 runoff events used in this assessment, and the bypass flow and water-quality concentrations were used to determine the efficiency of the bypass system. Concentrations of SS, "adjusted" TSS, and DP were reduced for the system by 18, 5, and 18, respectively; however, TZn increased by 5 percent. Some of the TSS concentrations were "adjusted" to add the particles that remained on the sieves during sample processing. The loads of SS, "adjusted" TSS, and DP were reduced using the SOL method for the settling device by 38, 9, and 19 percent, respectively, and TZn increased by 13 percent. For the bypass system, the loads of SS, "adjusted" TSS, and DP had percentage reductions of 39, 12, 22, respectively, however TZn increased by 4 percent. The SOL method produced percentage reductions for SS and 'adjusted" TSS that were twice those for the efficiency ratio method. Removing the two large runoff events on August 23 and 24, 2006, from the SOL calculation brought the reduction for SS down to 16 and increased "adjusted" TSS by 4 percent. The two large runoff events were anomalies in that the runoff volumes and dissolved solids concentrations were greatly increased by overflow from an adjacent recycling facility. The SOL method was used to determine the percentage of SS load reduction for six different particle sizes for both the settling device and bypass system. Essentially no load reduction was observed for particles less than 125 micrometers (μm) in diameter, and about a 90-percent reduction occurred for particle sizes greater than 250 μm in diameter. The large removal efficiencies for particle sizes greater than 250 μm in diameter were further supported by the fact that more than 80 percent of the particle sizes trapped in the sump were greater than 250 μm in diameter. These results support the claim by the manufacturer of achieving a large percentage load reduction for particle sizes greater than 250 μm in diameter.

Concentrations, loads, and yields of total nitrogen and total phosphorus in the Barnegat Bay-Little Egg Harbor watershed, New Jersey, 1989-2011, at multiple spatial scales

USGS Publications Warehouse

Baker, Ronald J.; Wieben, Christine M.; Lathrop, Richard G.; Nicholson, Robert S.

2014-01-01

Concentrations, loads, and yields of nutrients (total nitrogen and total phosphorus) were calculated for the Barnegat Bay-Little Egg Harbor (BB-LEH) watershed for 1989–2011 at annual and seasonal (growing and nongrowing) time scales. Concentrations, loads, and yields were calculated at three spatial scales: for each of the 81 subbasins specified by 14-digit hydrologic unit codes (HUC-14s); for each of the three BB-LEH watershed segments, which coincide with segmentation of the BB-LEH estuary; and for the entire BB-LEH watershed. Base-flow and runoff values were calculated separately and were combined to provide total values. Available surface-water-quality data for all streams in the BB-LEH watershed for 1980–2011 were compiled from existing datasets and quality assured. Precipitation and streamflow data were used to distinguish between water-quality samples that were collected during base-flow conditions and those that were collected during runoff conditions. Base-flow separation of hydrographs of six streams in the BB-LEH watershed indicated that base flow accounts for about 72 to 94 percent of total flow in streams in the watershed. Base-flow mean concentrations (BMCs) of total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) for each HUC-14 subbasin were calculated from relations between land use and measured base-flow concentrations. These relations were developed from multiple linear regression models determined from water-quality data collected at sampling stations in the BB-LEH watershed under base-flow conditions and land-use percentages in the contributing drainage basins. The total watershed base-flow volume was estimated for each year and season from continuous streamflow records for 1989–2011 and relations between precipitation and streamflow during base-flow conditions. For each year and season, the base-flow load and yield were then calculated for each HUC-14 subbasin from the BMCs, total base-flow volume, and drainage area. The watershed-loading application PLOAD was used to calculate runoff concentrations, loads, and yields of TN and TP at the HUC-14 scale. Flow-weighted event-mean concentrations (EMCs) for runoff were developed for each major land-use type in the watershed using storm sampling data from four streams in the BB-LEH watershed and three streams outside the watershed. The EMCs were developed separately for the growing and nongrowing seasons, and were typically greater during the growing season. The EMCs, along with annual and seasonal precipitation amounts and percent imperviousness associated with land-use types, were used as inputs to PLOAD to calculate annual and seasonal runoff concentrations, loads, and yields at the HUC-14 scale. Over the period of study (1989–2011), total surface-water loads (base flow plus runoff) for the entire BB-LEH watershed for TN ranged from about 455,000 kilograms (kg) as N (1995) to 857,000 kg as N (2010). For TP, total loads for the watershed ranged from about 17,000 (1995) to 32,000 kg as P (2010). On average, the north segment accounted for about 66 percent of the annual TN load and 63 percent of the annual TP load, and the central and south segments each accounted for less than 20 percent of the nutrient loads. Loads and yields were strongly associated with precipitation patterns, ensuing hydrologic conditions, and land use. HUC-14 subbasins with the highest yields of nutrients are concentrated in the northern part of the watershed, and have the highest percentages of urban or agricultural land use. Subbasins with the lowest TN and TP yields are dominated by forest cover. Percentages of turf (lawn) cover and nonturf cover were estimated for the watershed. Of the developed land in the watershed, nearly one quarter (24.9 percent) was mapped as turf cover. Because there is a strong relation between percent turf and percent developed land, percent turf in the watershed typically increases with percent development, and the amount of development can be considered a reasonable predictor of the amount of turf cover in the watershed. In the BB-LEH watershed, calculated concentrations of TN and TP were greater for developed–turf areas than for developed–nonturf areas, which, in turn, were greater than those for undeveloped areas.

Percentage entrainment of constituent loads in urban runoff, south Florida

USGS Publications Warehouse

Miller, R.A.

1985-01-01

Runoff quantity and quality data from four urban basins in south Florida were analyzed to determine the entrainment of total nitrogen, total phosphorus, total carbon, chemical oxygen demand, suspended solids, and total lead within the stormwater runoff. Land use of the homogeneously developed basins are residential (single family), highway, commercial, and apartment (multifamily). A computational procedure was used to calculate, for all storms that had water-quality data, the percentage of constituent load entrainment in specified depths of runoff. The plot of percentage of constituent load entrained as a function of runoff is termed the percentage-entrainment curve. Percentage-entrainment curves were developed for three different source areas of basin runoff: (1) the hydraulically effective impervious area, (2) the contributing area, and (3) the drainage area. With basin runoff expressed in inches over the contributing area, the depth of runoff required to remove 90 percent of the constituent load ranged from about 0.4 inch to about 1.4 inches; and to remove 80 percent, from about 0.3 to 0.9 inch. Analysis of variance, using depth of runoff from the contributing area as the response variable, showed that the factor 'basin' is statistically significant, but that the factor 'constituent' is not statistically significant in the forming of the percentage-entrainment curve. Evidently the sewerage design, whether elongated or concise in plan dictates the shape of the percentage-entrainment curve. The percentage-entrainment curves for all constituents were averaged for each basin and plotted against basin runoff for three source areas of runoff-the hydraulically effective impervious area, the contributing area, and the drainage area. The relative positions of the three curves are directly related to the relative sizes of the three source areas considered. One general percentage-entrainment curve based on runoff from the contributing area was formed by averaging across both constituents and basins. Its coordinates are: 0.25 inch of runoff for 50-percent entrainment, 0.65 inch of runoff for 80-percent entrainment, and 0.95 inch of runoff for 90-percent entrainment. The general percentage-entrainment curve based on runoff from the hydraulically effective impervious area has runoff values of 0.35, 0.95, 1.6 inches, respectively.

Satellite-derived land covers for runoff estimation using SCS-CN method in Chen-You-Lan Watershed, Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Wen-Yan; Lin, Chao-Yuan

2017-04-01

The Soil Conservation Service Curve Number (SCS-CN) method, which was originally developed by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, is widely used to estimate direct runoff volume from rainfall. The runoff Curve Number (CN) parameter is based on the hydrologic soil group and land use factors. In Taiwan, the national land use maps were interpreted from aerial photos in 1995 and 2008. Rapid updating of post-disaster land use map is limited due to the high cost of production, so the classification of satellite images is the alternative method to obtain the land use map. In this study, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) in Chen-You-Lan Watershed was derived from dry and wet season of Landsat imageries during 2003 - 2008. Land covers were interpreted from mean value and standard deviation of NDVI and were categorized into 4 groups i.e. forest, grassland, agriculture and bare land. Then, the runoff volume of typhoon events during 2005 - 2009 were estimated using SCS-CN method and verified with the measured runoff data. The result showed that the model efficiency coefficient is 90.77%. Therefore, estimating runoff by using the land cover map classified from satellite images is practicable.

Discussion about initial runoff and volume capture ratio of annual rainfall.

PubMed

Zhang, Kun; Che, Wu; Zhang, Wei; Zhao, Yang

2016-10-01

In recent years, runoff pollution from urban areas has become a major concern all over the world. But there exists a worldwide confusion about how much stormwater should be captured for the purpose of runoff pollution control. Furthermore, the construction cost and pollution control efficiency are closely linked with the size of stormwater facilities, which is then related to the first flush (FF) phenomenon and volume capture ratio of annual rainfall (VCRa). Based on this background, analysis of the random and changeable characteristics of the occurrence of FF was carried out first, which was proved to vary with catchment characteristics and pollutant types. Secondly, the distribution of design rainfall depth toward 85% VCRa in China and its causes have been analyzed. Thirdly, the relationship between initial runoff and VCRa has been studied at both conceptual and numerical levels, and the change rule of VCRa along with design rainfall depth in different regions has been studied. The limitation of initial runoff has been illustrated from the perspective of runoff characteristics of single rainfall events in the first part, and from the perspective of regional differences in the two subsequent parts.

Use of the continuous slope-area method to estimate runoff in a network of ephemeral channels, southeast Arizona, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stewart, Anne M.; Callegary, James B.; Smith, Christopher F.; Gupta, Hoshin V.; Leenhouts, James M.; Fritzinger, Robert A.

2012-01-01

The continuous slope-area (CSA) method is an innovative gaging method for indirect computation of complete-event discharge hydrographs that can be applied when direct measurement methods are unsafe, impractical, or impossible to apply. This paper reports on use of the method to produce event-specific discharge hydrographs in a network of sand-bedded ephemeral stream channels in southeast Arizona, USA, for water year 2008. The method provided satisfactory discharge estimates for flows that span channel banks, and for moderate to large flows, with about 10–16% uncertainty, respectively for total flow volume and peak flow, as compared to results obtained with an alternate method. Our results also suggest that the CSA method may be useful for estimating runoff of small flows, and during recessions, but with increased uncertainty.

Evaluation and modification of five techniques for estimating stormwater runoff for watersheds in west-central Florida

USGS Publications Warehouse

Trommer, J.T.; Loper, J.E.; Hammett, K.M.

1996-01-01

Several traditional techniques have been used for estimating stormwater runoff from ungaged watersheds. Applying these techniques to water- sheds in west-central Florida requires that some of the empirical relationships be extrapolated beyond tested ranges. As a result, there is uncertainty as to the accuracy of these estimates. Sixty-six storms occurring in 15 west-central Florida watersheds were initially modeled using the Rational Method, the U.S. Geological Survey Regional Regression Equations, the Natural Resources Conservation Service TR-20 model, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Hydrologic Engineering Center-1 model, and the Environmental Protection Agency Storm Water Management Model. The techniques were applied according to the guidelines specified in the user manuals or standard engineering textbooks as though no field data were available and the selection of input parameters was not influenced by observed data. Computed estimates were compared with observed runoff to evaluate the accuracy of the techniques. One watershed was eliminated from further evaluation when it was determined that the area contributing runoff to the stream varies with the amount and intensity of rainfall. Therefore, further evaluation and modification of the input parameters were made for only 62 storms in 14 watersheds. Runoff ranged from 1.4 to 99.3 percent percent of rainfall. The average runoff for all watersheds included in this study was about 36 percent of rainfall. The average runoff for the urban, natural, and mixed land-use watersheds was about 41, 27, and 29 percent, respectively. Initial estimates of peak discharge using the rational method produced average watershed errors that ranged from an underestimation of 50.4 percent to an overestimation of 767 percent. The coefficient of runoff ranged from 0.20 to 0.60. Calibration of the technique produced average errors that ranged from an underestimation of 3.3 percent to an overestimation of 1.5 percent. The average calibrated coefficient of runoff for each watershed ranged from 0.02 to 0.72. The average values of the coefficient of runoff necessary to calibrate the urban, natural, and mixed land-use watersheds were 0.39, 0.16, and 0.08, respectively. The U.S. Geological Survey regional regression equations for determining peak discharge produced errors that ranged from an underestimation of 87.3 percent to an over- estimation of 1,140 percent. The regression equations for determining runoff volume produced errors that ranged from an underestimation of 95.6 percent to an overestimation of 324 percent. Regression equations developed from data used for this study produced errors that ranged between an underestimation of 82.8 percent and an over- estimation of 328 percent for peak discharge, and from an underestimation of 71.2 percent to an overestimation of 241 percent for runoff volume. Use of the equations developed for west-central Florida streams produced average errors for each type of watershed that were lower than errors associated with use of the U.S. Geological Survey equations. Initial estimates of peak discharges and runoff volumes using the Natural Resources Conservation Service TR-20 model, produced average errors of 44.6 and 42.7 percent respectively, for all the watersheds. Curve numbers and times of concentration were adjusted to match estimated and observed peak discharges and runoff volumes. The average change in the curve number for all the watersheds was a decrease of 2.8 percent. The average change in the time of concentration was an increase of 59.2 percent. The shape of the input dimensionless unit hydrograph also had to be adjusted to match the shape and peak time of the estimated and observed flood hydrographs. Peak rate factors for the modified input dimensionless unit hydrographs ranged from 162 to 454. The mean errors for peak discharges and runoff volumes were reduced to 18.9 and 19.5 percent, respectively, using the average calibrated input parameters for ea

A case study examining the efficacy of drainage setbacks for limiting effects to wetlands in the Prairie Pothole Region, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tangen, Brian; Finocchiaro, Raymond

2017-01-01

The enhancement of agricultural lands through the use of artificial drainage systems is a common practice throughout the United States, and recently the use of this practice has expanded in the Prairie Pothole Region. Many wetlands are afforded protection from the direct effects of drainage through regulation or legal agreements, and drainage setback distances typically are used to provide a buffer between wetlands and drainage systems. A field study was initiated to assess the potential for subsurface drainage to affect wetland surface-water characteristics through a reduction in precipitation runoff, and to examine the efficacy of current U.S. Department of Agriculture drainage setback distances for limiting these effects. Surface-water levels, along with primary components of the catchment water balance, were monitored over 3 y at four seasonal wetland catchments situated in a high-relief terrain (7–11% slopes). During the second year of the study, subsurface drainage systems were installed in two of the catchments using drainage setbacks, and the drainage discharge volumes were monitored. A catchment water-balance model was used to assess the potential effect of subsurface drainage on wetland hydrology and to assess the efficacy of drainage setbacks for mitigating these effects. Results suggest that overland precipitation runoff can be an important component of the seasonal water balance of Prairie Pothole Region wetlands, accounting on average for 34% (19–49%) or 45% (39–49%) of the annual (includes snowmelt runoff) or seasonal (does not include snowmelt) input volumes, respectively. Seasonal (2014–2015) discharge volumes from the localized drainage systems averaged 81 m3 (31–199 m3), and were small when compared with average combined inputs of 3,745 m3 (1,214–6,993 m3) from snowmelt runoff, direct precipitation, and precipitation runoff. Model simulations of reduced precipitation runoff volumes as a result of subsurface drainage systems showed that ponded wetland surface areas were reduced by an average of 590 m2 (141–1,787 m2), or 24% (3–46%), when no setbacks were used (drainage systems located directly adjacent to wetland). Likewise, wetland surface areas were reduced by an average of 141 m2 (23–464 m2), or 7% (1–28%), when drainage setbacks (buffer) were used. In totality, the field data and model simulations suggest that the drainage setbacks should reduce, but not eliminate, impacts to the water balance of the four wetlands monitored in this study that were located in a high-relief terrain. However, further study is required to assess the validity of these conclusions outside of the limited parameters (e.g., terrain, weather, soils) of this study and to examine potential ecological effects of altered wetland hydrology.

Runoff process in the Miyake-jima Island after Eruption in 2000

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tagata, Satoshi; Itoh, Takahiro; Miyamoto, Kuniaki; Ishizuka, Tadanori

2014-05-01

Hydrological environment in a basin can be changed completely due to volcanic eruption. Huge volume of tephra was yielded due to eruptions in 2000 in the Miyake-jima Island, Japan. Hydrological monitoring was conducted at four observation sites with several hundred m2 in a basin. Those were decided by the distribution of thickness and the grain size of the tephra. Rainfall intensity was measured by a tipping bucket type raingauge and flow discharge was calculated by the over flow depth in a flow gauging weir in the monitoring. However, the runoff rate did not relate to the grain size of tephra and the thickness of tephra deposition, according to measured data of rainfall intensity and runoff discharge. Supposing that if total runoff in one rainfall event is equal to the summation of rainfall over a threshold, the value of the threshold must be the loss rainfall intensity, the value of the threshold corresponds to the infiltration for the rainfall intensity. The relationships between loss rainfall intensity and the antecedent precipitation are calculated using measured rainfall and runoff data in every rainfall event, focusing on that the antecedent precipitation before occurrence of surface runoff approximately corresponds to the water contents under the slope surface. In present study, the results obtained through data analyses are summarized as follows: (1) There are some values for the threshold values, and the loss rainfall intensity approaches to some constant value if the value of the antecedent precipitation increases. The constant value corresponds to the saturated infiltration. (2) The loss rainfall intensity must be vertical unsaturated infiltration, and observed data for water runoff can express that the runoff is given by the excess rainfall intensity more than the loss rainfall intensity. (3) There are two antecedent times for rainfall with several hours and several days, and the saturation ratio before antecedent time at four observation sites can be predicted in the range from sixty to ninety percentages by the water retention curve.

40 CFR 411.32 - Effluent limitations guidelines representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by the...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Storage Piles Runoff Subcategory § 411.32 Effluent limitations guidelines representing the degree of... facilities designed, constructed and operated to treat the volume of runoff from materials storage piles...

Demonstration to characterize watershed runoff potential by microwave techniques

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blanchard, B. J.

1977-01-01

Characteristics such as storage capacity of the soil, volume of storage in vegetative matter, and volume of storage available in local depressions are expressed in empirical watershed runoff equations as one or more coefficients. Conventional techniques for estimating coefficients representing the spatial distribution of these characteristics over a watershed drainage area are subjective and produce significant errors. Characteristics of the wear surface are described as a single coefficient called the curve number.

Distributed modelling of hydrologic regime at three subcatchments of Kopaninský tok catchment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Žlábek, Pavel; Tachecí, Pavel; Kaplická, Markéta; Bystřický, Václav

2010-05-01

Kopaninský tok catchment is situated in crystalline area of Bohemo-Moravian highland hilly region, with cambisol cover and prevailing agricultural land use. It is a subject of long term (since 1980's) observation. Time series (discharge, precipitation, climatic parameters...) are nowadays available in 10 min. time step, water quality average daily composit samples plus samples during events are available. Soil survey resulting in reference soil hydraulic properties for horizons and vegetation cover survey incl. LAI measurement has been done. All parameters were analysed and used for establishing of distributed mathematical models of P6, P52 and P53 subcatchments, using MIKE SHE 2009 WM deterministic hydrologic modelling system. The aim is to simulate long-term hydrologic regime as well as rainfall-runoff events, serving the base for modelling of nitrate regime and agricultural management influence in the next step. Mentioned subcatchments differs in ratio of artificial drainage area, soil types, land use and slope angle. The models are set-up in a regular computational grid of 2 m size. Basic time step was set to 2 hrs, total simulated period covers 3 years. Runoff response and moisture regime is compared using spatially distributed simulation results. Sensitivity analysis revealed most important parameters influencing model response. Importance of spatial distribution of initial conditions was underlined. Further on, different runoff components in terms of their origin, flow paths and travel time were separated using a combination of two runoff separation techniques (a digital filter and a simple conceptual model GROUND) in 12 subcatchments of Kopaninský tok catchment. These two methods were chosen based on a number of methods testing. Ordinations diagrams performed with Canoco software were used to evaluate influence of different catchment parameters on different runoff components. A canonical ordination method analyses (RDA) was used to explain one data set (runoff components - either volumes of each runoff component or occurence of baseflow) with another data set (catchment parameters - proportion of arable land, proportion of forest, proportion of vulnerable zones with high infiltration capacity, average slope, topographic index and runoff coefficient). The influence was analysed both for long-term runoff balance and selected rainfall-runoff events. Keywords: small catchment, water balance modelling, rainfall-runoff modelling, distributed deterministic model, runoff separation, sensitivity analysis

How much runoff originates as snow in the western United States, and how will that change in the future?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Dongyue; Wrzesien, Melissa L.; Durand, Michael; Adam, Jennifer; Lettenmaier, Dennis P.

2017-06-01

In the western United States, the seasonal phase of snow storage bridges between winter-dominant precipitation and summer-dominant water demand. The critical role of snow in water supply has been frequently quantified using the ratio of snowmelt-derived runoff to total runoff. However, current estimates of the fraction of annual runoff generated by snowmelt are not based on systematic analyses. Here based on hydrological model simulations and a new snowmelt tracking algorithm, we show that 53% of the total runoff in the western United States originates as snowmelt, despite only 37% of the precipitation falling as snow. In mountainous areas, snowmelt is responsible for 70% of the total runoff. By 2100, the contribution of snowmelt to runoff will decrease by one third for the western U.S. in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5 scenario. Snowmelt-derived runoff currently makes up two thirds of the inflow to the region's major reservoirs. We argue that substantial impacts on water supply are likely in a warmer climate.

[A field experiment of runoff and sediment yielding processes from residues in Shenfu-Dongsheng Coalfield].

PubMed

Li, Jian-Ming; Wang, Wen-Long; Wang, Zhen; Luo, Ting; Li, Hong-Wei; Jin, Jian

2013-12-01

The processes of runoff and sediment yields from and the benefits of water and sediment reductions by the residues produced in the Shenfu-Dongsheng Coalfield were investigated by a simulated field rainfall experiment. The runoff generation time generally presented a decreasing trend with increasing rainfall intensity, but varied widely with the change of residue compositions. Runoff from the slag reached a steady velocity faster than that from the spoil, and the average velocities of runoff from the residues were gradually decreased in the spoil, the slag with more sand and less stone, and the slag with less sand and more stone. Runoff rates for the residues reached a steady rate 6 min after runoff generation, and were significantly correlated with the rainfall intensities. Erosion on the residues mainly occurred in the first 6 min after runoff generation. Average sediment concentrations in the first 6 min were 0.43-4.27 times of those thereafter for the spoil, and 1.43-54.93 times for the slag. The runoff volume was a linear function of the rainfall intensity for the spoil and the slag with more sand and less stone, and was a power function of rainfall intensity for the slag with less sand and more stone. The relationships between single erosion and rainfall intensity for the spoil and the slag with less sand and more stone can be described by exponential and power functions, respectively. For the spoil, the erosion rate was a linear function of the runoff volume. When fish-scale pits and vegetation coverage were adopted on the surface of the slag, the generation of runoff lagged 24 min behind initial rainfall applications at intensities of 1.0 and 1.5 mm x min(-1), and the runoff and sediment yields were reduced by 29.5%-52.9% and 85.7%-97.9%, respectively.

Spatially distributed storm runoff modeling using remote sensing and geographic information systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Melesse, Assefa Mekonnen

Advances in scientific knowledge and new techniques of remote sensing permit a better understanding of the physical land features governing hydrologic processes, and make possible efficient, large-scale hydrologic modeling. The need for land-cover and hydrologic response change detection at a larger scale and at times of the year when hydrologic studies are critical makes satellite imagery the most cost effective, efficient and reliable source of data. The use of a Geographic Information System (GIS) to store, manipulate and visualize these data, and ultimately to estimate runoff from watersheds, has gained increasing attention in recent years. In this work, remotely-sensed data and GIS tools were used to estimate the changes in land-cover, and to estimate runoff response, for three watersheds (Etonia, Econlockhatchee, and S-65A sub-basins) in Florida. Land-use information from Digital Orthophoto Quarter Quadrangles (DOQQ), Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM), and Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) were analyzed for the years 1973, 1984, 1990, 1995, and 2000. Spatial distribution of land-cover was assessed over time. The corresponding infiltration excess runoff response of the study areas due to these changes was estimated using the United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service Curve Number (USDA-NRCS-CN) method. A Digital Elevation Model (DEM)-GIS technique was developed to predict stream response to runoff events based on the travel time from each grid cell to the watershed outlet. The method was tested on a representative watershed (Simms Creek) in the Etonia sub-basin. Simulated and observed runoff volume and hydrographs were compared for 17 storm events. Isolated storms, with volumes of not less than 12.75 mm (0.5 inch) were selected. This is the minimum amount of rainfall volume recommended for the NRCS-CN method. Results show that the model predicts the runoff response of the study area with an average efficiency of 57%. Comparison of the runoff prediction to Snyder's synthetic Unit hydrograph method and TOPMODEL shows the spatially distributed infiltration excess travel time model performs better than both the Snyder's method and TOPMODEL. The model is applicable to ungaged watersheds and useful for predicting runoff hydrographs resulting from changes in the land-cover.

Impact of phosphate mining and separation of mined materials on the hydrology and water environment of the Huangbai River basin, China.

PubMed

Wang, Kang; Lin, Zhongbing; Zhang, Renduo

2016-02-01

The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of large-scale phosphate mining (PM) on hydrology and water quality in the Huangbai River basin, China. Rainfall and runoff data were used to analyze hydrological changes of the basin before (from 1978 to 2002) and during (from 2003 to 2014) the PM period. From 2009 to 2014, flow rate and concentrations of ammonia nitrogen (NH4(+)), nitrate (NO3(-)), fluoride (F(-)), suspended solids (SS), total nitrogen (TN), soluble phosphorus (SP), and total phosphorus (TP) were measured at the outfalls of PM as well as at outlets of sub-basins with and without PM practices. Results showed that the PM activities generally reduced runoff (i.e., the runoff coefficient and runoff peak). The sequential Mann Kendall test revealed a decrease trend of runoff during wet seasons after 2008 in the PM regions. For a mining scale of one unit of PM productivity (i.e., 10(8)kg phosphate ore per year or 2.74×10(5) kg d(-1)), TN, SS, and TP of 0.633, 1.46 to 5.22, and 0.218 to 0.554 kg d(-1) were generated, respectively. The NH4(+) and TN loads in the sub-basins with PM were significantly higher than these in the sub-basins without PM; however, the NH4(+) and TN loads that discharged into rivers from the background non-point sources discharged were less in the sub-basins with PM than those without PM. The result was attributed to the reduction of runoff volume by PM. The annual mean concentrations of TN in reservoir water increased with the scales of PM, whereas the mean concentrations of SP were low. Nevertheless, the SP concentrations in the reservoirs greatly increased after 2012, mainly related to the dissolution of apatite in the sediment. The information from this study should improve the understanding of changes in hydrology and water quality in regions with large-scale PM. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Application and Evaluation of a Snowmelt Runoff Model in the Tamor River Basin, Eastern Himalaya Using a Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) Data Assimilation Approach

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Panday, Prajjwal K.; Williams, Christopher A.; Frey, Karen E.; Brown, Molly E.

2013-01-01

Previous studies have drawn attention to substantial hydrological changes taking place in mountainous watersheds where hydrology is dominated by cryospheric processes. Modelling is an important tool for understanding these changes but is particularly challenging in mountainous terrain owing to scarcity of ground observations and uncertainty of model parameters across space and time. This study utilizes a Markov Chain Monte Carlo data assimilation approach to examine and evaluate the performance of a conceptual, degree-day snowmelt runoff model applied in the Tamor River basin in the eastern Nepalese Himalaya. The snowmelt runoff model is calibrated using daily streamflow from 2002 to 2006 with fairly high accuracy (average Nash-Sutcliffe metric approx. 0.84, annual volume bias <3%). The Markov Chain Monte Carlo approach constrains the parameters to which the model is most sensitive (e.g. lapse rate and recession coefficient) and maximizes model fit and performance. Model simulated streamflow using an interpolated precipitation data set decreases the fractional contribution from rainfall compared with simulations using observed station precipitation. The average snowmelt contribution to total runoff in the Tamor River basin for the 2002-2006 period is estimated to be 29.7+/-2.9% (which includes 4.2+/-0.9% from snowfall that promptly melts), whereas 70.3+/-2.6% is attributed to contributions from rainfall. On average, the elevation zone in the 4000-5500m range contributes the most to basin runoff, averaging 56.9+/-3.6% of all snowmelt input and 28.9+/-1.1% of all rainfall input to runoff. Model simulated streamflow using an interpolated precipitation data set decreases the fractional contribution from rainfall versus snowmelt compared with simulations using observed station precipitation. Model experiments indicate that the hydrograph itself does not constrain estimates of snowmelt versus rainfall contributions to total outflow but that this derives from the degree-day melting model. Lastly, we demonstrate that the data assimilation approach is useful for quantifying and reducing uncertainty related to model parameters and thus provides uncertainty bounds on snowmelt and rainfall contributions in such mountainous watersheds.

Runoff scenarios of the Ötz catchment (Tyrol, Austria) considering climate change driven changes of the cryosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Helfricht, Kay; Schneeberger, Klaus; Welebil, Irene; Schöber, Johannes; Huss, Matthias; Formayer, Herbert; Huttenlau, Matthias; Schneider, Katrin

2014-05-01

The seasonal distribution of runoff in alpine catchments is markedly influenced by the cryospheric contribution (snow and ice). Long-term climate change will alter these reservoirs and consequently have an impact on the water balance. Glacierized catchments like the Ötztal (Tyrol, Austria) are particularly sensitive to changes in the cryosphere and the hydrological changes related to them. The Ötztal possesses an outstanding role in Austrian and international cryospheric research and reacts sensitive to changes in hydrology due to its socio-economic structure (e.g. importance of tourism, hydro-power). In this study future glacier scenarios for the runoff calculations in the Ötztal catchment are developed. In addition to climatological scenario data, glacier scenarios were established for the hydrological simulation of future runoff. Glacier outlines and glacier surface elevation changes of the Austrian Glacier Inventory were used to derive present ice thickness distribution and scenarios of glacier area distribution. Direct effects of climate change (i.e. temperature and precipitation change) and indirect effects in terms of variations in the cryosphere were considered for the analysis of the mean runoff and particularly flood frequencies. Runoff was modelled with the hydrological model HQSim, which was calibrated for the runoff gauges at Brunau, Obergurgl and Vent. For a sensitivity study, the model was driven by separate glacier scenarios. Keeping glacier area constant, variable climate input was used to separate the effect of climate sensitivity. Results of the combination of changed glacier areas and changed climate input were subsequently analysed. Glacier scenarios show first a decrease in volume, before glacier area shrinks. The applied method indicates a 50% ice volume loss by 2050 relative to today. Further, model results show a reduction in glacier volume and area to less than 20% of the current ice cover towards the end of the 21st century. The effect of reduced glacier areas can be seen in a reduction of runoff particularly in summer. Maintaining the glacier areas constant, runoff would increase in summer month caused by higher ice melt under climate change conditions. Also runoff increases in spring and fall is expected due to a shift from solid to liquid precipitation in the mountain catchments. The simulation of the combination of glacier change and climate change scenarios results in an increase in runoff in spring due to a shift in the snowline and a decrease in runoff in summer caused by reduced glacier area.

[Pollution load and the first flush effect of phosphorus in urban runoff of Wenzhou City].

PubMed

Zhou, Dong; Chen, Zhen-lou; Bi, Chun-juan

2012-08-01

Five typical rainfalls were monitored in two different research areas of Wenzhou municipality. The pH and concentrations of total phosphorus (TP), dissolved phosphorus (DP), particulate phosphorus (PP), total inorganic carbon (TIC), total organic carbon (TOC), total suspended substances (TSS), BOD5 and COD in six different kinds of urban runoff were measured. The results showed that, the concentrations of TP, DP and PP in different kinds of urban runoff of Wenzhou ranged from 0.01 to 4.32 mg x L(-1), ND to 0.88 mg x L(-1) and ND to 4.31 mg x L(-1), respectively. In the early stages of runoff process PP was dominated, while in the later, the proportion of DP in most of the runoff samples would show a rising trend, especially in roof and outlet runoff. Judged by the event mean concentration (EMC) of TP and DP in these five rainfalls, some kinds of urban runoff could cause environmental pressure to the next level receiving water bodies. Meanwhile, the differences among the TP and DP content (maximum, minimum and mean content) in various urban runoffs were significant, and so were the differences among various rainfall events. According to the M (V) curve, the first flush effect of TP in most kinds of urban runoff was common; while the first flush effect of DP was more difficult to occur comparing with TP. Not only the underlying surface types but also many physico-chemical properties of runoff could affect the concentration of TP in urban runoff. All the results also suggested that different best management plans (BMPs) should be selected for various urban runoff types for the treatment of phosphorus pollution, and reducing the concentration of TSS is considered as one of the effective ways to decrease the pollution load of phosphorus in urban runoff.

Analysis and predictive models of stormwater runoff volumes, loads, and pollutant concentrations from watersheds in the Twin Cities metropolitan area, Minnesota, USA.

PubMed

Brezonik, Patrick L; Stadelmann, Teresa H

2002-04-01

Urban nonpoint source pollution is a significant contributor to water quality degradation. Watershed planners need to be able to estimate nonpoint source loads to lakes and streams if they are to plan effective management strategies. To meet this need for the twin cities metropolitan area, a large database of urban and suburban runoff data was compiled. Stormwater runoff loads and concentrations of 10 common constituents (six N and P forms, TSS, VSS, COD, Pb) were characterized, and effects of season and land use were analyzed. Relationships between runoff variables and storm and watershed characteristics were examined. The best regression equation to predict runoff volume for rain events was based on rainfall amount, drainage area, and percent impervious area (R2 = 0.78). Median event-mean concentrations (EMCs) tended to be higher in snowmelt runoff than in rainfall runoff, and significant seasonal differences were found in yields (kg/ha) and EMCs for most constituents. Simple correlations between explanatory variables and stormwater loads and EMCs were weak. Rainfall amount and intensity and drainage area were the most important variables in multiple linear regression models to predict event loads, but uncertainty was high in models developed with the pooled data set. The most accurate models for EMCs generally were found when sites were grouped according to common land use and size.

Modeling of a lot scale rainwater tank system in XP-SWMM: a case study in Western Sydney, Australia.

PubMed

van der Sterren, Marlène; Rahman, Ataur; Ryan, Garry

2014-08-01

Lot scale rainwater tank system modeling is often used in sustainable urban storm water management, particularly to estimate the reduction in the storm water run-off and pollutant wash-off at the lot scale. These rainwater tank models often cannot be adequately calibrated and validated due to limited availability of observed rainwater tank quantity and quality data. This paper presents calibration and validation of a lot scale rainwater tank system model using XP-SWMM utilizing data collected from two rainwater tank systems located in Western Sydney, Australia. The modeling considers run-off peak and volume in and out of the rainwater tank system and also a number of water quality parameters (Total Phosphorus (TP), Total Nitrogen (TN) and Total Solids (TS)). It has been found that XP-SWMM can be used successfully to develop a lot scale rainwater system model within an acceptable error margin. It has been shown that TP and TS can be predicted more accurately than TN using the developed model. In addition, it was found that a significant reduction in storm water run-off discharge can be achieved as a result of the rainwater tank up to about one year average recurrence interval rainfall event. The model parameter set assembled in this study can be used for developing lot scale rainwater tank system models at other locations in the Western Sydney region and in other parts of Australia with necessary adjustments for the local site characteristics. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hydrology, nutrient concentrations, and nutrient yields in nearshore areas of four lakes in northern Wisconsin, 1999-2001

USGS Publications Warehouse

Graczyk, David J.; Hunt, Randall J.; Greb, Steven R.; Buchwald, Cheryl A.; Krohelski, James T.

2003-01-01

The effects of shoreline development on water quality and nutrient yields in nearshore areas of four lakes in northern Wisconsin were investigated from October 1999 through September 2001. The study measured surface runoff and ground-water flows from paired developed (sites containing lawn, rooftops, sidewalks, and driveways) and undeveloped (mature and immature woods) catchments adjacent to four lakes in northern Wisconsin. Water samples from surface runoff and ground water were collected and analyzed for nutrients. Coupled with water volumes, loads and subsequent yields of selected constituents were computed for developed and undeveloped catchments. The median runoff from lawn surfaces ranged from 0.0019 to 0.059 inch over the catchment area. Median surface runoff estimates from the wooded catchments were an order of magnitude less than those from the lawn catchments. The increased water volumes from the lawn catchments resulted in greater nutrient loads and subsequent annual nutrient yields from the developed sites. Soil temperature and soil moisture were measured at two sites with mixed lawn and wooded areas. At both of these sites, the area covered with a lawn commonly was warmer than the wooded area. No consistent differences in soil moisture were found. A ground-water model was constructed to simulate the local flow systems at two of the paired catchments. Model simulations showed that much of the ground water delivered to the lake originated from distant areas that did not contribute runoff directly to the lake. Surface runoff and ground-water nutrient concentrations from the lawn and wooded catchments did not have apparent patterns. Some of the median concentrations from lawns were significantly different (at the 0.05 significance level) from those at wooded catchments. Water wells and piezometers were sampled for chemical analyses three times during the study period. Variability in the shallow ground-water chemistry over time in the lawn samples was larger than samples from the wooded areas and upgradient wells. Median nutrient yields in surface runoff from lawns always were greater than those from the wooded catchments. Runoff volumes were the most important factor in determining whether lawns or wooded catchments contribute more nutrients to the lake. The ground-water system had appreciable nutrient concentrations, and are likely an important pathway for nutrient transport to the lake. The nitrate plus nitrite nitrogen and total phosphorus yields to the ground-water system from a lawn catchment were approximately 3 to 4 times greater than those from the wooded catchment. There was no difference in the yields of dissolved inorganic phosphorus to the ground-water system from the lawn and wooded catchments. Study results demonstrate that choosing the appropriate landscape position for locating lawns in sloped areas (specifically, slopes that do not terminate at the lake or areas with intervening flat or buffer zones between lawn and lake) can help reduce the adverse effect of lawns on the shallow ground water and, ultimately, the lake. Additional information would be needed to extrapolate these results to a large drainage area of a lake.

Research on the effect of rainfall flood regulation and control of wetland park based on SWMM model—a case study of wetland park in Yuanjia village, Qishan county, Shaanxi province

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Da; Liu, Yijie

2018-02-01

Taking the wetland park of Yuan Village in Qishan County of Shaanxi Province as the research object, this paper makes a reasonable generalization of the study area, and establishes two models of low impact development (LID) and traditional development in the park. Meantime, rainwater in the surrounding built up area is introduced to into the park for digestion. SWMM model is used to simulate the variation of the total runoff, peak flow and peak time of two development models in Wetland Park under one-hour rainfall at different recurrence periods.The runoff control effect in each single LID facility in the one-hour rainfall once during five years in the built-up area is simulated. The simulation results show that the SWMM model can not only quantify the runoff reduction effect of different LID facilities, but also provide theoretical basis and data support for the urban rainfall flood problem. LID facilities have effects on runoff reduction and peak delay. However, the combined LID facility has obvious advantages for the peak time delay and peak flow control. A single LID facility is more efficient in a single runoff volume control. The order of runoff reduction by various LID facilities is as follows: Rain garden>combined LID facility> vegetative swale> bio-retention cell > permeable pavement. The order of peak time delay effect by the LID facilities is as follows: combined LID facility> Rain garden> vegetative swale> bio-retention cell > permeable pavement. The order of peak flow reduction efficiency by various LID facilities is: combined LID facility> Rain garden> bio-retention cell > vegetative swale> permeable pavement.

Keeping soil in the field - runoff and erosion management in asparagus crops

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niziolomski, Joanna; Simmons, Robert; Rickson, Jane; Hann, Mike

2016-04-01

Row crop production (including potatoes, onions, carrots, asparagus, bulbs and lettuce) is regarded as one of the most erosive agricultural cropping systems. This is a result of the many practices involved that increase erosion risk including: fine seedbed preparation, a typically short growing season where adequate ground cover protects the soil, permanent bare soil areas between crops, and often intensive harvesting methods that can damage soil structure and result in soil compaction. Sustained exposure of bare soil coupled with onsite compaction on slightly sloping land results in soil and water issues in asparagus production. Asparagus production is a growing British industry covering > 2000 ha and is worth approximately £30 million yr-1. However, no tried and tested erosion control measurements currently exist to manage associated problems. Research has recently been undertaken investigating the effectiveness of erosion control measures suitable for asparagus production systems. These consisted of surface applied wheat straw mulch and shallow soil disturbance (< 350 mm) using several tine configurations: a currently adopted winged tine, a narrow with two shallow leading tines, and a modified para-plough. These treatments were tested individually and in combination (straw mulch with each shallow soil disturbance tine configuration) using triplicated field plots situated on a working asparagus farm in Herefordshire, UK. Testing was conducted between May and November 2013. Rainfall-event based runoff and erosion measurements were taken including; runoff volume, runoff rate and total soil loss. Runoff and soil erosion was observed from all treatments. However, the surface application of straw mulch alone out performed each shallow soil disturbance practice. This suggests that runoff and erosion from asparagus production can be reduced using the simple surface application of straw.

Distributions of typical contaminant species in urban short-term storm runoff and their fates during rain events: a case of Xiamen City.

PubMed

Wei, Qunshan; Zhu, Gefu; Wu, Peng; Cui, Li; Zhang, Kaisong; Zhou, Jingjing; Zhang, Wenru

2010-01-01

The pollutants in urban storm runoff, which lead to an non-point source contamination of water environment around cities, are of great concerns. The distributions of typical contaminants and the variations of their species in short term storm runoff from different land surfaces in Xiamen City were investigated. The concentrations of various contaminants, including organic matter, nutrients (i.e., N and P) and heavy metals, were significantly higher in parking lot and road runoff than those in roof and lawn runoff. The early runoff samples from traffic road and parking lot contained much high total nitrogen (TN 6-19 mg/L) and total phosphorus (TP 1-3 mg/L). A large proportion (around 60%) of TN existed as total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) species in most runoff. The percentage of TDN and the percentage of total dissolved phosphorus remained relatively stable during the rain events and did not decrease as dramatically as TN and TP. In addition, only parking lot and road runoff were contaminated by heavy metals, and both Pb (25-120 microg/L) and Zn (0.1-1.2 mg/L) were major heavy metals contaminating both runoff. Soluble Pb and Zn were predominantly existed as labile complex species (50%-99%), which may be adsorbed onto the surfaces of suspended particles and could be easily released out when pH decreased. This would have the great impact to the environment.

Green Retrofit Technology for Detention Basin Outlet Control Structures

EPA Science Inventory

Urbanization and improperly managed impervious surfaces alters the hydrology of a watershed, leading to increased runoff volumes, higher and/or longer lasting peak flows, and more frequent runoff events. These hydrologic and hydraulic modifications can impact every aspect of stre...

40 CFR 258.26 - Run-on/run-off control systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... storm; (2) A run-off control system from the active portion of the landfill to collect and control at least the water volume resulting from a 24-hour, 25-year storm. (b) Run-off from the active portion of...

40 CFR 258.26 - Run-on/run-off control systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... storm; (2) A run-off control system from the active portion of the landfill to collect and control at least the water volume resulting from a 24-hour, 25-year storm. (b) Run-off from the active portion of...

40 CFR 258.26 - Run-on/run-off control systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... storm; (2) A run-off control system from the active portion of the landfill to collect and control at least the water volume resulting from a 24-hour, 25-year storm. (b) Run-off from the active portion of...

Nutrient infiltrate concentrations from three permeable pavement types.

PubMed

Brown, Robert A; Borst, Michael

2015-12-01

While permeable pavement is increasingly being used to control stormwater runoff, field-based, side-by-side investigations on the effects different pavement types have on nutrient concentrations present in stormwater runoff are limited. In 2009, the U.S. EPA constructed a 0.4-ha parking lot in Edison, New Jersey, that incorporated permeable interlocking concrete pavement (PICP), pervious concrete (PC), and porous asphalt (PA). Each permeable pavement type has four, 54.9-m(2), lined sections that direct all infiltrate into 5.7-m(3) tanks enabling complete volume collection and sampling. This paper highlights the results from a 12-month period when samples were collected from 13 rainfall/runoff events and analyzed for nitrogen species, orthophosphate, and organic carbon. Differences in infiltrate concentrations among the three permeable pavement types were assessed and compared with concentrations in rainwater samples and impervious asphalt runoff samples, which were collected as controls. Contrary to expectations based on the literature, the PA infiltrate had significantly larger total nitrogen (TN) concentrations than runoff and infiltrate from the other two permeable pavement types, indicating that nitrogen leached from materials in the PA strata. There was no significant difference in TN concentration between runoff and infiltrate from either PICP or PC, but TN in runoff was significantly larger than in the rainwater, suggesting meaningful inter-event dry deposition. Similar to other permeable pavement studies, nitrate was the dominant nitrogen species in the infiltrate. The PA infiltrate had significantly larger nitrite and ammonia concentrations than PICP and PC, and this was presumably linked to unexpectedly high pH in the PA infiltrate that greatly exceeded the optimal pH range for nitrifying bacteria. Contrary to the nitrogen results, the PA infiltrate had significantly smaller orthophosphate concentrations than in rainwater, runoff, and infiltrate from PICP and PC, and this was attributed to the high pH in PA infiltrate possibly causing rapid precipitation of orthophosphate with metal cations. Orthophosphate was exported from the PICP and PC, as evidenced by the significantly larger infiltrate concentrations compared with influent sources of rainwater and runoff. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of Grazing Management and Buffer Strips on Metal Runoff from Pastures Fertilized with Poultry Litter.

PubMed

Pilon, C; Moore, P A; Pote, D H; Martin, J W; DeLaune, P B

2017-03-01

Metal runoff from fields fertilized with poultry litter may pose a threat to aquatic systems. Buffer strips located adjacent to fields may reduce nutrients and solids in runoff. However, scant information exists on the long-term effects of buffer strips combined with grazing management on metal runoff from pastures. The objective of this study was to assess the 12-yr impact of grazing management and buffer strips on metal runoff from pastures receiving poultry litter. The research was conducted using 15 watersheds (25 m wide and 57 m long) with five treatments: hayed (H), continuously grazed (CG), rotationally grazed (R), rotationally grazed with a buffer strip (RB), and rotationally grazed with a fenced riparian buffer strip (RBR). Poultry litter was applied annually in spring at 5.6 Mg ha. Runoff samples were collected after every rainfall event. Aluminum (Al) and iron (Fe) concentrations were strongly and positively correlated with total suspended solids, indicating soil erosion was the primary source. Soluble Al and Fe were not related to total Al and Fe. However, there was a strong positive correlation between soluble and total copper (Cu) concentrations. The majority of total Cu and zinc was in water-soluble form. The CG treatment had the highest metal concentrations and loads of all treatments. The RBR and H treatments resulted in lower concentrations of total Al, Cu, Fe, potassium, manganese, and total organic carbon in the runoff. Rotational grazing with a fenced riparian buffer and converting pastures to hayfields appear to be effective management systems for decreasing concentrations and loads of metals in surface runoff from pastures fertilized with poultry litter. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

Phosphorus runoff from sewage sludge applied to different slopes of lateritic soil.

PubMed

Chen, Yan Hui; Wang, Ming Kuang; Wang, Guo; Chen, Ming Hua; Luo, Dan; Ding, Feng Hua; Li, Rong

2011-01-01

Sewage sludge (SS) applied to sloping fields at rates that exceed annual forest nutrient requirements can be a source of phosphorus (P) in runoff. This study investigates the effects of different slopes (18, 27, 36, and 45%) on P in runoff from plots amended with SS (120 Mg ha). Lateritic soil (pH 5.2) was exposed to five simulated rainfalls (90 mm h) on outdoor plots. When sludge was broadcast and mixed with surface soils, the concentrations and loss in runoff of total P in the mixed sample (MTP), total P in the settled sample (STP), total particulate P (TPP), total suspended P (TSP), and total dissolved P (TDP) were highest at 1 or 18 d after application. Initially, pollution risks to surface waters generally increased to different degrees with steeper slopes, and then diminished gradually with dwindling differences between the slopes. The runoff losses coefficient of MTP increased in the order 36 > 45 > 27 > 18%. The initial event (1 and 18 d) accounted for 67.0 to 83.6% of total runoff P losses. Particulate fraction were dominant carriers for P losses, while with the lower slopes there was higher content of P per unit particulate fraction in runoff. Phosphorus losses were greatly affected by the interaction of sludge-soil-runoff and the modification of soil properties induced by sludge amendment. It is recommended to choose lower slopes (<27%) to reduce risk of P losses. Thus, the risk of application sludge to sloping fields in acid soils should be studied further in the field under a wider diversity of conditions. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

Meltwater and precipitation runoff to the North Atlantic, Arctic, and Gulf of Mexico from the Laurentide Ice Sheet and adjacent regions during the Younger Dryas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teller, James T.

1990-12-01

Runoff from North America may have played a significant role in ocean circulation and climate change during the last deglaciation. Because the driving force behind such changes may have been related to salinity of the north flowing Atlantic Ocean conveyor circulation, it is critical to know the volume, timing, and location of fresh water entering the North Atlantic from the melting Laurentide Ice Sheet. During the Younger Dryas cold episode, 11,000-10,000 years B.P., there was a two-fold increase in the volume of meltwater plus precipitation runoff, to more than 1700 km³ yr-1, flowing through the St. Lawrence valley to the North Atlantic, mainly because retreating ice allowed the glacial Lake Agassiz basin to drain eastward into the Great Lakes at this time. There was a corresponding decline in discharge from Lake Agassiz through the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico. Runoff to the Arctic Ocean also increased at about the beginning of the Younger Dryas, from 740 to 900 km³ yr-1, because of the capture of what is now the headwater region of the Mackenzie River watershed. This, in combination with rising sea level and warming climate, may have increased the amount of pack ice reaching the North Atlantic through the Norwegian Sea from the Arctic Ocean. At 10,000 years B.P., eastward overflow from the western interior of North America was blocked by advancing ice, again forcing overflow to the Gulf of Mexico and, possibly, to the northwest into the Arctic Ocean. Although total runoff to the oceans from all regions draining from the Laurentide Ice Sheet did not vary substantially between 12,000 and 9000 years B.P., if discharge to the Gulf of Mexico is excluded, fresh water reaching the North Atlantic averaged 4000 km³ yr-1 during the Younger Dryas, in contrast to 2870 km³ yr-1 just before this cold episode and 3440 km³ yr-1 just after it.

[Characterization and source apportionment of pollutants in urban roadway runoff in Chongqing].

PubMed

Zhang, Qian-Qian; Wang, Xiao-Ke; Hao, Li-Ling; Hou, Pei-Qiang; Ouyang, Zhi-Yun

2012-01-01

By investigating surface runoff from urban roadway in Chongqing, we assessed the characteristics of surface runoff pollution and the effect of rainfall intensity and antecedent dry weather period on water quality. Using multivariate statistical analysis of data of runoff quality, potential pollutants discharged from urban roadway runoff were identified. The results show that the roadway runoff has high levels of COD, TP and TN, the EMC were 60.83-208.03 mg x L(-1), 0.47-1.01 mg x L(-1) and 2.07-5.00 mg x L(-1) respectively, being the main pollutants; The peaks of pollutant concentration are ahead of or synchronous with the peak of runoff volume; the peaks of pollutant concentrations are mostly occurred within 10 minutes of rainfall. The heavy metal concentrations fluctuate dentately during runoff proceeding. Two potential pollution sources to urban roadway runoff apportioned by using principal component analysis are: vehicle's traffic loss and atmospheric dry and wet deposition, and municipal wastes.

Precipitation and Runoff Simulations of the Carson Range and Pine Nut Mountains, and Updated Estimates of Ground-Water Inflow and the Ground-Water Budgets for Basin-Fill Aquifers of Carson Valley, Douglas County, Nevada, and Alpine County, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jeton, Anne E.; Maurer, Douglas K.

2007-01-01

Recent estimates of ground-water inflow to the basin-fill aquifers of Carson Valley, Nevada, and California, from the adjacent Carson Range and Pine Nut Mountains ranged from 22,000 to 40,000 acre-feet per year using water-yield and chloride-balance methods. In this study, watershed models were developed for watersheds with perennial streams and for watersheds with ephemeral streams in the Carson Range and Pine Nut Mountains to provide an independent estimate of ground-water inflow. This report documents the development and calibration of the watershed models, presents model results, compares the results with recent estimates of ground-water inflow to the basin-fill aquifers of Carson Valley, and presents updated estimates of the ground-water budget for basin-fill aquifers of Carson Valley. The model used for the study was the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System, a physically based, distributed-parameter model designed to simulate precipitation and snowmelt runoff as well as snowpack accumulation and snowmelt processes. Geographic Information System software was used to manage spatial data, characterize model drainages, and to develop Hydrologic Response Units. Models were developed for * Two watersheds with gaged perennial streams in the Carson Range and two watersheds with gaged perennial streams in the Pine Nut Mountains using measured daily mean runoff, * Ten watersheds with ungaged perennial streams using estimated daily mean runoff, * Ten watershed with ungaged ephemeral streams in the Carson Range, and * A large area of ephemeral runoff near the Pine Nut Mountains. Models developed for the gaged watersheds were used as index models to guide the calibration of models for ungaged watersheds. Model calibration was constrained by daily mean runoff for 4 gaged watersheds and for 10 ungaged watersheds in the Carson Range estimated in a previous study. The models were further constrained by annual precipitation volumes estimated in a previous study to provide estimates of ground-water inflow using similar water input. The calibration periods were water years 1990-2002 for watersheds in the Carson Range, and water years 1981-97 for watersheds in the Pine Nut Mountains. Daily mean values for water years 1990-2002 were then simulated using the calibrated watershed models in the Pine Nut Mountains. The daily mean values of precipitation, runoff, evapotranspiration, and ground-water inflow simulated from the watershed models were summed to provide annual mean rates and volumes for each year of the simulations, and mean annual rates and volumes computed for water years 1990-2002. Mean annual bias for the period of record for models of Daggett Creek and Fredericksburg Canyon watersheds, two gaged perennial watersheds in the Carson Range, was within 4 percent and relative errors were about 6 and 12 percent, respectively. Model fit was not as satisfactory for two gaged perennial watersheds, Pine Nut and Buckeye Creeks, in the Pine Nut Mountains. The Pine Nut Creek watershed model had a large negative mean annual bias and a relative error of -11 percent, underestimated runoff for all years but the wet years in the latter part of the record, but adequately simulated the bulk of the spring runoff most of the years. The Buckeye Creek watershed model overestimated mean annual runoff with a relative error of about -5 percent when water year 1994 was removed from the analysis because it had a poor record. The bias and error of the calibrated models were within generally accepted limits for watershed models, indicating the simulated rates and volumes of runoff and ground-water inflow were reasonable. The total mean annual ground-water inflow to Carson Valley computed using estimates simulated by the watershed models was 38,000 acre-feet, including ground-water inflow from Eagle Valley, recharge from precipitation on eolian sand and gravel deposits, and ground-water recharge from precipitation on the western alluvial fans. The estimate was in close agreement with that obtained from the chloride-balance method, 40,000 acre-feet, but was considerably greater than the estimate obtained from the water-yield method, 22,000 acre-feet. The similar estimates obtained from the watershed models and chloride-balance method, two relatively independent methods, provide more confidence that they represent a reasonably accurate volume of ground-water inflow to Carson Valley. However, the two estimates are not completely independent because they use similar distributions of mean annual precipitation. Annual ground-water recharge of the basin-fill aquifers in Carson Valley ranged from 51,000 to 54,000 acre-feet computed using estimates of ground-water inflow to Carson Valley simulated from the watershed models combined with previous estimates of other ground-water budget components. Estimates of mean annual ground-water discharge range from 44,000 to 47,000 acre-feet. The low range estimate for ground-water recharge, 51,000 acre-feet per year, is most similar to the high range estimate for ground-water discharge, 47,000 acre-feet per year. Thus, an average annual volume of about 50,000 acre-feet is a reasonable estimate for mean annual ground-water recharge to and discharge from the basin-fill aquifers in Carson Valley. The results of watershed models indicate that significant interannual variability in the volumes of ground-water inflow is caused by climate variations. During multi-year drought conditions, the watershed simulations indicate that ground-water recharge could be as much as 80 percent less than the mean annual volume of 50,000 acre-feet.

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

PubMed

Davis, Brett; Birch, Gavin

2010-08-01

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. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of land cover and use on dry season river runoff, runoff efficiency, and peak storm runoff in the seasonal tropics of Central Panama

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ogden, Fred L.; Crouch, Trey D.; Stallard, Robert F.; Hall, Jefferson S.

2013-01-01

A paired catchment methodology was used with more than 3 years of data to test whether forests increase base flow in the dry season, despite reduced annual runoff caused by evapotranspiration (the “sponge-effect hypothesis”), and whether forests reduce maximum runoff rates and totals during storms. The three study catchments were: a 142.3 ha old secondary forest, a 175.6 ha mosaic of mixed age forest, pasture, and subsistence agriculture, and a 35.9 ha actively grazed pasture subcatchment of the mosaic catchment. The two larger catchments are adjacent, with similar morphology, soils, underlying geology, and rainfall. Annual water balances, peak runoff rates, runoff efficiencies, and dry season recessions show significant differences. Dry season runoff from the forested catchment receded more slowly than from the mosaic and pasture catchments. The runoff rate from the forest catchment was 1–50% greater than that from the similarly sized mosaic catchment at the end of the dry season. This observation supports the sponge-effect hypothesis. The pasture and mosaic catchment median runoff efficiencies were 2.7 and 1.8 times that of the forest catchment, respectively, and increased with total storm rainfall. Peak runoff rates from the pasture and mosaic catchments were 1.7 and 1.4 times those of the forest catchment, respectively. The forest catchment produced 35% less total runoff and smaller peak runoff rates during the flood of record in the Panama Canal Watershed. Flood peak reduction and increased streamflows through dry periods are important benefits relevant to watershed management, payment for ecosystem services, water-quality management, reservoir sedimentation, and fresh water security in the Panama Canal watershed and similar tropical landscapes.

Mechanism of the surface runoff generation processes of a permafrost watershed in the Qinghai-Tibet plateau

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Genxu, W.

2017-12-01

There is a lack of knowledge about how to quantify runoff generation and the hydrological processes operating in permafrost catchments on permafrost-dominant catchments. To understand the mechanism of runoff generation processes in permafrost catchments, a typical headwater catchment with continuous permafrost on the Tibetan Plateau was measured. A new approach is presented in this study to account for runoff processes on the spring thawing period and autumn freezing period, when runoff generation clearly differs from that of non-permafrost catchments. This approach introduces a soil temperature-based water saturation function and modifies the soil water storage curve with a soil temperature threshold. The results show that surface soil thawing induced saturation excess runoff and subsurface interflow account for approximately 66-86% and 14-34% of total spring runoff, respectively, and the soil temperature significantly affects the runoff generation pattern, the runoff composition and the runoff coefficient with the enlargement of the active layer. The suprapermafrost groundwater discharge decreases exponentially with active layer frozen processes during autumn runoff recession, whereas the ratio of groundwater discharge to total runoff and the direct surface runoff coefficient simultaneously increase. The bidirectional freezing of the active layer controls and changes the autumn runoff processes and runoff composition. The new approach could be used to further develop hydrological models of cold regions dominated by permafrost.

Influence of land runoff on rates and agents of bioerosion of coral substrates.

PubMed

Hutchings, Pat; Peyrot-Clausade, Mireille; Osnorno, Alicia

2005-01-01

Annually large volumes of fresh water laden with sediment are washed down the Daintree River in North Queensland into the Great Barrier Reef lagoon. To investigate the effects of land runoff on bioerosion, samples of recently killed colonies of Porites were laid at 6 sites on a cross shelf transect from Snapper Island at the entrance to the river to Osprey Reef, approximately 328 km from the river mouth out in the Coral Sea. Rates and agents of bioerosion were determined over 4 years and inshore sites exhibited significantly lower rates of total bioerosion than the other sites. Offshore sites experienced high rates of bioerosion primarily due to grazing and internal bioerosion by macroborers such as sponges and bivalves was also important at some of these sites. Inshore sites were covered in heavy layers of silt which inhibited colonization and growth of microborers, primarily algae. This resulted in lower levels of grazing than at offshore sites. However the activity of macroborers (primarily sponges and bivalves) was often high at these sites. The macroboring communities differed between sites and over time and it is hypothesised that these site differences were due to different levels of terrestrial runoff. These results are compared with those from French Polynesia where contaminated terrestrial runoff greatly influenced rates and agents of bioerosion. However other factors such as overfishing may also play an important role in some locations.

Urban Runoff and Nutrients Loading Control from Sustainable BMPs (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiao, Q.

2009-12-01

Climate change alters hydrodynamic and nutrient dynamic in both large and small geographic scales. These changes in our freshwater system directly affect drinking water, food production, business, and all aspects of our life. Along with climate change is increasing urbanization which alters natural landscape. Urban runoff has been identified as one of many potential drivers of the decline of pelagic fishes in san Francisco Bay-Delta region. Recent found of Pyrethroids in American River has increased scientists, public, and policy makers’ concern about our fresh water system. Increasing our understanding about the fundamental hydrodynamic, nutrient dynamics, and the transport mechanics of runoff and nutrients are important for future water resource and ecosystem management. Urbanization has resulted in significantly increasing the amount of impervious land cover. Most impervious land covers are hydrophobic that alters surface runoff because of the effects on surface retention storage, rainfall interception, and infiltration. Large volumes of excess storm runoff from urbanized areas cause flooding, water pollution, groundwater recharge deficits, destroyed habitat, beach closures, and toxicity to aquatic organisms. Parking lot alone accounts for more than 11% of these impervious surfaces. Contrast to impervious parking lot, turfgrass can accouter for 12% of urban land in California. Irrigated urban landscapes create considerable benefits to our daily living. However, the use of fertilizers and pesticides has caused environmental problems. Preventing fertilizers and pesticides from entering storm drains is an important goal for both landscape and storm runoff managers. Studies of urban runoff have found that the most fertilizers and pesticides are from dry weather runoff which conveys pollutants to sidewalks, streets, and storm drains. Controlling surface runoff is critical to preventing these pollutants from entering storm drains and water bodies. Large scale construction of runoff retention basins and treatment facilities to meet TMDL (Total Maximum Daily Load) regulations are not cost-effective or practical. An alternative approach is to control runoff and nutrients on-site through installation of decentralized BMPs that detain and infiltrate runoff before it reaches storm drains. Recent developed green-infrastructure which integrating engineered soil and trees to reduce runoff and nutrients loading is a self-sustained best management practice (BMP). This BMP has been testing and used in urban runoff control. In Davis, CA this type of BMPs were installed in a parking lot and a residential property to evaluate the system’s effectiveness on reducing storm runoff and pollutant loading from the parking lot and irrigated landscape. Storm runoff and pollutant loading were measured and monitored during February 2007 thru May 2009 from the parking lot. The BMP reduced surface runoff and nutrients by 88.8% and 95.3%, respectively. In the residential irrigated landscape, the dry-weather runoff was monitored during 2007 irrigation season, the BMP captured almost all dry weather runoff. The performance of these BMPs demonstrated their potential use for reducing runoff and nutrients loading. Control urban runoff from these 23% landscape (i.e., parking lot and irrigated turf grass) could largely alter the runoff and nutrients transport and their dynamic in our water system.

Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System (PRMS) and Streamflow Response to Spatially Distributed Precipitation in Two Large Watersheds in Northern California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dhakal, A. S.; Adera, S.; Niswonger, R. G.; Gardner, M.

2016-12-01

The ability of the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System (PRMS) to predict peak intensity, peak timing, base flow, and volume of streamflow was examined in Arroyo Hondo (180 km2) and Upper Alameda Creek (85 km2), two sub-watersheds of the Alameda Creek watershed in Northern California. Rainfall-runoff volume ratios vary widely, and can exceed 0.85 during mid-winter flashy rainstorm events. Due to dry antecedent soil moisture conditions, the first storms of the hydrologic year often produce smaller rainfall-runoff volume ratios. Runoff response in this watershed is highly hysteretic; large precipitation events are required to generate runoff following a 4-week period without precipitation. After about 150 mm of cumulative rainfall, streamflow responds quickly to subsequent storms, with variations depending on rainstorm intensity. Inputs to PRMS included precipitation, temperature, topography, vegetation, soils, and land cover data. The data was prepared for input into PRMS using a suite of data processing Python scripts written by the Desert Research Institute and U.S. Geological Survey. PRMS was calibrated by comparing simulated streamflow to measured streamflow at a daily time step during the period 1995 - 2014. The PRMS model is being used to better understand the different patterns of streamflow observed in the Alameda Creek watershed. Although Arroyo Hondo receives more rainfall than Upper Alameda Creek, it is not clear whether the differences in streamflow patterns are a result of differences in rainfall or other variables, such as geology, slope and aspect. We investigate the ability of PRMS to simulate daily streamflow in the two sub-watersheds for a variety of antecedent soil moisture conditions and rainfall intensities. After successful simulation of watershed runoff processes, the model will be expanded using GSFLOW to simulate integrated surface water and groundwater to support water resources planning and management in the Alameda Creek watershed.

Precipitation and runoff simulations of select perennial and ephemeral watersheds in the middle Carson River basin, Eagle, Dayton, and Churchill Valleys, west-central Nevada

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jeton, Anne E.; Maurer, Douglas K.

2011-01-01

The effect that land use may have on streamflow in the Carson River, and ultimately its impact on downstream users can be evaluated by simulating precipitation-runoff processes and estimating groundwater inflow in the middle Carson River in west-central Nevada. To address these concerns, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation, began a study in 2008 to evaluate groundwater flow in the Carson River basin extending from Eagle Valley to Churchill Valley, called the middle Carson River basin in this report. This report documents the development and calibration of 12 watershed models and presents model results and the estimated mean annual water budgets for the modeled watersheds. This part of the larger middle Carson River study will provide estimates of runoff tributary to the Carson River and the potential for groundwater inflow (defined here as that component of recharge derived from percolation of excess water from the soil zone to the groundwater reservoir). The model used for the study was the U.S. Geological Survey's Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System, a physically based, distributed-parameter model designed to simulate precipitation and snowmelt runoff as well as snowpack accumulation and snowmelt processes. Models were developed for 2 perennial watersheds in Eagle Valley having gaged daily mean runoff, Ash Canyon Creek and Clear Creek, and for 10 ephemeral watersheds in the Dayton Valley and Churchill Valley hydrologic areas. Model calibration was constrained by daily mean runoff for the 2 perennial watersheds and for the 10 ephemeral watersheds by limited indirect runoff estimates and by mean annual runoff estimates derived from empirical methods. The models were further constrained by limited climate data adjusted for altitude differences using annual precipitation volumes estimated in a previous study. The calibration periods were water years 1980-2007 for Ash Canyon Creek, and water years 1991-2007 for Clear Creek. To allow for water budget comparisons to the ephemeral models, the two perennial models were then run from 1980 to 2007, the time period constrained somewhat by the later record for the high-altitude climate station used in the simulation. The daily mean values of precipitation, runoff, evapotranspiration, and groundwater inflow simulated from the watershed models were summed to provide mean annual rates and volumes derived from each year of the simulation. Mean annual bias for the calibration period for Ash Canyon Creek and Clear Creek watersheds was within 6 and 3 percent, and relative errors were about 18 and -2 percent, respectively. For the 1980-2007 period of record, mean recharge efficiency and runoff efficiency (percentage of precipitation as groundwater inflow and runoff) averaged 7 and 39 percent, respectively, for Ash Canyon Creek, and 8 and 31 percent, respectively, for Clear Creek. For this same period, groundwater inflow volumes averaged about 500 acre-feet for Ash Canyon and 1,200 acre-feet for Clear Creek. The simulation period for the ephemeral watersheds ranged from water years 1978 to 2007. Mean annual simulated precipitation ranged from 6 to 11 inches. Estimates of recharge efficiency for the ephemeral watersheds ranged from 3 percent for Eureka Canyon to 7 percent for Eldorado Canyon. Runoff efficiency ranged from 7 percent for Eureka Canyon and 15 percent at Brunswick Canyon. For the 1978-2007 period, mean annual groundwater inflow volumes ranged from about 40 acre-feet for Eureka Canyon to just under 5,000 acre-feet for Churchill Canyon watershed. Watershed model results indicate significant interannual variability in the volumes of groundwater inflow caused by climate variations. For most of the modeled watersheds, little to no groundwater inflow was simulated for years with less than 8 inches of precipitation, unless those years were preceded by abnormally high precipitation years with significant subsurface storage carryover.

Phosphorus and nitrogen in runoff after phosphorus- or nitrogen-based manure applications.

PubMed

Miller, Jim J; Chanasyk, David S; Curtis, Tony W; Olson, Barry M

2011-01-01

Application of beef cattle () manure based on nitrogen (N) requirements of crops has resulted in elevated concentrations of soil test phosphorus (P) in surface soils, and runoff from this cropland can contribute to eutrophication of surface waters. We conducted a 3-yr field study (2005-2007) on a Lethbridge loam soil cropped to dryland barley () in southern Alberta, Canada to evaluate the effect of annual and triennial P-based and annual N-based feedlot manure on P and N in runoff. The manure was spring applied and incorporated. There was one unamended control plot. A portable rainfall simulator was used to generate runoff in the spring of each year after recent manure incorporation, and the runoff was analyzed for total P, total dissolved P, total particulate P, dissolved reactive P, total N, total dissolved N, total particulate N, NO-N, and NH-N. Annual or triennial P-based application resulted in significantly ( ≤ 0.05) lower (by 50 to 94%) concentrations or loads of mainly dissolved P fractions in runoff for some years compared with annual N-based application, and this was related to lower rates of annual manure P applied. For example, mean dissolved reactive P concentrations in 2006 and 2007 were significantly lower for the annual P-based (0.12-0.20 mg L) than for the annual N-based application (0.24-0.48 mg L), and mean values were significantly lower for the triennial P-based (0.06-0.13 mg L) than for the annual N-based application. In contrast, other P fractions in runoff were unaffected by annual P-based application. Our findings suggested no environmental benefit of annual P-based application over triennial P-based application with respect to P and N in runoff. Similar concentrations and loads of N fractions in runoff for the P- and N-based applications indicated that shifting to a P-based application would not significantly influence N in runoff. American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America.

Evaluation of Soil Moisture, Storm Characteristics, and Their Influence on Storm Runoff and Water Yield at the Panola Mountain Research Watershed, Georgia, U.S.A.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riley, J. W.; Aulenbach, B. T.

2015-12-01

Understanding the factors that control runoff processes is important for many aspects of water supply and ecosystem protection, especially during climatic extremes that result in flooding or droughts; potentially impacting human safety. Furthermore, having knowledge of the conditions during which runoff occurs contributes to the conceptual understanding of the hydrologic cycle and may improve parameterization of hydrologic models. We evaluated soil moisture, storm characteristics, and the subsequent runoff and water yield for 297 storms over an eight-year period at Panola Mountain Research Watershed to better understand runoff generation processes. Panola Mountain Research Watershed is a small (41-hectare), relatively undisturbed forested watershed near Atlanta, GA, U.S.A. Strong relations were observed between total precipitation for a given storm, deep (70 cm below surface) antecedent soil moisture content and the volume of runoff. However, the strength of the relations varied based on occurrence during the growing (April - September; 172 storms) or dormant (October - March; 125 storms) period. In general, soil moisture responded at a minimum of 15 cm depth for all but 18 events. In addition, we found storms that initiated a response of deep soil moisture (70 cm below surface) to be an important factor relating to storm runoff and water yield. Seventy percent of the dormant period storms generated a response at 70 cm depth compared to 58% of growing period storms. A stronger relation between soil moisture and water yield was noted during the dormant period and indicated that all storms that produced a water yield >12% occurred when deep pre-event soil moisture was >20%. Similar patterns were also present during the growing season with occasional intense thunderstorms also generating higher water yields even in the absence of high soil moisture. The importance of deep soil moisture likely reflects the overall status of watershed storage conditions.

The Airborne Snow Observatory: fusion of imaging spectrometer and scanning lidar for studies of mountain snow cover (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Painter, T. H.; Andreadis, K.; Berisford, D. F.; Goodale, C. E.; Hart, A. F.; Heneghan, C.; Deems, J. S.; Gehrke, F.; Marks, D. G.; Mattmann, C. A.; McGurk, B. J.; Ramirez, P.; Seidel, F. C.; Skiles, M.; Trangsrud, A.; Winstral, A. H.; Kirchner, P.; Zimdars, P. A.; Yaghoobi, R.; Boustani, M.; Khudikyan, S.; Richardson, M.; Atwater, R.; Horn, J.; Goods, D.; Verma, R.; Boardman, J. W.

2013-12-01

Snow cover and its melt dominate regional climate and water resources in many of the world's mountainous regions. However, we face significant water resource challenges due to the intersection of increasing demand from population growth and changes in runoff total and timing due to climate change. Moreover, increasing temperatures in desert systems will increase dust loading to mountain snow cover, thus reducing the snow cover albedo and accelerating snowmelt runoff. The two most critical properties for understanding snowmelt runoff and timing are the spatial and temporal distributions of snow water equivalent (SWE) and snow albedo. Despite their importance in controlling volume and timing of runoff, snowpack albedo and SWE are still poorly quantified in the US and not at all in most of the globe, leaving runoff models poorly constrained. Recognizing this need, JPL developed the Airborne Snow Observatory (ASO), an imaging spectrometer and imaging LiDAR system, to quantify snow water equivalent and snow albedo, provide unprecedented knowledge of snow properties, and provide complete, robust inputs to snowmelt runoff models, water management models, and systems of the future. Critical in the design of the ASO system is the availability of snow water equivalent and albedo products within 24 hours of acquisition for timely constraint of snowmelt runoff forecast models. In spring 2013, ASO was deployed for its first year of a multi-year Demonstration Mission of weekly acquisitions in the Tuolumne River Basin (Sierra Nevada) and monthly acquisitions in the Uncompahgre River Basin (Colorado). The ASO data were used to constrain spatially distributed models of varying complexities and integrated into the operations of the O'Shaughnessy Dam on the Hetch Hetchy reservoir on the Tuolumne River. Here we present the first results from the ASO Demonstration Mission 1 along with modeling results with and without the constraint by the ASO's high spatial resolution and spatially complete acquisitions. ASO ultimately provides a potential foundation for coming spaceborne missions.

Evapotranspiration-based Irrigation Scheduling for Container-grown Viburnum odoratissium (L.) Ker Gawl

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The capacity for evapotranspiration (ET)-based irrigation scheduling to reduce runoff volume and nutrient leaching was tested in Fall 2004 and Spring 2005. Runoff (container leachate plus unintercepted irrigation and precipitation) was collected continuously for 17 weeks during production of sweet ...

Stormwater runoff pollutant loading distributions and their correlation with rainfall and catchment characteristics in a rapidly industrialized city.

PubMed

Li, Dongya; Wan, Jinquan; Ma, Yongwen; Wang, Yan; Huang, Mingzhi; Chen, Yangmei

2015-01-01

Fast urbanization and industrialization in developing countries result in significant stormwater runoff pollution, due to drastic changes in land-use, from rural to urban. A three-year study on the stormwater runoff pollutant loading distributions of industrial, parking lot and mixed commercial and residential catchments was conducted in the Tongsha reservoir watershed of Dongguan city, a typical, rapidly industrialized urban area in China. This study presents the changes in concentration during rainfall events, event mean concentrations (EMCs) and event pollution loads per unit area (EPLs). The first flush criterion, namely the mass first flush ratio (MFFn), was used to identify the first flush effects. The impacts of rainfall and catchment characterization on EMCs and pollutant loads percentage transported by the first 40% of runoff volume (FF40) were evaluated. The results indicated that the pollutant wash-off process of runoff during the rainfall events has significant temporal and spatial variations. The mean rainfall intensity (I), the impervious rate (IMR) and max 5-min intensity (Imax5) are the critical parameters of EMCs, while Imax5, antecedent dry days (ADD) and rainfall depth (RD) are the critical parameters of FF40. Intercepting the first 40% of runoff volume can remove 55% of TSS load, 53% of COD load, 58% of TN load, and 61% of TP load, respectively, according to all the storm events. These results may be helpful in mitigating stormwater runoff pollution for many other urban areas in developing countries.

Stormwater Runoff Pollutant Loading Distributions and Their Correlation with Rainfall and Catchment Characteristics in a Rapidly Industrialized City

PubMed Central

Li, Dongya; Wan, Jinquan; Ma, Yongwen; Wang, Yan; Huang, Mingzhi; Chen, Yangmei

2015-01-01

Fast urbanization and industrialization in developing countries result in significant stormwater runoff pollution, due to drastic changes in land-use, from rural to urban. A three-year study on the stormwater runoff pollutant loading distributions of industrial, parking lot and mixed commercial and residential catchments was conducted in the Tongsha reservoir watershed of Dongguan city, a typical, rapidly industrialized urban area in China. This study presents the changes in concentration during rainfall events, event mean concentrations (EMCs) and event pollution loads per unit area (EPLs). The first flush criterion, namely the mass first flush ratio (MFFn), was used to identify the first flush effects. The impacts of rainfall and catchment characterization on EMCs and pollutant loads percentage transported by the first 40% of runoff volume (FF40) were evaluated. The results indicated that the pollutant wash-off process of runoff during the rainfall events has significant temporal and spatial variations. The mean rainfall intensity (I), the impervious rate (IMR) and max 5-min intensity (Imax5) are the critical parameters of EMCs, while Imax5, antecedent dry days (ADD) and rainfall depth (RD) are the critical parameters of FF40. Intercepting the first 40% of runoff volume can remove 55% of TSS load, 53% of COD load, 58% of TN load, and 61% of TP load, respectively, according to all the storm events. These results may be helpful in mitigating stormwater runoff pollution for many other urban areas in developing countries. PMID:25774922

Effects of increased urbanization from 1970's to 1990's on storm-runoff characteristics in Perris Valley, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Guay, J.R.

1996-01-01

Urban areas in Perris Valley, California, have more than tripled during the last 20 years. To quantify the effects of increased urbanization on storm runoff volumes and peak discharges, rainfall-runoff models of the basin were developed to simulate runoff for 1970-75 and 1990-93 conditions. Hourly rainfall data for 1949-93 were used with the rainfall-runoff models to simulate a long-term record of storm runoff. The hydrologic effects of increased urbanization from 1970-75 to 1990-93 were analyzed by comparing the simulated annual peak discharges and volumes, and storm runoff peaks, frequency of annual peak discharges and runoff volumes, and duration of storm peak discharges for each study period. A Log-Pearson Type-III frequency analysis was calculated using the simulated annual peaks to estimate the 2-, 5-, 10-, 25-, 50-, and 100-year recurrence intervals. The estimated 2-year discharge at the outlet of the basin was 646 cubic feet per second for the 1970-75 conditions and 1,328 cubic feet per second for the 1990-93 conditions. The 100-year discharge at the outlet of the basin was about 14,000 cubic feet per second for the 1970-75 and 1990-93 conditions. The station duration analysis used 925 model-simulated storm peaks from each basin to estimate the percent chance a peak discharge is exceeded. At the outlet of the basin, the chances of exceeding 100 cubic feet per second were about 33 percent under 1970-75 conditions and about 59 percent under 1990-93 conditions. The chance of exceeding 2,500 cubic feet per second at the outlet of the basin was less than 1 percent higher under the 1990-93 conditions than under the 1970-75 conditions. The increase in urbanization from the early 1970's to the early 1990's more than doubled the peak discharges with a 2-year return period. However, peak discharges with return periods greater than 50 years were not significantly affected by the change in urbanization.

Flooding of December 29, 1984 through January 2, 1985, in northern New York State, with flood profiles of the Black and Salmon rivers

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lumia, Richard; Burke, P.M.; Johnston, W.H.

1987-01-01

Precipitation, snowmelt, and resultant flooding throughout northern New York from December 28 through January 2, 1985, were investigated through a detailed analysis of 56 precipitation stations, 101 stage and/or discharge gaging stations, and 9 miscellaneous measurement sites. Flood damage to property and roads and bridges exceeded $5 million. Lewis and Oswego Counties were declared Federal disaster areas, primarily a result of flooding of the Black River and Salmon River. Storm-precipitation and runoff maps show the storms ' greatest intensity to have been over the Tug Hill and southwest Adirondack areas. Total rainfall from December 28 through January 2 was 6.90 inches at Stillwater Reservoir but only 0.69 inches at Lake Placid. New peak discharges of record occurred at 17 gaging stations throughout northern New York, and the maximum discharge at 17 sites had recurrence intervals equal to or greater than 100 years. Computed inflows to 11 major lakes and reservoirs in northern New York indicate that significant volumes of water (as much as 5 inches of storm runoff at Stillwater Reservoir) were stored during the storm-runoff period. Maximum 1-day flood volumes at two gaging stations on the Black River had recurrence intervals greater than 100 years. To help evaluate the extent of flooding, 67 floodmarks were obtained along a 94-mile reach of the Black River from Dexter to Forestport, and several floodmarks were surveyed within major communities along the Salmon River. The floodmarks were obtained primarily near major bridges and dams along these rivers. (Author 's abstract)

Modeling the hydrologic and economic efficacy of stormwater utility credit programs for US single family residences.

PubMed

Kertesz, Ruben; Green, Olivia Odom; Shuster, William D

2014-01-01

As regulatory pressure to reduce the environmental impact of urban stormwater intensifies, US municipalities increasingly seek a dedicated source of funding for stormwater programs, such as a stormwater utility. In rare instances, single family residences are eligible for utility discounts for installing green infrastructure. This study examined the hydrologic and economic efficacy of four such programs at the parcel scale: Cleveland (OH), Portland (OR), Fort Myers (FL), and Lynchburg (VA). Simulations were performed to model the reduction in stormwater runoff by implementing bioretention on a typical residential property according to extant administrative rules. The EPA National Stormwater Calculator was used to perform pre- vs post-retrofit comparisons and to demonstrate its ease of use for possible use by other cities in utility planning. Although surface slope, soil type and infiltration rate, impervious area, and bioretention parameters were different across cities, our results suggest that modeled runoff volume was most sensitive to percent of total impervious area that drained to the bioretention cell, with soil type the next most important factor. Findings also indicate a persistent gap between the percentage of annual runoff reduced and the percentage of fee reduced.

A systematic assessment of watershed-scale nonpoint source pollution during rainfall-runoff events in the Miyun Reservoir watershed.

PubMed

Qiu, Jiali; Shen, Zhenyao; Wei, Guoyuan; Wang, Guobo; Xie, Hui; Lv, Guanping

2018-03-01

The assessment of peak flow rate, total runoff volume, and pollutant loads during rainfall process are very important for the watershed management and the ecological restoration of aquatic environment. Real-time measurements of rainfall-runoff and pollutant loads are always the most reliable approach but are difficult to carry out at all desired location in the watersheds considering the large consumption of material and financial resources. An integrated environmental modeling approach for the estimation of flash streamflow that combines the various hydrological and quality processes during rainstorms within the agricultural watersheds is essential to develop targeted management strategies for the endangered drinking water. This study applied the Hydrological Simulation Program-Fortran (HSPF) to simulate the spatial and temporal variation in hydrological processes and pollutant transport processes during rainstorm events in the Miyun Reservoir watershed, a drinking water resource area in Beijing. The model performance indicators ensured the acceptable applicability of the HSPF model to simulate flow and pollutant loads in the studied watershed and to establish a relationship between land use and the parameter values. The proportion of soil and land use was then identified as the influencing factors of the pollution intensities. The results indicated that the flush concentrations were much higher than those observed during normal flow periods and considerably exceeded the limits of Class III Environmental Quality Standards for Surface Water (GB3838-2002) for the secondary protection zones of the drinking water resource in China. Agricultural land and leached cinnamon soils were identified as the key sources of sediment, nutrients, and fecal coliforms. Precipitation volume was identified as a driving factor that determined the amount of runoff and pollutant loads during rainfall processes. These results are useful to improve the streamflow predictions, provide useful information for the identification of highly polluted areas, and aid the development of integrated watershed management system in the drinking water resource area.

Effects of Small-scale Vegetation-related Roughness on Overland Flow and Infiltration in Semi-arid Grassland and Shrublands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bedford, D.

2012-12-01

We studied the effects of small-scale roughness on overland flow/runoff and the spatial pattern of infiltration. Our semi-arid sites include a grassland and shrubland in Central New Mexico and a shrubland in the Eastern Mojave Desert. Vegetation exerts strong controls on small-scale surface roughness in the form of plant mounds and other microtopography such as depressions and rills. We quantified the effects of densely measured soil surface heterogeneity using model simulations of runoff and infiltration. Microtopographic roughness associated with vegetation patterns, on the scale of mm-cm's in height, has a larger effect on runoff and infiltration than spatially correlated saturated conductivity. The magnitude and pattern of the effect of roughness largely depends on the vegetation and landform type, and rainfall depth and intensity. In all cases, runoff and infiltration amount and patterns were most strongly affected by depression storage. In the grassland we studied in central New Mexico, soil surface roughness had a large effect on runoff and infiltration where vegetation mounds coalesced, forming large storage volumes that require filling and overtopping in order for overland flow to concentrate into runoff. Total discharge over rough surfaces was reduced 100-200% compared to simulations in which no surface roughness was accounted for. For shrublands, total discharge was reduced 30-40% by microtopography on gently sloping alluvial fans and only 10-20% on steep hillslopes. This difference is largely due to the lack of storage elements on steep slopes. For our sites, we found that overland flow can increase infiltration by up to 2.5 times the total rainfall by filling depressions. The redistribution of water via overland flow can affect up to 20% of an area but varies with vegetation type and landform. This infiltration augmentation by overland flow tends to occur near the edges of vegetation canopies where overland flow depths are deep and infiltration rates are moderate. Infiltration augmentation is greatest in microtopographic depressions and flow threads. These results show that some vegetation-landform settings are efficient at trapping and concentrating the primary limiting resource, and demonstrate the importance of micro-scale soil characteristics for the ecohydrologic function of semi-arid environments. Since other essential attributes for plant ecosystems, such as nutrients, likely co-vary with water availability, further research is needed to elucidate ecosystem dynamics that may lead to self-organized behavior and determine thresholds for ecosystem stability.

Effects of selected low-impact-development (LID) techniques on water quality and quantity in the Ipswich River Basin, Massachusetts-Field and modeling studies

USGS Publications Warehouse

Zimmerman, Marc J.; Barbaro, Jeffrey R.; Sorenson, Jason R.; Waldron, Marcus C.

2010-01-01

During the months of August and September, flows in the Ipswich River, Massachusetts, dramatically decrease largely due to groundwater withdrawals needed to meet increased residential and commercial water demands. In the summer, rates of groundwater recharge are lower than during the rest of the year, and water demands are higher. From 2005 to 2008, the U.S. Geological Survey, in a cooperative funding agreement with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, monitored small-scale installations of low-impact-development (LID) enhancements designed to diminish the effects of storm runoff on the quantity and quality of surface water and groundwater. Funding for the studies also was contributed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Targeted Watersheds Grant Program through a financial assistance agreement with Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. The monitoring studies examined the effects of (1) replacing an impervious parking lot surface with a porous surface on groundwater quality, (2) installing rain gardens and porous pavement in a neighborhood of 3 acres on the quantity and quality of stormwater runoff, and (3) installing a 3,000-square foot (ft2) green roof on the quantity and quality of stormwater runoff. In addition, the effects of broad-scale implementation of LID techniques, reduced water withdrawals, and water-conservation measures on streamflow in large areas of the basin were simulated using the U.S. Geological Survey's Ipswich River Basin model. From June 2005 to 2007, groundwater quality was monitored at the Silver Lake town beach parking lot in Wilmington, MA, prior to and following the replacement of the conventional, impervious-asphalt surface with a porous surface consisting primarily of porous asphalt and porous pavers. Changes in the concentrations of the water-quality constituents, phosphorus, nitrogen, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, nickel, zinc, and total petroleum hydrocarbons, were monitored. Increased infiltration of precipitation did not result in discernible increases in concentrations of these potential groundwater contaminants. Concentrations of dissolved oxygen increased slightly in groundwater profiles following the removal of the impervious asphalt parking lot surface. In Wilmington, MA, in a 3-acre neighborhood, stormwater runoff volume and quality were monitored to determine the ability of selected LID enhancements (rain gardens and porous paving stones) to reduce flows and loads of the above constituents to Silver Lake. Flow-proportional water-quality samples were analyzed for nutrients, metals, total petroleum hydrocarbons, and total-coliform and Escherichia coli bacteria. In general, when all storms were considered, no substantial decreases were observed in runoff volume as a result of installing LID enhancements. However, the relation between rainfall and runoff did provide some insight into how the LID enhancements affected the effective impervious area for the neighborhood. A decrease in runoff was observed for storms of 0.2 inches (in.) or less of precipitation, which indicated a reduction in effective impervious area from approximately 10 percent to about 4.5 percent for the 3-acre area. Water-quality-monitoring results were inconclusive; there were no statistically significant differences in concentrations or loads when the pre- and post-installation-period samples were compared. Three factors were probably most important in minimizing differences: (1) the small decrease in effective impervious area, (2) the differences in the size of storms sampled for water-quality constituents before and after installation of the infiltration enhancing measures, and (3) small sample sizes. In a third field study, the characteristics of runoff from a vegetated 'green' roof and a conventional, rubber-membrane roof were compared. The amount of precipitation and the length of the antecedent dry period were the two primary factors affecting the gre

Nutrients and sediment in frozen-ground runoff from no-till fields receiving liquid-dairy and solid-beef manures

USGS Publications Warehouse

Komiskey, Matthew J.; Stuntebeck, Todd D.; Frame, Dennis R.; Madison, Fred W.

2011-01-01

Nutrients and sediment in surface runoff from frozen agricultural fields were monitored within three small (16.0 ha [39.5 ac] or less), adjacent basins at a no-till farm in southwest Wisconsin during four winters from 2003 to 2004 through 2006 to 2007. Runoff depths and flow-weighted constituent concentrations were compared to determine the impacts of surface-applied liquid-dairy or solid-beef manure to frozen and/or snow-covered ground. Despite varying the manure type and the rate and timing of applications, runoff depths were not significantly different among basins within each winter period. Sediment losses were low (generally less than 22 kg ha−1 [20 lb ac−1] in any year) and any statistical differences in sediment concentrations among basins were not related to the presence or absence of manure or the amount of runoff. Concentrations and losses of total nitrogen and total phosphorus were significantly increased in basins that had either manure type applied less than one week preceding runoff. These increases occurred despite relatively low application rates. Lower concentrations and losses were measured in basins that had manure applied in fall and early winter and an extended period of time (months) had elapsed before the first runoff event. The highest mean, flow-weighted concentrations of total nitrogen (31.8 mg L−1) and total phosphorus (10.9 mg L−1) occurred in winter 2003 to 2004, when liquid-dairy manure was applied less than one week before runoff. On average, dissolved phosphorus accounted for over 80% of all phosphorus measured in runoff during frozen-ground periods. The data collected as part of this study add to the limited information on the quantity and quality of frozen-ground runoff at field edges, and the results highlight the importance of manure management decisions during frozen-ground periods to minimize nutrients lost in surface runoff.

[Effect of antecedent dry weather period on urban storm runoff pollution load].

PubMed

Li, Li-qing; Yin, Cheng-qing; Kong, Ling-li; He, Qing-ci

2007-10-01

Twelve storm events were surveyed at Shilipu catchment in Wuhan City through three-year monitoring regime. The flow discharges, total suspended solids (TSS), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP) in runoff were measured to study the mechanism of urban stormwater runoff pollution. The relationship between the event pollution load and the antecedent dry weather period was identified to discuss the influence of the urban surface sanitation management, operation of sewer pipe maintenance and rainfall characteristics on the urban stormwater runoff pollution. It was found that the antecedent dry weather period and runoff amount were the important determining factors in the generation of urban stormwater runoff pollution. The event pollution load was positively correlated to the antecedent dry weather period between two rainfall events (R2 = 0.95, p < 0.01). It was the most important hydrological factor influencing the events pollution loads. The best regression equation to estimate pollution load for storm events was developed based on the antecedent dry weather period and runoff depth. Source control including improving urban street sweeping activities and operation of sewer pipe maintenance should be made to reduce the amount of available pollutant over the dry days. It is important alternative to control urban stormwater runoff pollution for Hanyang District.

Monitoring on The Quality and Quantity of DIY Rainwater Harvesting System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kasmin, H.; Bakar, N. H.; Zubir, M. M.

2016-07-01

Rainwater harvesting is an alternative sources of water supply and can be used for potable and non-potable uses. It could helps to store treated rainwater for more beneficial use and also for flood mitigation. Sustainable approach for flooding problem reduction in urban areas is by slowing down the rate of surface runoff flows at source by providing more storage area/tank. In order to understand the performance of a rainwater harvesting system (RWH), a preliminary monitoring on a ‘do it yourself’ (DIY) RWH model with additional first -flush strategy for water quality treatment was done. The main concept behind first flush diversion is to prevent initial polluted rainwater from entering the storage tank. Based on seven rainfall events observed in Parit Raja, both quality and quantity of the rainfalls were analysed. For rainwater quality, the samples from first flush diverter and storage tank were taken to understand their performance based on pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), turbidity, total dissolved solid (TDS), total suspended solid (TSS), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) parameters. While for rainwater quantity, hydrograph analysis were done based on the performance of total rainfall and runoff, peak flow of rainfall and runoff; and delayed time parameters. Based on Interim National Water Quality Standard (INWQS) and National Drinking Water Quality Standard (NDWQS), first flush diverter apparently helps on water quality improvement in storage tanks when pH, DO, TDS, TSS and turbidity were classified as Class I (INWQS) and is allowable for drinking; but BOD and COD parameters were classified as Class III (INWQS). Hence, it has potential to be used as potable usage but will need extensive treatment to reduce its poor microbial quality. Based on the maximum observed rainfall event which had total volume of 3195.5 liter, had peakflow reduction from 0.00071 m3/s to 0.00034 m3/s and delayed runoff between 5 and 10 minutes after rainfall started. It concludes that the performance of water retention could be due to total rainfall and the tank capacity. Therefore, RWH has a potential to be used as potable use and at the same time it also has a potential to reduce local urban flooding.

Adsorption by and artificial release of zinc and lead from porous concrete for recycling of adsorbed zinc and lead and of porous concrete to reduce urban non-point heavy metal runoff.

PubMed

Harada, Shigeki; Yanbe, Miyu

2018-04-01

This report describes the use of porous concrete at the bottom of a sewage trap to prevent runoff of non-point heavy metals into receiving waters, and, secondarily, to reduce total runoff volume during heavy rains in urbanized areas while simultaneously increasing the recharge volume of heavy-metal-free water into underground aquifers. This idea has the advantage of preventing clogging, which is fundamentally very important when using pervious materials. During actual field experiments, two important parameters were identified: maximum adsorption weight of lead and zinc by the volume of porous concrete, and heavy metal recovery rate by artificial acidification after adsorption. To understand the effect of ambient heavy metal concentration, a simple mixing system was used to adjust the concentrations of lead and zinc solutions. The concrete blocks used had been prepared for a previous study by Harada & Komuro (2010). The results showed that maximum adsorption depended on the ambient concentration, expressed as the linear isothermal theory, and that recovery depended on the final pH value (0.5 or 0.0). The dependence on pH is very important for recycling the porous concrete. A pH of 0.5 is important for recycling both heavy metals, especially zinc, (8.0-22.1% of lead and 42-74% of zinc) and porous concrete because porous concrete has not been heavily damaged by acid. However, at a pH of 0.0, the heavy metals could be recovered: 30-60% of the lead and 75-125% of the zinc. At a higher pH, such as 2.0, no release of heavy metals occurred, indicating the safety to the environment of using porous concrete, because the lowest recorded pH of rainfall in Japan is. 4.0. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Off-line control of runoff pollution by filtering ditch-pond system in urban tourist areas].

PubMed

Chen, Qing-Feng; Shan, Bao-Qing; Yin, Cheng-Qing; Hu, Cheng-Xiao

2007-10-01

An off-line filtering ditch-pond system for controlling storm runoff pollution in urban tourist areas was developed, which could retain the first flush effectively, resulting in the decrease of pollutant concentration and suspended solid average grain size, and the improvement of pollutant retention in runoff. This system could be an effective treatment system for storm runoff pollution, particularly for the scarcity of available land use in urban areas. In 2005, the yearly retention rates of TSS, COD, TN and TP were 86.4%, 85.5%, 83.9% and 82.9%, and during a storm event on June 26, the retention rates of runoff volume, TSS, COD, TN and TP were 67.9%, 97.0%, 89.2%, 94.9% and 96.2%, respectively. This system could also retain most of the suspended solids in runoff.

Development of a Special Provision on the Use of Pervious Concrete As a Stormwater Management Tool in Parking Lots

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-11-01

The abundance of impervious surfaces in developed areas leads to increased threats from stormwater runoff. The contaminants carried in unmanaged stormwater runoff in addition to higher volumes of water damage the natural environment and put undue str...

Evaluating the Accuracy of Common Runoff Estimation Methods for New Impervious Hot-Mix Asphalt

EPA Science Inventory

Accurately predicting runoff volume from impervious surfaces for water quality design events (e.g., 25.4 mm) is important for sizing green infrastructure stormwater control measures to meet water quality and infiltration design targets. The objective of this research was to quan...

[Analysis of first flush effect of typical underlying surface runoff in Beijing urban city].

PubMed

Ren, Yu-Fen; Wang, Xiao-Ke; Ouyang, Zhi-Yun; Hou, Pei-Qiang

2013-01-01

Rapid increase of the urban impervious underlying surfaces causes a great increase of urban runoff and the accumulation of pollutants on the roof and road surfaces brings many pollutants into the drainage system with the runoff, and it thus becomes a great threat to the urban water environment. To know the runoff pollution process and to build scientific basis for pollutant control, runoff processes from the roof and road surfaces were monitored and analyzed from 2004 to 2006, and the runoff EMC (Event Mean Concentration) was calculated. It was found that two types of runoff were seriously polluted by COD and TN. The COD and TN of roof runoff exceeded the fifth level of the surface water environmental quality standard (GB 3838-2002) by 3.64 and 4.80 times, respectively, and the COD and TN of road runoff exceeded by 3.73 and 1.07 times, respectively. M (V) curve was used to determine the relation between runoff volume and runoff pollution load. Various degrees of the first flush phenomenon were found for TSS, COD, TN and TP in roof runoff. But this phenomenon occurred only for TSS and TP of the road runoff, and on the whole it was not obvious. Properties of the underlying surfaces, rainfall intensity, and pollutant accumulation are all important factors affecting the roof and road runoff pollutant emission characteristics.

Rainfall, Discharge, and Water-Quality Data During Stormwater Monitoring, July 1, 2007, to June 30, 2008; Halawa Stream Drainage Basin and the H-1 Storm Drain, Oahu, Hawaii

USGS Publications Warehouse

Presley, Todd K.; Jamison, Marcael T.J.; Young, Stacie T.M.

2008-01-01

Storm runoff water-quality samples were collected as part of the State of Hawaii Department of Transportation Stormwater Monitoring Program. The program is designed to assess the effects of highway runoff and urban runoff on Halawa Stream and to assess the effects from the H-1 storm drain on Manoa Stream. For this program, rainfall data were collected at three stations, continuous discharge data at four stations, and water-quality data at six stations, which include the four continuous discharge stations. This report summarizes rainfall, discharge, and water-quality data collected between July 1, 2007, and June 30, 2008. A total of 16 environmental samples were collected over two storms during July 1, 2007, to June 30, 2008, within the Halawa Stream drainage area. Samples were analyzed for total suspended solids, total dissolved solids, nutrients, chemical oxygen demand, and selected trace metals (cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, and zinc). Additionally, grab samples were analyzed for oil and grease, total petroleum hydrocarbons, fecal coliform, and biological oxygen demand. Some samples were analyzed for only a partial list of these analytes because an insufficient volume of sample was collected by the automatic samplers. Three additional quality-assurance/quality-control samples were collected concurrently with the storm samples. A total of 16 environmental samples were collected over four storms during July 1, 2007, to June 30, 2008 at the H-1 Storm Drain. All samples at this site were collected using an automatic sampler. Samples generally were analyzed for total suspended solids, nutrients, chemical oxygen demand, oil and grease, total petroleum hydrocarbons, and selected trace metals (cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, nickel, and zinc), although some samples were analyzed for only a partial list of these analytes. During the storm of January 29, 2008, 10 discrete samples were collected. Varying constituent concentrations were detected for the samples collected at different times during this storm event. Two quality-assurance/quality-control samples were collected concurrently with the storm samples. Three additional quality-assurance/quality-control samples were collected during routine sampler maintenance to check the effectiveness of equipment-cleaning procedures.

[Monitoring and analysis on evolution process of rainfall runoff water quality in urban area].

PubMed

Dong, Wen; Li, Huai-En; Li, Jia-Ke

2013-02-01

In order to find the water quality evolution law and pollution characteristics of the rainfall runoff from undisturbed to the neighborhood exit, 6 times evolution process of rainfall runoff water quality were monitored and analyzed from July to October in 2011, and contrasted the clarification efficiency of the grassland to the roof runoff rudimentarily at the same time. The research showed: 1. the results of the comparison from "undisturbed, rainfall-roof, rainfall runoff-road, rainfall-runoff the neighborhood exit runoff " showed that the water quality of the undisturbed rain was better than that from the roof and the neighborhood exist, but the road rainfall runoff water quality was the worst; 2. the average concentrations of the parameters such as COD, ammonia nitrogen and total nitrogen all exceeded the Fifth Class of the Surface Water Quality Standard except for the soluble total phosphorus from undisturbed rainfall to the neighborhood exit; 3. the runoff water quality of the short early fine days was better than that of long early fine days, and the last runoff water quality was better than that of the initial runoff in the same rainfall process; 4. the concentration reduction of the grassland was notable, and the reduction rate of the grassland which is 1.0 meter wide of the roof runoff pollutants such as COD and nitrogen reached 30%.

Precipitation-runoff, suspended-sediment, and flood-frequency characteristics for urbanized areas of Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brabets, Timothy P.

1999-01-01

The developed part of Elmendorf Air Force Base near Anchorage, Alaska, consists of two basins with drainage areas of 4.0 and 0.64 square miles, respectively. Runoff and suspended-sediment data were collected from August 1996 to March 1998 to gain a basic understanding of the surface-water hydrology of these areas and to estimate flood-frequency characteristics. Runoff from the larger basin averaged 6 percent of rainfall, whereas runoff from the smaller basin averaged 13 percent of rainfall. During rainfall periods, the suspended-sediment load transported from the larger watershed ranged from 179 to 21,000 pounds and that from the smaller watershed ranged from 23 to 18,200 pounds. On a yield basis, suspended sediment from the larger watershed was 78 pounds per inch of runoff and from the smaller basin was 100 pounds per inch of runoff. Suspended-sediment loads and yields were generally lower during snowmelt periods than during rainfall periods. At each outfall of the two watersheds, water flows into steep natural channels. Suspended-sediment loads measured approximately 1,000 feet downstream from the outfalls during rainfall periods ranged from 8,450 to 530,000 pounds. On a yield basis, suspended sediment averaged 705 pounds per inch of runoff, more than three times as much as the combined sediment yield from the two watersheds. The increase in suspended sediment is most likely due to natural erosion of the streambanks. Streamflow data, collected in 1996 and 1997, were used to calibrate and verify a U.S. Geological Survey computer model?the Distributed Routing Rainfall Runoff Model-Version II (DR3M-II). The model was then used to simulate annual peak discharges and runoff volumes for 1981 to 1995 using historical rainfall records. Because the model indicated that surcharging (or ponding) would occur, no flood-frequency analysis was done for peak discharges. A flood-frequency analysis of flood volumes indicated that a 10-year flood would result in 0.39 inch of runoff (averaged over the entire drainage basin) from the larger watershed and 1.1 inches of runoff from the smaller watershed.

Environmental and Cultural Impact Proposed Tennessee Colony Reservoir, Trinity River, Texas. Volume V. Appendix G.

DTIC Science & Technology

1972-01-01

allocation. Pri- marily it is concerned with any land use that increases surface water runoff and soil compaction, two phenomena that decrease recharge... runoff . Forested filter strips between range and reser- voir boundary should be developed as a land use for water quality control and quail habitat. High...shown on Plates G-10 and G-11) some measures will also be necessary to prevent fertilizer pollution of the reservoir from excessive surface runoff . G

Analysis of regional rainfall-runoff parameters for the Lake Michigan Diversion hydrological modeling

USGS Publications Warehouse

Soong, David T.; Over, Thomas M.

2015-01-01

Recalibration of the HSPF parameters to the updated inputs and land covers was completed on two representative watershed models selected from the nine by using a manual method (HSPEXP) and an automatic method (PEST). The objective of the recalibration was to develop a regional parameter set that improves the accuracy in runoff volume prediction for the nine study watersheds. Knowledge about flow and watershed characteristics plays a vital role for validating the calibration in both manual and automatic methods. The best performing parameter set was determined by the automatic calibration method on a two-watershed model. Applying this newly determined parameter set to the nine watersheds for runoff volume simulation resulted in “very good” ratings in five watersheds, an improvement as compared to “very good” ratings achieved for three watersheds by the North Branch parameter set.

[Runoff loss of soil mineral nitrogen and its relationship with grass coverage on Loess slope land].

PubMed

Zhang, Yali; Li, Huai'en; Zhang, Xingchang; Xiao, Bo

2006-12-01

In a simulated rainfall experiment on Loess slope land, this paper determined the rainfall, surface runoff and the effective depth of interaction (EDI) between rainfall and soil mineral nitrogen, and studied the effects of grass coverage on the EDI and the runoff loss of soil mineral nitrogen. The results showed that with the increase of EDI, soil nitrogen in deeper layers could be released into surface runoff through dissolution and desorption. The higher the grass coverage, the deeper the EDI was. Grass coverage promoted the interaction between surface runoff and surface soil. On the slope land with 60%, 80% and 100% of grass coverage, the mean content of runoff mineral nitrogen increased by 34.52%, 32.67% and 6.00%, while surface runoff decreased by 4.72%, 9.84% and 12.89%, and eroded sediment decreased by 83.55%, 87.11% and 89.01%, respectively, compared with bare slope land. The total runoff loss of soil mineral nitrogen on the lands with 60%, 80%, and 100% of grass coverage was 95.73%, 109.04%, and 84.05% of that on bare land, respectively. Grass cover had dual effects on the surface runoff of soil mineral nitrogen. On one hand, it enhanced the influx of soil mineral nitrogen to surface runoff, and on the other hand, it markedly decreased the runoff, resulting in the decrease of soil mineral nitrogen loss through runoff and sediment. These two distinct factors codetermined the total runoff loss of soil mineral nitrogen.

Effects of gravel on infiltration, runoff, and sediment yield in landslide deposit slope in Wenchuan earthquake area, China.

PubMed

Li, Tianyang; He, Binghui; Chen, Zhanpeng; Zhang, Yi; Liang, Chuan; Wang, Renxin

2016-06-01

Amounts of landslide deposits were triggered by the Wenchuan earthquake with magnitude 8.0 on May 12, 2008. The landslide deposits were composed of soil and rock fragments, which play important roles in hydrological and erosion processes in the steep slope of landslide deposits. The mixtures of soil and gravels are common in the top layers of landslide deposits, and its processes are obviously different with the soil without gravels. Based on the data of field investigation, a series of simulated scouring flow experiments with four proportion of gravel (0, 25, 33.3, and 50 %) and three scouring flow rates (4, 8, 12 L/min) under two steep slopes (67.5, 72.7 %) were conducted sequentially to know the effects of proportion of gravel on infiltration capacity, runoff generation, and sediment production in the steep slope of landslide deposit. Results indicated that gravel had promoted or reduced effects on infiltration capacity which could affect further the cumulative runoff volume and cumulative sediment mass increase or decrease. The cumulative infiltration volume in 25 % proportion of gravel was less than those in 0, 33.3, and 50 % proportion of gravel. The cumulative runoff volume was in an order of 25 > 0 > 33.3 > 50 % while cumulative sediment mass ranked as 25 > 33.3 > 0 > 50 % with different proportions of gravel. A significant power relationship was found between scouring time and cumulative runoff volume as well as cumulative sediment mass. The relationship between average soil and water loss rate and proportion of gravel was able to express by quadratic function, with a high degree of reliability. The results have important implications for soil and water conservation and modeling in landslide deposit but also provide useful information for the similar conditions.

Characterization of rainfall-runoff response and estimation of the effect of wetland restoration on runoff, Heron Lake Basin, southwestern Minnesota, 1991-97

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jones, Perry M.; Winterstein, Thomas A.

2000-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the Heron Lake Watershed District, conducted a study to characterize the rainfall-runoff response and to examine the effects of wetland restoration on the rainfall-runoff response within the Heron Lake Basin in southwestern Minnesota. About 93 percent of the land cover in the Heron Lake Basin consists of agricultural lands, consisting almost entirely of row crops, with less than one percent consisting of wetlands. The Hydrological Simulation Program – Fortran (HSPF), Version 10, was calibrated to continuous discharge data and used to characterize rainfall-runoff responses in the Heron Lake Basin between May 1991 and August 1997. Simulation of the Heron Lake Basin was done as a two-step process: (1) simulations of five small subbasins using data from August 1995 through August 1997, and (2) simulations of the two large basins, Jack and Okabena Creek Basins, using data from May 1991 through September 1996. Simulations of the five small subbasins was done to determine basin parameters for the land segments and assess rainfall-runoff response variability in the basin. Simulations of the two larger basins were done to verify the basin parameters and assess rainfall-runoff responses over a larger area and for a longer time period. Best-fit calibrations of the five subbasin simulations indicate that the rainfall-runoff response is uniform throughout the Heron Lake Basin, and 48 percent of the total rainfall for storms becomes direct (surface and interflow) runoff. Rainfall-runoff response variations result from variations in the distribution, intensity, timing, and duration of rainfall; soil moisture; evapotranspiration rates; and the presence of lakes in the basin. In the spring, the amount and distribution of rainfall tends to govern the runoff response. High evapotranspiration rates in the summer result in a depletion of moisture from the soils, substantially affecting the rainfall-runoff relation. Five wetland restoration simulations were run for each of five subbasins using data from August 1995 through August 1997, and for the two larger basins, Jack and Okabena Creek Basins, using data from May 1991 through September 1996. Results from linear regression analysis of total simulated direct runoff and total rainfall data for simulated storms in the wetland-restoration simulations indicate that the portion of total rainfall that becomes runoff will be reduced by 46 percent if 45 percent of current cropland is converted to wetland. The addition of wetlands reduced peak runoff in most of the simulations, but the reduction varied with antecedent soil moisture, the magnitude of the peak flow, and the presence of current wetlands and lakes. Reductions in the simulated total and peak runoff from the Jack Creek Basin for most of the simulated storms were greatest when additional wetlands were simulated in the North Branch Jack Creek or the Upper Jack Creek Subbasins. In the Okabena Creek Basin, reductions in simulated peak runoff for most of the storms were greatest when additional wetlands were simulated in the Lower Okabena Creek Subbasin.

[Interception Effect of Ecological Ditch on Nitrogen Transport in Agricultural Runoff in Subtropical China].

PubMed

Wang, Di; Li, Hong-fang; Liu, Feng; Wang, Yi; Zhong, Yuan-chun; He, Yang; Xiao, Run-fin; Wu, Jin-shui

2016-05-15

Interception effects of an ecological ditch, used to control agricultural non-point source pollution in subtropical China, on nitrogen transport in surface runoff were studied by monthly measuring the runoff volume and concentrations of ammonium nitrogen (NH₄⁺-N), nitrate nitrogen (NO₃⁻-N) and total nitrogen (TN) at the ditch inlet and outlet from 2013 to 2014. In addition, differences of NH₄⁺-N, NO₃⁻-N and TN removal were compared between 2013 and 2014. The results showed that the study ecological ditch worked effectively in N removal with average NH₄⁺-N, NO₃⁻-N and TN removal rates of 77.8%, 58.3%, and 48.7%; and their interception rates were 38.4, 59.6, and 171.1 kg · a⁻¹, respectively. The average proportion of NH₄⁺-N and NO₃⁻-N in TN was 47.5% at inlet, and 33.6% at outlet, which was significantly lower than that at inlet (P < 0.01). All hydrophytes in the ecological ditch were replaced by Myriophyllum aquaticum in 2014, which led to the increased average NO₃⁻-N and TN removal rates of 30.5% and 18.2%, respectively, Compared to in 2013. The vegetation of Myriophyllum aquaticum was beneficial to the improvement of N interception in ecological ditch. These findings clearly demonstrated that ecological ditch can substantially reduce N loss from surface runoff and be used as an important technique to prevent agricultural non-point N pollution.

Rainwater propagation through snowpack during rain-on-snow sprinkling experiments under different snow conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Juras, Roman; Würzer, Sebastian; Pavlásek, Jirka; Vitvar, Tomáš; Jonas, Tobias

2017-09-01

The mechanisms of rainwater propagation and runoff generation during rain-on-snow (ROS) events are still insufficiently known. Understanding storage and transport of liquid water in natural snowpacks is crucial, especially for forecasting of natural hazards such as floods and wet snow avalanches. In this study, propagation of rainwater through snow was investigated by sprinkling experiments with deuterium-enriched water and applying an alternative hydrograph separation technique on samples collected from the snowpack runoff. This allowed us to quantify the contribution of rainwater, snowmelt and initial liquid water released from the snowpack. Four field experiments were carried out during winter 2015 in the vicinity of Davos, Switzerland. Blocks of natural snow were isolated from the surrounding snowpack to inhibit lateral exchange of water and were exposed to artificial rainfall using deuterium-enriched water. The experiments were composed of four 30 min periods of sprinkling, separated by three 30 min breaks. The snowpack runoff was continuously gauged and sampled periodically for the deuterium signature. At the onset of each experiment antecedent liquid water was first pushed out by the sprinkling water. Hydrographs showed four pronounced peaks corresponding to the four sprinkling bursts. The contribution of rainwater to snowpack runoff consistently increased over the course of the experiment but never exceeded 86 %. An experiment conducted on a non-ripe snowpack suggested the development of preferential flow paths that allowed rainwater to efficiently propagate through the snowpack limiting the time for mass exchange processes to take effect. In contrast, experiments conducted on ripe isothermal snowpack showed a slower response behaviour and resulted in a total runoff volume which consisted of less than 50 % of the rain input.

Exploiting Soil Moisture, Precipitation, and Streamflow Observations to Evaluate Soil Moisture/Runoff Coupling in Land Surface Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crow, W. T.; Chen, F.; Reichle, R. H.; Xia, Y.; Liu, Q.

2018-05-01

Accurate partitioning of precipitation into infiltration and runoff is a fundamental objective of land surface models tasked with characterizing the surface water and energy balance. Temporal variability in this partitioning is due, in part, to changes in prestorm soil moisture, which determine soil infiltration capacity and unsaturated storage. Utilizing the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Soil Moisture Active Passive Level-4 soil moisture product in combination with streamflow and precipitation observations, we demonstrate that land surface models (LSMs) generally underestimate the strength of the positive rank correlation between prestorm soil moisture and event runoff coefficients (i.e., the fraction of rainfall accumulation volume converted into stormflow runoff during a storm event). Underestimation is largest for LSMs employing an infiltration-excess approach for stormflow runoff generation. More accurate coupling strength is found in LSMs that explicitly represent subsurface stormflow or saturation-excess runoff generation processes.

Environmental Effects of Pervious Pavement as a Low Impact ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Pervious pavement systems can be used to reduce stormwater runoff volume and are efficient at removing solids from runoff; however, the pollutant removal efficiency for nutrients, metals, and organic contaminants is yet to be determined due to either a lack of data or inconsistent results. Groundwater recharge through the use of pervious pavement systems has not been proven, although runoff infiltration to underlying soils has been shown under certain conditions. The potential for groundwater contamination through the infiltration of runoff through pervious pavement is dependent on the stressor of interest, its mobility, its concentration in runoff, and its partitioning in runoff (dissolved or particle-bound). Every site is different and care should be taken to examine site conditions, underlying soil characteristics, and local climate prior to determining if the installation of pervious pavement would be an appropriate best management practice for stormwater management at a particular location. To inform the public.

Projected cryospheric and hydrological impacts of 21st century climate change in the Ötztal Alps (Austria) simulated using a physically based approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hanzer, Florian; Förster, Kristian; Nemec, Johanna; Strasser, Ulrich

2018-03-01

A physically based hydroclimatological model (AMUNDSEN) is used to assess future climate change impacts on the cryosphere and hydrology of the Ötztal Alps (Austria) until 2100. The model is run in 100 m spatial and 3 h temporal resolution using in total 31 downscaled, bias-corrected, and temporally disaggregated EURO-CORDEX climate projections for the representative concentration pathways (RCPs) 2.6, 4.5, and 8.5 scenarios as forcing data, making this - to date - the most detailed study for this region in terms of process representation and range of considered climate projections. Changes in snow coverage, glacierization, and hydrological regimes are discussed both for a larger area encompassing the Ötztal Alps (1850 km2, 862-3770 m a.s.l.) as well as for seven catchments in the area with varying size (11-165 km2) and glacierization (24-77 %). Results show generally declining snow amounts with moderate decreases (0-20 % depending on the emission scenario) of mean annual snow water equivalent in high elevations (> 2500 m a.s.l.) until the end of the century. The largest decreases, amounting to up to 25-80 %, are projected to occur in elevations below 1500 m a.s.l. Glaciers in the region will continue to retreat strongly, leaving only 4-20 % of the initial (as of 2006) ice volume left by 2100. Total and summer (JJA) runoff will change little during the early 21st century (2011-2040) with simulated decreases (compared to 1997-2006) of up to 11 % (total) and 13 % (summer) depending on catchment and scenario, whereas runoff volumes decrease by up to 39 % (total) and 47 % (summer) towards the end of the century (2071-2100), accompanied by a shift in peak flows from July towards June.

An overview of urban stormwater-management practices in Miami-Dade County, Florida

USGS Publications Warehouse

Chin, David A.

2004-01-01

Agencies with jurisdiction over stormwater-management systems in Miami-Dade County, Florida, include the Miami-Dade Department of Environmental Resources Management (DERM), South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD), and Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). These agencies are primarily concerned with minor drainage systems that handle runoff from storms with return periods of 10 years or less (DERM), major drainage systems that handle runoff from storms with return periods of 25 years or more (SFWMD), and runoff from major roadways (FDOT). All drainage regulations require retention of at least a specified water-quality volume (defined volume of surface runoff), typically the first inch of runoff. The DERM and FDOT intensity duration frequency (IDF) curves used as a basis for design are similar but different, with differences particularly apparent for short-duration storms. The SFWMD 25-year 3-day storm incorporates an IDF curve that is substantially different from both the IDF curves of DERM and FDOT. A DERM methodology for designing closed exfiltration systems is applicable to storms of 1-hour duration, but is not applicable to all storms with a given T-year return period. A trench design that is applicable to all storms with a given T-year return period is presented as an alternative approach.

Runoff prediction using rainfall data from microwave links: Tabor case study.

PubMed

Stransky, David; Fencl, Martin; Bares, Vojtech

2018-05-01

Rainfall spatio-temporal distribution is of great concern for rainfall-runoff modellers. Standard rainfall observations are, however, often scarce and/or expensive to obtain. Thus, rainfall observations from non-traditional sensors such as commercial microwave links (CMLs) represent a promising alternative. In this paper, rainfall observations from a municipal rain gauge (RG) monitoring network were complemented by CMLs and used as an input to a standard urban drainage model operated by the water utility of the Tabor agglomeration (CZ). Two rainfall datasets were used for runoff predictions: (i) the municipal RG network, i.e. the observation layout used by the water utility, and (ii) CMLs adjusted by the municipal RGs. The performance was evaluated in terms of runoff volumes and hydrograph shapes. The use of CMLs did not lead to distinctively better predictions in terms of runoff volumes; however, CMLs outperformed RGs used alone when reproducing a hydrograph's dynamics (peak discharges, Nash-Sutcliffe coefficient and hydrograph's rising limb timing). This finding is promising for number of urban drainage tasks working with dynamics of the flow. Moreover, CML data can be obtained from a telecommunication operator's data cloud at virtually no cost. That makes their use attractive for cities unable to improve their monitoring infrastructure for economic or organizational reasons.

Environmental Effects of Pervious Pavement as a Low Impact Development Installation in Urban Regions - Chapter 13

EPA Science Inventory

Pervious pavement systems can be used to reduce stormwater runoff volume and are efficient at removing solids from runoff; however, the pollutant removal efficiency for nutrients, metals, and organic contaminants is yet to be determined due to either a lack of data or inconsisten...

Rationale for seeding grass on the Stanislaus Complex Burnt

Treesearch

Earl C. Ruby

1989-01-01

An emergency survey of the 147,000-acre (59,491 hectare), Stanislaus Complex Burn found that large, continuous, land areas were intensely burned, resulting in strongly hydrophobic soils, with potential to yield catastrophic volumes of flood runoff. The potential cumulative effect of greatly increased runoff efficiency on contiguous watersheds threatened serious...

Modelling runoff and soil water content with the DR2-2013© SAGA v1.1 model at catchment scale under Mediterranean conditions (NE Spain)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

López-Vicente, Manuel, , Dr.; Palazón, M. Sc. Leticia; Quijano, M. Sc. Laura; Gaspar, Leticia, , Dr.; Navas, Ana, , Dr.

2015-04-01

Hydrological and soil erosion models allow mapping and quantifying spatially distributed rates of runoff depth and soil redistribution for different land uses, management and tillage practices and climatic scenarios. The different temporal and spatial [very small (< 1 km2), small (1-5 km2), medium (5-50 km2) and large catchments (50-1000 km2) or river basins (>1000 km2)] scales of numerical simulations make model selection specific to each range of scales. Additionally, the spatial resolution of the inputs is in agreement with the size of the study area. In this study, we run the GIS-based water balance DR2-2013© SAGA v1.1 model (freely downloaded as executable file at http://digital.csic.es/handle/10261/93543), in the Vandunchil stream catchment (23 km2; Ebro river basin, NE Spain). All input maps are generated at 5 x 5 m of cell size (924,573 pixels per map) allowing sound parameterization. Simulation is run at monthly scale with average climatic values. This catchment is an open hydrological system and it has a long history of human occupation, agricultural practices and water management. Numerous manmade infrastructures or landscape linear elements (LLEs: paved and unpaved trails, rock mounds in non-cultivated areas, disperse and small settlements, shallow and long drainage ditches, stone walls, small rock dams, fences and vegetation strips) appear throughout the hillslopes and streams and modify the natural runoff pathways and thus the hydrological and sediment connectivity. Rain-fed cereal fields occupy one third of the catchment area, 1% corresponds to sealed soils, and the remaining area is covered with Mediterranean forest, scrubland, pine afforestation and meadow. The parent material corresponds to Miocene sandstones and lutites and Holocene colluvial and alluvial deposits. The climate is continental Mediterranean with two humid periods, one in spring and a second in autumn that summarizes 63% of the total annual precipitation. We created a synthetic weather station (WS) from the Caseda and Uncastillo WS. The effective rainfall that reaches the soils (after canopy interception and slope correction) was 85% on average from the total rainfall depth (556 mm yr-1) and the average initial runoff, before overland flow processes, was 320 mm yr-1. The simulated effective runoff (CQeff) ranged from 0 until 29,960 mm yr-1 and the corresponding map showed the typical spatial pattern of overland flow pathways though numerous disruptions appeared along the hillslopes and the main streams due to the presence of LLEs. The total depth of annual runoff corresponds to 37.8% of the total effective rainfall (TER) and 32.0% of the total rainfall depth (TR). The remaining volume of water, the soil water content (Waa) associated with the runoff and rainfall events, meant 62.2% and 52.7% of the TER and TR, respectively. The map of the Waa presented a different spatial pattern where the land uses play a more important role than the processes of cumulative overland flow. Significant variations in the monthly values of CQeff and Waa were described. This study proves the ability of the DR2-2013© SAGA v1.1 model to simulate the hydrological response of the soils at catchment scale.

Quantifying Water Stress Using Total Water Volumes and GRACE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Richey, A. S.; Famiglietti, J. S.; Druffel-Rodriguez, R.

2011-12-01

Water will follow oil as the next critical resource leading to unrest and uprisings globally. To better manage this threat, an improved understanding of the distribution of water stress is required today. This study builds upon previous efforts to characterize water stress by improving both the quantification of human water use and the definition of water availability. Current statistics on human water use are often outdated or inaccurately reported nationally, especially for groundwater. This study improves these estimates by defining human water use in two ways. First, we use NASA's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) to isolate the anthropogenic signal in water storage anomalies, which we equate to water use. Second, we quantify an ideal water demand by using average water requirements for the domestic, industrial, and agricultural water use sectors. Water availability has traditionally been limited to "renewable" water, which ignores large, stored water sources that humans use. We compare water stress estimates derived using either renewable water or the total volume of water globally. We use the best-available data to quantify total aquifer and surface water volumes, as compared to groundwater recharge and surface water runoff from land-surface models. The work presented here should provide a more realistic image of water stress by explicitly quantifying groundwater, defining water availability as total water supply, and using GRACE to more accurately quantify water use.

Role of Organic Matter in the Removal of Heavy Metals in Stormwater Runoff

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barrett, M.; Ingenloff, C.; Katz, L.

2011-12-01

Heavy metals (copper, zinc, and lead) are common constituents in highway runoff and concentrations in runoff from highway facilities are particularly high. These concentrations are also generally higher than observed in natural water bodies and several studies have demonstrated acute and chronic toxicity to aquatic ecosystems. One focus of this project is to assess the potential of sorption to reduce the concentration of metals in runoff. The difficulty evaluating adsorption in multi-component systems is to capture the impacts of background organic matter and other complexing ions on adsorption behavior. Very few studies have evaluated the ability of surface complexation models to predict adsorption in systems that contain organic matter from highway runoff. Moreover, the composition of the organic matter in stormwater runoff can be significantly different from natural organic matter typically used to assess the impact of background organics on metal ion adsorption. This research project specifically addresses these concerns and examines the impact of highway runoff on the adsorption behavior to determine whether existing surface complexation and chemical speciation models and parameter databases can be used to predict adsorption of target metal ions in these waters. Previous research has employed both actual storm water that has been obtained from actual field highway runoff sites as well as synthetic storm water compositions that have attempted to mimic the major components of natural storm water. Researchers and practitioners in the field generally agree on the importance of capturing the background water matrix; however, concerns associated with required volumes, holding times, aging, consistency and temporal and spatial variability often favor the use of synthetic formulations. While synthetic storm water can achieve the required consistency, numerous artifacts can be introduced due to the high reactivity of trace metal ions with background inorganic and organic ligands. Of particular concern, is the background organic matrix associated with stormwater. While most of the inorganic composition of natural stormwater can be adequately characterized using routine analytical procedures, characterization of organic matter to the same level of detail is not possible. Indeed, methods for characterization of natural organic matter typically only provide operational definitions of the composition. A compromise between using natural and synthetic storm water was therefore made by recognizing the importance of capturing the organic matter from natural storm water, but adding the flexibility of using synthetic storm water to provide the ionic composition. To alleviate concerns associated with storing large volumes and aging of organic solutions, the storm water was concentrated within twenty-four hours of collection using reverse osmosis and then freeze-dried. The freeze-dried organic matter will be reconstituted as needed at concentrations that mimic the initial total organic concentration of the stormwater when it was collected. This paper provides detailed guidance for the preparation of a synthetic water that can be used to simulate stormwater composition.

Improving runoff risk estimates: Formulating runoff as a bivariate process using the SCS curve number method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shaw, Stephen B.; Walter, M. Todd

2009-03-01

The Soil Conservation Service curve number (SCS-CN) method is widely used to predict storm runoff for hydraulic design purposes, such as sizing culverts and detention basins. As traditionally used, the probability of calculated runoff is equated to the probability of the causative rainfall event, an assumption that fails to account for the influence of variations in soil moisture on runoff generation. We propose a modification to the SCS-CN method that explicitly incorporates rainfall return periods and the frequency of different soil moisture states to quantify storm runoff risks. Soil moisture status is assumed to be correlated to stream base flow. Fundamentally, this approach treats runoff as the outcome of a bivariate process instead of dictating a 1:1 relationship between causative rainfall and resulting runoff volumes. Using data from the Fall Creek watershed in western New York and the headwaters of the French Broad River in the mountains of North Carolina, we show that our modified SCS-CN method improves frequency discharge predictions in medium-sized watersheds in the eastern United States in comparison to the traditional application of the method.

Attenuation of copper in runoff from copper roofing materials by two stormwater control measures.

PubMed

LaBarre, William J; Ownby, David R; Lev, Steven M; Rader, Kevin J; Casey, Ryan E

2016-01-01

Concerns have been raised over diffuse and non-point sources of metals including releases from copper (Cu) roofs during storm events. A picnic shelter with a partitioned Cu roof was constructed with two types of stormwater control measures (SCMs), bioretention planter boxes and biofiltration swales, to evaluate the ability of the SCMs to attenuate Cu in stormwater runoff from the roof. Cu was measured as it entered the SCMs from the roof as influent as well as after it left the SCMs as effluent. Samples from twenty-six storms were collected with flow-weighted composite sampling. Samples from seven storms were collected with discrete sampling. Total Cu in composite samples of the influent waters ranged from 306 to 2863 μg L(-1) and had a median concentration of 1087 μg L(-1). Total Cu in the effluent from the planter boxes ranged from 28 to 141 μg L(-1), with a median of 66 μg L(-1). Total Cu in effluent from the swales ranged from 7 to 51 μg L(-1) with a median of 28 μg L(-1). Attenuation in the planter boxes ranged from 85 to 99% with a median of 94% by concentration and in the swales ranged from 93 to 99% with a median of 99%. As the roof aged, discrete storm events showed a pronounced first-flush effect of Cu in SCM influent but this was less pronounced in the planter outlets. Stormwater retention time in the media varied with antecedent conditions, stormwater intensity and volume with median values from 6.6 to 73.5 min. Based on local conditions, a previously-published Cu weathering model gave a predicted Cu runoff rate of 2.02 g m(-2) yr(-1). The measured rate based on stormwater sampling was 2.16 g m(-2) yr(-1). Overall, both SCMs were highly successful at retaining and preventing offsite transport of Cu from Cu roof runoff. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of forest-management activities on runoff components and ground-water recharge to Quabbin Reservoir, central Massachusetts

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bent, G.C.

2001-01-01

The effects of forest-management activities (timber cutting and herbicide application) on runoff components (total streamflow, direct runoff, and base flow) and on ground-water recharge per unit area were evaluated for two separate paired drainage basins of Quabbin Reservoir in central Massachusetts. The Cadwell Creek study area, studied from 1962-1973, included an experimental basin (Upper Cadwell Creek) and a control basin (Lower Cadwell Creek). In the experimental basin, herbicide was applied to mixed oaks, northern hardwoods, and understory vegetation in different riparian zones during the summers of 1967 and 1968, and some pine plantations were thinned or clear-cut during the winter of 1967-1968. These forest-management activities decreased the total basal area by about 34%. The decrease in total basal area resulted in an increase in total streamflow, direct runoff (total streamflow minus base flow), and ground-water recharge for six dormant seasons (October-April) and six growing seasons (May-September) during 1968-1973. Base flow increased for three dormant seasons and two growing seasons during 1968-1970 and the dormant seasons of 1971 and 1973. Base flow accounted for 34% and direct runoff accounted for 66% of the 94 mm (15%) increase in total streamflow during water years 1968-1973. Sixty-one percent of this increase in total streamflow occurred in the dormant seasons. The Dickey Brook study area, studied from 1985-1989, included an experimental basin (Dickey Brook) and a control basin (Dickey Brook Tributary). Some pine plantations were thinned or clear-cut in the headwaters of the experimental basin from October 1986 to March 1987 and October to December 1988. These forest-management activities decreased the total basal area by 24% during 1986-1987 and an additional 8% during 1988. The decrease in total basal area resulted in an increase in total streamflow, base flow, and ground-water recharge for only one dormant season and one growing season in 1987. Direct runoff only increased slightly during the 1987 dormant season. Base flow accounted for 91% and direct runoff accounted for 9% of the 92 mm (21%) increase in total streamflow during water year 1987. Seventy-seven percent of this increase in total streamflow occurred in the dormant season.

Surface runoff and nitrogen (N) loss in a bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens) forest under different fertilization regimes.

PubMed

Zhang, Qichun; Shamsi, Imran Haider; Wang, Jinwen; Song, Qiujin; Xue, Qiaoyun; Yu, Yan; Lin, Xianyong; Hussain, Sayed

2013-07-01

Nitrogen (N) losses from agricultural fields have been extensively studied. In contrast, surface runoff and N losses have rarely been considered for bamboo forests that are widespread in regions such as southern China. The thriving of bamboo industries has led to increasing fertilizer use in bamboo forests. In this study, we evaluated surface runoff and N losses in runoff following different fertilization treatments under field conditions in a bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens) forest in the catchment of Lake Taihu in Jiangsu, China. Under three different fertilization regimes, i.e., control, site-specific nutrient management (SSNM), and farmer's fertilization practice (FFP), the water runoff rate amounted to 356, 361, and 342 m(3) ha(-1) and accounted for 1.91, 1.98, and 1.85% of the water input, respectively, from June 2009 to May 2010. The total N losses via surface runoff ranged from 1.2 to 1.8 kg ha(-1). Compared with FFP, the SSNM treatment reduced total nitrogen (TN) and dissolved nitrogen (DN) losses by 31 and 34%, respectively. The results also showed that variations in N losses depended mainly on runoff fluxes, not N concentrations. Runoff samples collected from all treatments throughout the year showed TN concentrations greater than 0.35 mg L(-1), with the mean TN concentration in the runoff from the FFP treatment reaching 8.97 mg L(-1). The loss of NO3(-)-N was greater than the loss of NH4(+)-N. The total loss of dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) reached 23-41% of the corresponding DN. Therefore, DON is likely the main N species in runoff from bamboo forests and should be emphasized in the assessment and management of N losses in bamboo forest.

Phosphorus runoff from turfgrass as affected by phosphorus fertilization and clipping management.

PubMed

Bierman, Peter M; Horgan, Brian P; Rosen, Carl J; Hollman, Andrew B; Pagliari, Paulo H

2010-01-01

Phosphorus enrichment of surface water is a concern in many urban watersheds. A 3-yr study on a silt loam soil with 5% slope and high soil test P (27 mg kg(-1) Bray P1) was conducted to evaluate P fertilization and clipping management effects on P runoff from turfgrass (Poa pratensis L.) under frozen and nonfrozen conditions. Four fertilizer treatments were compared: (i) no fertilizer, (ii) nitrogen (N)+potassium (K)+0xP, (iii) N+K+1xP, and (iv) N+K+3xP. Phosphorus rates were 21.3 and 63.9 kg ha(-1) yr(-1) the first year and 7.1 and 21.3 kg ha(-1) yr(-1) the following 2 yr. Each fertilizer treatment was evaluated with clippings removed or clippings recycled back to the turf. In the first year, P runoff increased with increasing P rate and P losses were greater in runoff from frozen than nonfrozen soil. In year 2, total P runoff from the no fertilizer treatment was greater than from treatments receiving fertilizer. This was because reduced turf quality resulted in greater runoff depth from the no fertilizer treatment. In year 3, total P runoff from frozen soil and cumulative total P runoff increased with increasing P rate. Clipping management was not an important factor in any year, indicating that returning clippings does not significantly increase P runoff from turf. In the presence of N and K, P fertilization did not improve turf growth or quality in any year. Phosphorus runoff can be reduced by not applying P to high testing soils and avoiding fall applications when P is needed.

Predicting runoff of suspended solids and particulate phosphorus for selected Louisiana soils using simple soil tests.

PubMed

Udeigwe, Theophilus K; Wang, Jim J; Zhang, Hailin

2007-01-01

This study was conducted to evaluate the relationships among total suspended solids (TSS) and particulate phosphorus (PP) in runoff and selected soil properties. Nine Louisiana soils were subjected to simulated rainfall events, and runoff collected and analyzed for various parameters. A highly significant relationship existed between runoff TSS and runoff turbidity. Both runoff TSS and turbidity were also significantly related to runoff PP, which on average accounted for more than 98% of total P (TP) in the runoff. Runoff TSS was closely and positively related to soil clay content in an exponential fashion (y=0.10e0.01x, R2=0.91, P<0.001) while it was inversely related to soil electrical conductivity (EC) (y=0.02 x(-3.95), R2=0.70, P<0.01). A newly-devised laboratory test, termed "soil suspension turbidity" (SST) which measures turbidity in a 1:200 soil/water suspension, exhibited highly significant linear relationships with runoff TSS (y=0.06x-4.38, R2=0.82, P<0.001) and PP (y=0.04x+2.68, R2=0.85, P<0.001). In addition, SST alone yielded similar R2 value to that of combining soil clay content and EC in a multiple regression, suggesting that SST was able to account for the integrated effect of clay content and electrolytic background on runoff TSS. The SST test could be used for assessment and management of sediment and particulate nutrient losses in surface runoff.

Selected approaches to estimate water-budget components of the High Plains, 1940 through 1949 and 2000 through 2009

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stanton, Jennifer S.; Qi, Sharon L.; Ryter, Derek W.; Falk, Sarah E.; Houston, Natalie A.; Peterson, Steven M.; Westenbroek, Stephen M.; Christenson, Scott C.

2011-01-01

The High Plains aquifer, underlying almost 112 million acres in the central United States, is one of the largest aquifers in the Nation. It is the primary water supply for drinking water, irrigation, animal production, and industry in the region. Expansion of irrigated agriculture throughout the past 60 years has helped make the High Plains one of the most productive agricultural regions in the Nation. Extensive withdrawals of groundwater for irrigation have caused water-level declines in many parts of the aquifer and increased concerns about the long-term sustainability of the aquifer. Quantification of water-budget components is a prerequisite for effective water-resources management. Components analyzed as part of this study were precipitation, evapotranspiration, recharge, surface runoff, groundwater discharge to streams, groundwater fluxes to and from adjacent geologic units, irrigation, and groundwater in storage. These components were assessed for 1940 through 1949 (representing conditions prior to substantial groundwater development and referred to as "pregroundwater development" throughout this report) and 2000 through 2009. Because no single method can perfectly quantify the magnitude of any part of a water budget at a regional scale, results from several methods and previously published work were compiled and compared for this study when feasible. Results varied among the several methods applied, as indicated by the range of average annual volumes given for each component listed in the following paragraphs. Precipitation was derived from three sources: the Parameter-Elevation Regressions on Independent Slopes Model, data developed using Next Generation Weather Radar and measured precipitation from weather stations by the Office of Hydrologic Development at the National Weather Service for the Sacramento-Soil Moisture Accounting model, and precipitation measured at weather stations and spatially distributed using an inverse-distance-weighted interpolation method. Precipitation estimates using these sources, as a 10-year average annual total volume for the High Plains, ranged from 192 to 199 million acre-feet (acre-ft) for 1940 through 1949 and from 185 to 199 million acre-ft for 2000 through 2009. Evapotranspiration was obtained from three sources: the National Weather Service Sacramento-Soil Moisture Accounting model, the Simplified-Surface-Energy-Balance model using remotely sensed data, and the Soil-Water-Balance model. Average annual total evapotranspiration estimated using these sources was 148 million acre-ft for 1940 through 1949 and ranged from 154 to 193 million acre-ft for 2000 through 2009. The maximum amount of shallow groundwater lost to evapotranspiration was approximated for areas where the water table was within 5 feet of land surface. The average annual total volume of evapotranspiration from shallow groundwater was 9.0 million acre-ft for 1940 through 1949 and ranged from 9.6 to 12.6 million acre-ft for 2000 through 2009. Recharge was estimated using two soil-water-balance models as well as previously published studies for various locations across the High Plains region. Average annual total recharge ranged from 8.3 to 13.2 million acre-ft for 1940 through 1949 and from 15.9 to 35.0 million acre-ft for 2000 through 2009. Surface runoff and groundwater discharge to streams were determined using discharge records from streamflow-gaging stations near the edges of the High Plains and the Base-Flow Index program. For 1940 through 1949, the average annual net surface runoff leaving the High Plains was 1.9 million acre-ft, and the net loss from the High Plains aquifer by groundwater discharge to streams was 3.1 million acre-ft. For 2000 through 2009, the average annual net surface runoff leaving the High Plains region was 1.3 million acre-ft and the net loss by groundwater discharge to streams was 3.9 million acre-ft. For 2000 through 2009, the average annual total estimated groundwater pumpage volume from two soil-water-balance models ranged from 8.7 to 16.2 million acre-ft. Average annual irrigation application rates for the High Plains ranged from 8.4 to 16.2 inches per year. The USGS Water-Use Program published estimated total annual pumpage from the High Plains aquifer for 2000 and 2005. Those volumes were greater than those estimated from the two soil-water-balance models. Total groundwater in storage in the High Plains aquifer was estimated as 3,173 million acre-ft prior to groundwater development and 2,907 million acre-ft in 2007. The average annual decrease of groundwater in storage between 2000 and 2007 was 10 million acre-ft per year.

Estimating risks for water-quality exceedances of total-copper from highway and urban runoff under predevelopment and current conditions with the Stochastic Empirical Loading and Dilution Model (SELDM)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Granato, Gregory E.; Jones, Susan C.; Dunn, Christopher N.; Van Weele, Brian

2017-01-01

The stochastic empirical loading and dilution model (SELDM) was used to demonstrate methods for estimating risks for water-quality exceedances of event-mean concentrations (EMCs) of total-copper. Monte Carlo methods were used to simulate stormflow, total-hardness, suspended-sediment, and total-copper EMCs as stochastic variables. These simulations were done for the Charles River Basin upstream of Interstate 495 in Bellingham, Massachusetts. The hydrology and water quality of this site were simulated with SELDM by using data from nearby, hydrologically similar sites. Three simulations were done to assess the potential effects of the highway on receiving-water quality with and without highway-runoff treatment by a structural best-management practice (BMP). In the low-development scenario, total copper in the receiving stream was simulated by using a sediment transport curve, sediment chemistry, and sediment-water partition coefficients. In this scenario, neither the highway runoff nor the BMP effluent caused concentration exceedances in the receiving stream that exceed the once in three-year threshold (about 0.54 percent). In the second scenario, without the highway, runoff from the large urban areas in the basin caused exceedances in the receiving stream in 2.24 percent of runoff events. In the third scenario, which included the effects of the urban runoff, neither the highway runoff nor the BMP effluent increased the percentage of exceedances in the receiving stream. Comparison of the simulated geometric mean EMCs with data collected at a downstream monitoring site indicates that these simulated values are within the 95-percent confidence interval of the geometric mean of the measured EMCs.

Future glaciation and river flow in the Vakhsh and Panj drainage basins, Central Asia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoelzle, Martin; Hagg, Wilfried; Wagner, Stephan

2010-05-01

Central Asia is well known as an area of substantial water problems mainly caused by climate change and careless consumption of water resources. As in other parts of the globe where high mountains are surrounded by arid and semi-arid zones, snow and glacier melt are major contributors to runoff and important resources for agriculture in the lowlands. The FAO-UNESCO has started a "Climate Impact Study on Streamflow" to estimate future discharge in the catchments of the rivers Vakhsh (39,100 km2) and Panj(114,000 km2), the two tributaries of Amu Darya river. According to the World Glacier Inventory (WGI) prepared in the mid 20th century, the Panj and Vakhsh catchments have glacier covers of 3,913 km2 and 3,675 km2, respectively. A new inventory was conducted in 2003 within the frame of the GLIMS project. We used a simple parametrization scheme based on steady state conditions to infer the ice volumes for the two different time periods in the past and to extrapolate future changes. The resulting volumes for the WGI are 170-200 km3 for the Panj catchment and 200-240 km3 for the Vakhsh catchment. From the mid of the 20th century to 2003, an area (volume) decrease of 8.2% (10.5%) for the Panj and 7.5% (4.1%) for the Vakhsh catchment was determined. A comparison of two digital elevation models (SRTM of 2001 and Aster 2008) show for the glacier areas a mean mass change of -0.61 m a-1 for the Vakhsh and -0.81 m a-1 for the Panj. Regional climate simulations project a warming of 1.8°C-2.9°C until 2050, while it remains unclear if and in what direction precipitation will change. Assuming a temperature increase of 2°C until 2050 and no change in precipitation, the ice reserves in the two catchments will decline at an accelerated rate in comparison to the past with total volume reduction of 75.5% for the Panj basin and of 53% for the Vakhsh basin. To simulate present-day and future runoff, the HBV-ETH hydrological model was set up in the two sub-basins of Abramov (56 km², 51% glaciated, Vakhsh catchment) and Kudara (1575 km², 21% glaciated, Panj catchment). The daily time step model needs semi-distributed topographic input (area by elevation and exposition classes for glaciated parts and the whole catchment) and is driven by temperature and precipitation. Calibration is performed on the basis of measured runoff and, if available, glacier mass balance. Results show that the model can reproduce observed runoff curves in the two basins quite well, which is expressed by mean model efficiencies of R²=0.84 and R²=0.91 for Abramov and Kudara, respectively. Runoff scenarios for mid-century conditions were created by modifying glaciation and the meteorological input data. Glacier cover was changed according to the findings above and a temperature rise of 2°C was assumed. To test the sensitivity of precipitation changes, additional model runs with an increase and with a decrease of 20% were performed. While annual discharge remains stable or increases up to 30%, a common feature of all runoff scenarios is a seasonal shift of water resources from August towards early summer.

Simulation of natural flows in major river basins in Alabama

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hunt, Alexandria M.; García, Ana María

2014-01-01

The Office of Water Resources (OWR) in the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) is charged with the assessment of the State’s water resources. This study developed a watershed model for the major river basins that are within Alabama or that cross Alabama’s borders, which serves as a planning tool for water-resource decisionmakers. The watershed model chosen to assess the natural amount of available water was the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System (PRMS). Models were configured and calibrated for the following four river basins: Mobile, Gulf of Mexico, Middle Tennessee, and Chattahoochee. These models required calibrating unregulated U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) streamflow gaging stations to estimate natural flows, with emphases on low-flow calibration. The target calibration criteria required the errors be within the range of: (1) ±10 percent for total-streamflow volume, (2) ±10 percent for low-flow volume, (3) ±15 percent for high-flow volume, (4) ±30 percent for summer volume, and (5) above 0.5 for the correlation coefficient (R2). Seventy-one of the 90 calibration stations in the watershed models for the four major river basins within Alabama met the target calibration criteria. Variability in the model performance can be attributed to limitations in correctly representing certain hydrologic conditions that are characterized by some of the ecoregions in Alabama. Ecoregions consisting of predominantly clayey soils and (or) low topographic relief yield less successful calibration results, whereas ecoregions consisting of loamy and sandy soils and (or) high topographic relief yield more successful calibration results. Results indicate that the model does well in hilly regions with sandy soils because of rapid surface runoff and more direct interaction with subsurface flow.

Water circulation within a high-Arctic glaciated valley (Petunia Bay, Central Spitsbergen): Recharge of a glacial river

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marciniak, Marek; Dragon, Krzysztof; Chudziak, Łukasz

2014-05-01

This article presents an investigation of the runoff of a glacial river located in the high Arctic region of Spitsbergen. The Ebba River runoff was measured during three melting seasons of 2007, 2008 and 2009. The most important component of the river recharge is the flow of melting water from glaciers (76-82% of total river runoff). However, the other components (surface water and groundwater) also made a significant contribution to the river recharge. The contribution of groundwater flow in total river runoff was estimated by measurements performed in four groups of piezometers located in different parts of the valley. The hydrogeological parameters that characterize shallow aquifer (thickness of the active layer, hydraulic conductivity, groundwater level fluctuations) were recognized by direct field measurements. The groundwater recharging river was the most variable recharge component, and ranged from 1% of the total runoff at the beginning of the melting season to even 27% at the end of summer.

Conversion of Conservation Tillage to Rotational Tillage to Reduce Phosphorus Losses during Snowmelt Runoff in the Canadian Prairies.

PubMed

Liu, Kui; Elliott, Jane A; Lobb, David A; Flaten, Don N; Yarotski, Jim

2014-09-01

In a preceding study, converting conventional tillage (ConvT) to conservation tillage (ConsT) was reported to decrease nitrogen (N) but to increase phosphorus (P) losses during snowmelt runoff. A field-scale study was conducted from 2004 to 2012 to determine if conversion of ConsT to rotational tillage (RotaT), where conservation tillage was interrupted by a fall tillage pass every other year, could effectively reduce P losses compared with ConsT. The RotaT study was conducted on long-term paired watersheds established in 1993. The ConvT field in the pair has remained under ConvT practice since 1993, whereas tillage was minimized on the ConsT field from 1997 until 2007. In fall 2007, RotaT was introduced to the ConsT field, and heavy-duty cultivator passes were conducted in the late fall of years 2007, 2009, and 2011. Runoff volume and nutrient content were monitored at the edge of the two fields, and soil and crop residue samples were taken in each field. Greater soil Olsen P and more P released from crop residue are likely the reasons for the increased P losses in the ConsT treatment (2004-2007) relative to the ConvT treatment (2004-2007). Analysis of covariance indicated that, compared with ConsT (2004-2007), RotaT (2008-2012) increased the concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) by 62%, total dissolved N (TDN) by 190%, and total N (TN) by 272% and increased the loads of DOC by 34%, TDN by 34%, and TN by 60%. However, RotaT (2008-2012) decreased soil test P in surface soil, P released from crop residue, and duration of runoff compared with ConsT (2004-2007) and thus decreased the concentrations of total dissolved P (TDP) by 46% and total P (TP) by 38% and decreased the loads of TDP by 56% and TP by 42%. In the Canadian Prairies, where P is a major environmental concern compared with N, RotaT was demonstrated to be an effective practice to reduce P losses compared with ConsT. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

Simulation of daily streamflows at gaged and ungaged locations within the Cedar River Basin, Iowa, using a Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System model

USGS Publications Warehouse

Christiansen, Daniel E.

2012-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, conducted a study to examine techniques for estimation of daily streamflows using hydrological models and statistical methods. This report focuses on the use of a hydrologic model, the U.S. Geological Survey's Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System, to estimate daily streamflows at gaged and ungaged locations. The Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System is a modular, physically based, distributed-parameter modeling system developed to evaluate the impacts of various combinations of precipitation, climate, and land use on surface-water runoff and general basin hydrology. The Cedar River Basin was selected to construct a Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System model that simulates the period from January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2010. The calibration period was from January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2004, and the validation periods were from January 1, 2005, to December 31, 2010 and January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2010. A Geographic Information System tool was used to delineate the Cedar River Basin and subbasins for the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System model and to derive parameters based on the physical geographical features. Calibration of the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System model was completed using a U.S. Geological Survey calibration software tool. The main objective of the calibration was to match the daily streamflow simulated by the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System model with streamflow measured at U.S. Geological Survey streamflow gages. The Cedar River Basin daily streamflow model performed with a Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency ranged from 0.82 to 0.33 during the calibration period, and a Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency ranged from 0.77 to -0.04 during the validation period. The Cedar River Basin model is meeting the criteria of greater than 0.50 Nash-Sutcliffe and is a good fit for streamflow conditions for the calibration period at all but one location, Austin, Minnesota. The Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System model accurately simulated streamflow at four of six uncalibrated sites within the basin. Overall, there was good agreement between simulated and measured seasonal and annual volumes throughout the basin for calibration and validation sites. The calibration period ranged from 0.2 to 20.8 percent difference, and the validation period ranged from 0.0 to 19.5 percent difference across all seasons and total annual runoff. The Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System model tended to underestimate lower streamflows compared to the observed streamflow values. This is an indication that the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling model needs more detailed groundwater and storage information to properly model the low-flow conditions in the Cedar River Basin.

The combined use of Green-Ampt model and Curve Number method as an empirical tool for loss estimation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petroselli, A.; Grimaldi, S.; Romano, N.

2012-12-01

The Soil Conservation Service - Curve Number (SCS-CN) method is a popular rainfall-runoff model widely used to estimate losses and direct runoff from a given rainfall event, but its use is not appropriate at sub-daily time resolution. To overcome this drawback, a mixed procedure, referred to as CN4GA (Curve Number for Green-Ampt), was recently developed including the Green-Ampt (GA) infiltration model and aiming to distribute in time the information provided by the SCS-CN method. The main concept of the proposed mixed procedure is to use the initial abstraction and the total volume given by the SCS-CN to calibrate the Green-Ampt soil hydraulic conductivity parameter. The procedure is here applied on a real case study and a sensitivity analysis concerning the remaining parameters is presented; results show that CN4GA approach is an ideal candidate for the rainfall excess analysis at sub-daily time resolution, in particular for ungauged basin lacking of discharge observations.

High-resolution surface connectivity measurements and runoff dynamics in five urban watersheds in Knoxville, TN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Epps, T.

2015-12-01

Impervious surfaces and stormwater drainage networks transmit rainfall quickly to urban stream systems with greater frequency, volume, energy, and pollutant loadings than in predevelopment conditions. This has a well-established negative impact on stream ecology, channel morphology, and water quality. Green infrastructure retrofits for urban drainage systems promote more natural hydrologic pathways by disconnecting concentrated flows. However, they are expensive due to high land costs and physical constraints. If a systematic strategy for siting green infrastructure is sought to restore natural flows throughout an urban catchment, greater knowledge of the drainage patterns and areas contributing frequent surface runoff is necessary. Five diverse urban watersheds in Knoxville, TN, were assessed using high-resolution topography, land cover, and artificial drainage network data to identify how surface connectivity differs among watersheds and contributes to altered flow regimes. Rainfall-runoff patterns were determined from continuous rainfall and streamflow monitoring over the previous ten years. Fine-scale flowpath connectivity of impervious surfaces was measured by both a binary approach and by a method incorporating runoff potential by saturation excess. The effect of the spatial distribution of connected surfaces was investigated by incorporating several distance-weighting schema along established urban drainage flowpaths. Statistical relationships between runoff generation and connectivity were measured to determine the ability of these different measures of connectivity to predict runoff thresholds, frequency, volumes, and peak flows. Initial results suggest that rapid assessment of connected surficial flowpaths can be used to identify known green infrastructure assets and highly connected impervious areas and that the differences in connectivity measured between watersheds reflects differing runoff patterns observed in monitored data.

Spatial variations of storm runoff pollution and their correlation with land-use in a rapidly urbanizing catchment in China.

PubMed

Qin, Hua-Peng; Khu, Soon-Thiam; Yu, Xiang-Ying

2010-09-15

The composition of land use for a rapidly urbanizing catchment is usually heterogeneous, and this may result in significant spatial variations of storm runoff pollution and increase the difficulties of water quality management. The Shiyan Reservoir catchment, a typical rapidly urbanizing area in China, is chosen as a study area, and temporary monitoring sites were set at the downstream of its 6 sub-catchments to synchronously measure rainfall, runoff and water quality during 4 storm events in 2007 and 2009. Due to relatively low frequency monitoring, the IHACRES and exponential pollutant wash-off simulation models are used to interpolate the measured data to compensate for data insufficiency. Three indicators, event pollutant loads per unit area (EPL), event mean concentration (EMC) and pollutant loads transported by the first 50% of runoff volume (FF50), were used to describe the runoff pollution for different pollutants in each sub-catchment during the storm events, and the correlations between runoff pollution spatial variations and land-use patterns were tested by Spearman's rank correlation analysis. The results indicated that similar spatial variation trends were found for different pollutants (EPL or EMC) in light storm events, which strongly correlate with the proportion of residential land use; however, they have different trends in heavy storm events, which correlate with not only the residential land use, but also agricultural and bare land use. And some pairs of pollutants (such as COD/BOD, NH(3)-N/TN) might have the similar source because they have strong or moderate positive spatial correlation. Moreover, the first flush intensity (FF50) varies with impervious land areas and different interception ratio of initial storm runoff volume should be adopted in different sub-catchments. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Performance of compost filtration practice for green infrastructure stormwater applications.

PubMed

Faucette, Britt; Cardoso, Fatima; Mulbry, Walter; Millner, Pat

2013-09-01

Urban storm water runoff poses a substantial threat of pollution to receiving surface waters. Green infrastructure, low impact development, green building ordinances, National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) storm water permit compliance, and Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) implementation strategies have become national priorities; however, designers need more sustainable, low-cost solutions to meet these goals and guidelines. The objective of this study was to determine the multiple-event removal efficiency and capacity of compost filter socks (FS) and filter socks with natural sorbents (NS) to remove soluble phosphorus, ammonium-nitrogen, nitrate-nitrogen, E. coli, Enterococcus, and oil from urban storm water runoff. Treatments were exposed to simulated storm water pollutant concentrations consistent with urban runoff originating from impervious surfaces, such as parking lots and roadways. Treatments were exposed to a maximum of 25 runoff events, or when removal efficiencies were < or = 25%, whichever occurred first. Experiments were conducted in triplicate. The filter socks with natural sorbents removed significantly greater soluble phosphorus than the filter socks alone, removing a total of 237 mg/linear m over eight runoff events, or an average of 34%. The filter socks with natural sorbents removed 54% of ammonium-nitrogen over 25 runoff events, or 533 mg/linear m, and only 11% of nitrate-nitrogen, or 228 mg/linear m. The filter socks and filter socks with natural sorbents both removed 99% of oil over 25 runoff events, or a total load of 38,486 mg/linear m. Over 25 runoff events the filter socks with natural sorbents removed E. coli and Enteroccocus at 85% and 65%, or a total load of 3.14 CFUs x 10(8)/ linear m and 1.5 CFUs x 10(9)/linear m, respectively; both were significantly greater than treatment by filter socks alone. Based on these experiments, this technique can be used to reduce soluble pollutants from storm water over multiple runoff events.

Runoff and Leaching of Metolachlor from Mississippi River Alluvial Soil during Seasons of Average and Below-Average Rainfall

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The movement of metolachlor via runoff and leaching from plots planted to corn on Mississippi River alluvial soil (Commerce silt loam) was measured for a six-year period, 1995-2000. The first three years were characterized by normal rainfall volume, the second three years by reduced rainfall. The ...

[Research on stormwater runoff quality of mountain city by source area monitoring].

PubMed

Li, Li-Qing; Shan, Bao-Qing; Zhao, Jian-Wei; Guo, Shu-Gang; Gao, Yong

2012-10-01

Stormwater runoff samples were collected from 10 source areas in Mountain City, Chongqing, during five rain events in an attempt to investigate the characteristics of runoff quality and influencing factors. The outcomes are expected to offer practical guidance of sources control of urban runoff pollution. The results indicated that the stormwater runoff of Mountain City presented a strong first flush for almost all events and constituents. The runoff quality indices were also influenced by the rainfall intensity. The concentration of TSS, COD, TN and TP decreased as the rainfall intensity increased. The concentrations of COD and TP in stormwater runoff were highly correlated with TSS concentrations. Suspended solid matter were not only the main pollutant of stormwater runoff but also served as the vehicle for transport of organic matter and phosphorus. Organic matter and phosphorus in stormwatrer runoff were mainly bound to particles, whereas nitrogen was predominantly dissolved, with ammonia and nitrate. A significant difference of stormwater runoff quality was observed among the ten monitored source areas. The highest magnitude of urban stormwater runoff pollution was expected in the commercial area and the first trunk road, followed by the minor road, residential area, parking lot and roof. Urban surface function, traffic volume, population density, and street sweeping practice are the main factors determining spatial differentiation of urban surface runoff quality. Commercial area, the first trunk road and residential area with high population density are the critical sources areas of urban stormwater runoff pollution.

How much runoff originates as snow in the western United States and what its future changes tell us?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, D.; Wrzesien, M.; Durand, M. T.; Adam, J. C.; Lettenmaier, D. P.

2017-12-01

Snow is a vital hydrologic cycle component in the western United States. The seasonal phase of snowmelt bridges between winter-dominant precipitation and summer-dominant human and ecosystem water demand. Current estimates of the fraction of total annual runoff generated by snowmelt (f_Q,snow) are not based on defensible, systematic analyses. Here, based on hydrological model simulations, we describe a new algorithm that explicitly quantifies the contribution of snow to runoff in the Western U.S. Specifically, the algorithm tracks the fate of the snowmelt runoff in the modeled hydrological fluxes in the soil, surface water, and the atmosphere, and accounts for the exchanges among the three. The hydrological fluxes are simulated by the Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) model using an ensemble of ten general circulation model (GCM) outputs trained by ground observations. We conducted the tracking to the VIC modeling ensemble and reported the mean of the ten tracking results. We computed the historical f_Q,snow with the modeling estimates from 1960 to 2005, and predicted the future f_Q,snow using the modeling estimates from 2006 to 2100 in the RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios. Our tracking results show that from 1960 to 2005, slightly over one-half of the total runoff in the western United States originated as snowmelt, despite only 37% of the region's total precipitation falling as snow; snowfall is more efficient than rainfall in runoff generation. Snow's importance varies physiographically: snowmelt from the mountains is responsible for over 70% of the total runoff in the West. Snowmelt-derived runoff currently makes up about 2/3 of the inflow to the region's major reservoirs; for Lake Mead and Lake Powell, which are the two largest reservoirs of the nation, snow contributes over 70% of their storage. The contribution of snowmelt to the total runoff will decrease in a warmer climate, by about 1/3 over the West by 2100. Snow will melt earlier and the snowmelt-induced peak flow will shift earlier by 1.5 to up to 4 weeks. Thus, in the context of predicted reductions and earlier shifts of the snow-induced runoff, and the fact that the region's major reservoirs were designed for the historical snow climatology, we argue that substantial impacts on water supply may occur especially in the summer season when water demand peaks.

Pollution characteristics of surface runoff under different restoration types in manganese tailing wasteland.

PubMed

Wang, Jun; Cheng, Qingyu; Xue, Shengguo; Rajendran, Manikandan; Wu, Chuan; Liao, Jiaxin

2018-04-01

A great deal of manganese and associated heavy metals (such as Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb, etc.) was produced in manganese mining, smelting, and other processes and weathering and leaching of waste slag, which entered rainwater runoff by different means under the action of rainfall runoff. It caused heavy metal pollution in water environment to surrounding areas, and then environmental and human health risks were becoming increasingly serious. In the Xiangtan manganese mine, we studied the characteristics of nutritional pollutants and heavy metals by using the method of bounded runoff plots on the manganese tailing wasteland after carrying out some site treatments using three different approaches, such as (1) exposed tailings, the control treatment (ET), (2) external-soil amelioration and colonization of Cynodon dactylon (Linn.) Pers. turf (EC), and (3) external-soil amelioration and seedling seeding propagation of Cynodon dactylon (Linn.) Pers. (ES). The research showed that the maximum runoff occurred in 20,140,712 rainfall events, and the basic law of runoff was EC area > ET area > ES area in the same rainfall event. The concentration of total suspended solids (TSS) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) of three ecological restoration areas adopted the following rule: ET area > EC area > ES area. Nitrogen (N) existed mainly in the form of water soluble while phosphorus (P) was particulate. The highest concentrations of total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) were 11.57 ± 2.99 mg/L in the EC area and 1.42 ± 0.56 mg/L in the ET area, respectively. Cr, Ni, Pb, Zn, Mn, and Cu in surface runoff from three restoration types all exceeded the class V level of the environmental quality standard for surface water except Cu in EC and ES areas. Pollution levels of heavy metals in surface runoff from three restoration areas are shown as follows: ET area > EC area > ES area. There was a significant positive correlation between TSS and runoff, COD, and TP. And this correlation was significant between total dissolved nitrogen (TDN), TN, total dissolved phosphorus (TDP), and TP. The six heavy metals (Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, Mn, and Cr) in surface runoff of different ecological restoration areas were strongly related to each other, and were significantly related to the TSS.

Key factors affecting urban runoff pollution under cold climatic conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valtanen, Marjo; Sillanpää, Nora; Setälä, Heikki

2015-10-01

Urban runoff contains various pollutants and has the potential of deteriorating the quality of aquatic ecosystems. In this study our objective is to shed light on the factors that control the runoff water quality in urbanized catchments. The effects of runoff event characteristics, land use type and catchment imperviousness on event mass loads (EML) and event mean concentrations (EMC) were studied during warm and cold periods in three study catchments (6.1, 6.5 and 12.6 ha in size) in the city of Lahti, Finland. Runoff and rainfall were measured continuously for two years at each catchment. Runoff samples were taken for total nutrients (tot-P and tot-N), total suspended solids (TSS), heavy metals (Zn, Cr, Al, Co, Ni, Cu, Pb, Mn) and total organic carbon (TOC). Stepwise multiple linear regression analysis (SMLR) was used to identify general relationships between the following variables: event water quality, runoff event characteristics and catchment characteristics. In general, the studied variables explained 50-90% of the EMLs but only 30-60% of the EMCs, with runoff duration having an important role in most of the SMLR models. Mean runoff intensity or peak flow was also often included in the runoff quality models. Yet, the importance (being the first, second or third best) and role (negative or positive impact) of the explanatory variables varied between the cold and warm period. Land use type often explained cold period concentrations, but imperviousness alone explained EMCs weakly. As for EMLs, the influence of imperviousness and/or land use was season and pollutant dependent. The study suggests that pollutant loads can be - throughout the year - adequately predicted by runoff characteristics given that seasonal differences are taken into account. Although pollutant concentrations were sensitive to variation in seasonal and catchment conditions as well, the accurate estimation of EMCs would require a more complete set of explanatory factors than used in this study.

Land-use changes reinforce the impacts of climate change on annual runoff dynamics in a southeast China coastal watershed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ervinia, A.; Huang, J.; Zhang, Z.

2015-06-01

Study on runoff dynamics across different physiographic regions is fundamentally important to formulate the sound strategies for water resource management especially in the coastal watershed where peoples heavily concentrated and relied on water resources. The L-R diagram, a conceptual model by which the land-changes evapotranspiration (ΔL) was estimated as the difference between actual and climate evapotranspiration to identify the specific impact of land-use changes on annual runoff changes (ΔR), was developed using the 53-year hydro-climatic data of Jiulong River Watershed, a typical medium-sized subtropical coastal watershed in China. This study found that land-use changes have reinforced the impact of climatic changes on runoff changes where nearly all points were scattered in II and IV quadrant. Deforestation and expansion of built up area has diminished the water retention capacity in a catchment as well as evapotranspiration thus produce extra runoff accounting for 12-183 % of total runoff increase. In contrast, reforestation makes the significant contribution to decreasing annual runoff for about 21-82 % of total runoff loss. This study revealed the river runoff has become more vulnerable to intensive anthropogenic disturbances under the context of climate changes in a coastal watershed.

Impacts of Green Infrastructure on the Water Budget and Other Ecosystem Services in Subhumid Urban Areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, Y.; Burian, S. J.; Pardyjak, E.; Pomeroy, C. A.

2014-12-01

Green infrastructure (GI) measures have been well established as part of low-impact development approaches for stormwater (SW) management. The origin of the concepts, practices and the preponderance of research have taken place in humid climates. Recent work has begun to explore and adapt GI to subhumid and semi-arid climates, which experience warmer and drier periods. But much remains unknown about effects of GI on the water cycle and how to effectively implement to maximize ecosystem benefits. This research synthesizes observation and modeling to address questions related to changes in evapotranspiration (ET), SW runoff volume, and other water cycle processes from GI introduction in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. First, the water budget of green roofs is being studied via weighing lysimeter systems on two rooftop gardens on the University of Utah campus. ET, outflow, and soil moisture have been measured for approximately one year. Up to this early summer, average ET rates for lysimeters of pure medium, Sedums, and Bluegrass are 1.85±1.01, 1.97±0.94, and 2.31±0.91 mm/d respectively; the maximum ET rate could reach 6.11 mm/d from Sedums. Over 2/3 of total rainfall and irrigation were slowly consumed via ET from green roof. Second, the observation studies are leading to new ET modeling techniques that are being incorporated into the U.S. EPA Storm Water Management Model (SWMM). The modified SWMM has been used to simulate ET, SW runoff volume, and overall water budget changes from GI implementation. Preliminary result shows that ET could account for 10% of the total inflows into bioretentions, and 25% of the inflows into landscapes; potential ET rates could vary up to 0.95 mm/hr across 53 subcatchments in the 29 acres catchment. The influence of various design factors for GI on SW runoff reduction and the water budget is also to be estimated. The application of the research is to analyze the water budget of the Red Butte Creek Watershed in Salt Lake City and to explore the necessary GI elements to approach pre-development water budget conditions.

Runoff from small peatland watersheds

Treesearch

Roger R. Bay

1969-01-01

Runoff was measured on four forested bog watersheds in northern Minnesota for 5 years. The experimental basins ranged in size from 24 to 130 acres and included both organic and mineral soils. Annual runoff was not evenly distributed. Spring runoff, from the beginning of flow in late March to the 1 st of June, accounted for 66 % of total annual water yield. Summer and...

A Comparison of Runoff Quantity and Quality from Two Small Basins Undergoing Implementation of Conventional and Low-Impact-Development (LID) Strategies: Cross Plains, Wisconsin, Water Years 1999-2005

USGS Publications Warehouse

Selbig, William R.; Bannerman, Roger T.

2008-01-01

Environmental managers are often faced with the task of designing strategies to accommodate development while minimizing adverse environmental impacts. Low-impact development (LID) is one such strategy that attempts to mitigate environmental degradation commonly associated with impervious surfaces. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, studied two residential basins in Cross Plains, Wis., during water years 1999?2005. A paired-basin study design was used to compare runoff quantity and quality from the two basins, one of which was developed in a conventional way and the other was developed with LID. The conventional-developed basin (herein called ?conventional basin?) consisted of curb and gutter, 40-foot street widths, and a fully connected stormwater-conveyance system. The LID basin consisted of grassed swales, reduced impervious area (32-foot street widths), street inlets draining to grass swales, a detention pond, and an infiltration basin. Data collected in the LID basin represented predevelopment through near-complete build-out conditions. Smaller, more frequent precipitation events that produced stormwater discharge from the conventional basin were retained in the LID basin. Only six events with precipitation depths less than or equal to 0.4 inch produced measurable discharge from the LID basin. Of these six events, five occurred during winter months when underlying soils are commonly frozen, and one was likely a result of saturated soil from a preceding storm. In the conventional basin, the number of discharge events, using the same threshold of precipitation depth, was 180, with nearly one-half of those resulting from precipitation depths less than 0.2 inch. Precipitation events capable of producing appreciable discharge in the LID basin were typically those of high intensity or precipitation depth or those that occurred after soils were already saturated. Total annual discharge volume measured from the conventional basin ranged from 1.3 to 9.2 times that from the LID basin. Development of the LID basin did not appreciably alter the hydrologic response to precipitation characterized during predevelopment conditions. Ninety-five percent or more of precipitation in the LID basin was retained during each year of construction from predevelopment through near-complete build-out, surpassing the 90-percent benchmark established for new development by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. The amount of precipitation retained in the conventional basin did not exceed 94 percent and fell below the 90-percent standard 2 of the 6 years monitored. Much of the runoff in the LID basin was retained by an infiltration basin, the largest control structure used to mitigate storm-runoff quantity and quality. The infiltration basin also was the last best-management practice (BMP) used to treat runoff before it left the LID basin as discharge. From May 25, 2002, to September 30, 2005, only 24 of 155 precipitation events exceeded the retention/ infiltrative capacity of the infiltration basin. The overall reduction in runoff volume from these few events was 51 percent. The effectiveness of the infiltration basin decreased as precipitation intensities exceeded 0.5 inch per hour. Annual loads were estimated to characterize the overall effectiveness of low-impact design practices for mitigating delivery of total solids, total suspended solids, and total phosphorus. Annual loads of these three constituents were greater in the LID basin than in the conventional basin in 2000 and 2004. Seventy percent or more of all constituent annual loads were associated with two discharge events in 2000, and a single discharge event produced 50 percent or more of constituent annual loads in 2004. Each of these discharge events was associated with considerable precipitation depths and (or) intensities, ranging from 4.89 to 6.21 inches and from 1.13 to 1.2 inches per hour, respectively

Rainfall-induced runoff from exposed streambed sediments: an important source of water pollution.

PubMed

Frey, S K; Gottschall, N; Wilkes, G; Grégoire, D S; Topp, E; Pintar, K D M; Sunohara, M; Marti, R; Lapen, D R

2015-01-01

When surface water levels decline, exposed streambed sediments can be mobilized and washed into the water course when subjected to erosive rainfall. In this study, rainfall simulations were conducted over exposed sediments along stream banks at four distinct locations in an agriculturally dominated river basin with the objective of quantifying the potential for contaminant loading from these often overlooked runoff source areas. At each location, simulations were performed at three different sites. Nitrogen, phosphorus, sediment, fecal indicator bacteria, pathogenic bacteria, and microbial source tracking (MST) markers were examined in both prerainfall sediments and rainfall-induced runoff water. Runoff generation and sediment mobilization occurred quickly (10-150 s) after rainfall initiation. Temporal trends in runoff concentrations were highly variable within and between locations. Total runoff event loads were considered large for many pollutants considered. For instance, the maximum observed total phosphorus runoff load was on the order of 1.5 kg ha. Results also demonstrate that runoff from exposed sediments can be a source of pathogenic bacteria. spp. and spp. were present in runoff from one and three locations, respectively. Ruminant MST markers were also present in runoff from two locations, one of which hosted pasturing cattle with stream access. Overall, this study demonstrated that rainfall-induced runoff from exposed streambed sediments can be an important source of surface water pollution. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

An examination of short-term variations in water quality at a karst spring in Kentucky

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ryan, M.; Meiman, J.

1996-01-01

Water quality at many karst springs undergoes very high amplitude but relatively brief degradation following influxes of runoff. Accurately recording transient variations requires more rigorous sampling strategies than traditional methods. A pilot study to determine the usefulness of high-frequency, flow-dependent sampling strategies, combined with coincidental quantitative dye tracer tests, was implemented in the Big Spring Ground-Water Basin in Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky. Data recorded following two separate runoff events showed that the concentrations of two nonpoint source pollutants, fecal coliform bacteria and suspended sediment, greatly exceeded prerunoff event values for very short periods of time. A phreatic conduit segment,more » calculated at 17 million liters in volume, instantaneously propagated head changes, caused by direct runoff entering the aquifer, from the ground-water inputs to Big Spring. A significant delay between the initial increases in discharge and the arrival of direct runoff, as indicated by a steady decrease in specific conductance, represented the time required to displace this volume of phreatic water. The delay showed that sampling a karst spring only during peak discharge would be an unreliable sampling method. Runoff from two different subcatchments was tagged with tracer dye and the timing of the passage of the resultant dye clouds through Big Spring were compared to water quality variations. Distinct lag times between the arrival of direct runoff at Big Spring and the bacteria and suspended sediment waveforms were shown through the concurrent quantitative tracer tests to be related to the areal distribution of land-cover type within the basin.« less

Can arbuscular mycorrhiza and fertilizer management reduce phosphorus runoff from paddy fields?

PubMed

Zhang, Shujuan; Wang, Li; Ma, Fang; Zhang, Xue; Li, Zhe; Li, Shiyang; Jiang, Xiaofeng

2015-07-01

Our study sought to assess how much phosphorus (P) runoff from paddy fields could be cut down by fertilizer management and inoculation with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. A field experiment was conducted in Lalin River basin, in the northeast China: six nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium fertilizer levels were provided (0, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100% of the recommended fertilizer supply), with or without inoculation with Glomus mosseae. The volume and concentrations of particle P (PP) and dissolved P (DP) were measured for each runoff during the rice growing season. It was found that the seasonal P runoff, including DP and PP, under the local fertilization was 3.7 kg/ha, with PP, rather than DP, being the main form of P in runoff water. Additionally, the seasonal P runoff dropped only by 8.9% when fertilization decreased by 20%; rice yields decreased with declining fertilization. We also found that inoculation increased rice yields and decreased P runoff at each fertilizer level and these effects were lower under higher fertilization. Conclusively, while rice yields were guaranteed arbuscular mycorrhizal inoculation and fertilizer management would play a key role in reducing P runoff from paddy fields. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Glacial runoff strongly influences food webs in Gulf of Alaska fjords

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arimitsu, M.; Piatt, J. F.; Mueter, F. J.

2015-12-01

Melting glaciers contribute large volumes of freshwater to the Gulf of Alaska coast. Rates of glacier volume loss have increased markedly in recent decades, raising concern about the eventual loss of glaciers as a source of freshwater in coastal waters. To better understand the influence of glacier melt water on fjord ecosystems, we sampled oceanography, nutrients, zooplankton, forage fish, and seabirds within four fjords in the coastal Gulf of Alaska. We used generalized additive models and geostatistics to identify the range of influence of glacier runoff in fjords of varying estuarine and topographic complexity. We also modeled the responses of chlorophyll a concentration, copepod biomass, fish and seabird abundance to physical, nutrient and biotic predictor variables. Physical and nutrient signatures of glacial runoff extended 10-20 km into coastal fjords. Glacially modified physical gradients and among-fjord differences explained 66% of the variation in phytoplankton abundance, which drives ecosystem structure at higher trophic levels. Copepod, euphausiid, fish and seabird distribution and abundance were also related to environmental gradients that could be traced to glacial freshwater input. Seabird density was predicted by prey availability and silica concentrations, which may indicate upwelling areas where this nutrient is in excess. Similarities in ecosystem structure among fjords were due to influx of cold, fresh, sediment and nutrient laden water, while differences were due to fjord topography and the relative importance of estuarine vs. ocean influences. We anticipate continued changes in the volume and magnitude of glacial runoff will affect coastal marine food webs in the future.

Limited Influence of Urban Stormwater Runoff on Salt Marsh Platform and Marsh Creek Oxygen Dynamics in Coastal Georgia.

PubMed

Savidge, William B; Brink, Jonathan; Blanton, Jackson O

2016-12-01

Oxygen concentrations and oxygen utilization rates were monitored continuously for 23 months on marsh platforms and in small tidal creeks at two sites in coastal Georgia, USA, that receive urban stormwater runoff via an extensive network of drainage canals. These data were compared to nearby control sites that receive no significant surface runoff. Overall, rainfall and runoff per se were not associated with differences in the oxygen dynamics among the different locations. Because of the large tidal range and long tidal excursions in coastal Georgia, localized inputs of stormwater runoff are rapidly mixed with large volumes of ambient water. Oxygen concentrations in tidal creeks and on flooded marsh platforms were driven primarily by balances of respiration and photosynthesis in the surrounding regional network of marshes and open estuarine waters. Local respiration, while measurable, was of relatively minor importance in determining oxygen concentrations in tidal floodwaters. Water residence time on the marshes could explain differences in oxygen concentration between the runoff-influenced and control sites.

Limited Influence of Urban Stormwater Runoff on Salt Marsh Platform and Marsh Creek Oxygen Dynamics in Coastal Georgia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Savidge, William B.; Brink, Jonathan; Blanton, Jackson O.

2016-12-01

Oxygen concentrations and oxygen utilization rates were monitored continuously for 23 months on marsh platforms and in small tidal creeks at two sites in coastal Georgia, USA, that receive urban stormwater runoff via an extensive network of drainage canals. These data were compared to nearby control sites that receive no significant surface runoff. Overall, rainfall and runoff per se were not associated with differences in the oxygen dynamics among the different locations. Because of the large tidal range and long tidal excursions in coastal Georgia, localized inputs of stormwater runoff are rapidly mixed with large volumes of ambient water. Oxygen concentrations in tidal creeks and on flooded marsh platforms were driven primarily by balances of respiration and photosynthesis in the surrounding regional network of marshes and open estuarine waters. Local respiration, while measurable, was of relatively minor importance in determining oxygen concentrations in tidal floodwaters. Water residence time on the marshes could explain differences in oxygen concentration between the runoff-influenced and control sites.

Irrigation Water and Nitrate Loss Characterization in South Florida Nurseries: Cumulative Volumes, Runoff Rates, NO3-N Concentrations and Loadings, and Implications for Management

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Enrichment of surface water with nitrate-nitrogen is a significant problem throughout the world. In support of developing a method for removing nitrate from water using denitrification, this project characterized runoff events at two nurseries in South Florida to provide information needed for desi...

Modeling water and sediment trapping by vegetated filters using vfsmod: comparing methods for estimating infiltration parameters

Treesearch

Amanda L. Fox; Dean E. Eisenhauer; Michael G. Dosskey

2005-01-01

Vegetated filters (buffers) are used to intercept overland runoff and reduce sediment and other contaminant loads to streams (Dosskey, 2001). Filters function by reducing runoff velocity and volume, thus enhancing sedimentation and infiltration. lnfiltration is the main mechanism for soluble contaminant removal, but it also plays a role in suspended particle removal....

Applications systems verification and transfer project. Volume 8: Satellite snow mapping and runoff prediction handbook

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bowley, C. J.; Barnes, J. C.; Rango, A.

1981-01-01

The purpose of the handbook is to update the various snowcover interpretation techniques, document the snow mapping techniques used in the various ASVT study areas, and describe the ways snowcover data have been applied to runoff prediction. Through documentation in handbook form, the methodology developed in the Snow Mapping ASVT can be applied to other areas.

Peak streamflows and runoff volumes for the Central United States, February through September, 2011: Chapter C in 2011 floods of the central United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Holmes, Robert R.; Wiche, Gregg J.; Koenig, Todd A.; Sando, Steven K.

2013-01-01

During 2011, excessive precipitation resulted in widespread flooding in the Central United States with 33 fatalities and approximately $4.2 billion in damages reported in the Souris/Red River of the North (Souris/Red) and Mississippi River Basins. At different times, beginning in late February 2011 and extending through September 2011, various rivers in these basins had major flooding, with some locations receiving multiple rounds of flooding. Peak streamflow records were broken at 105 streamgages in the Souris/Red and Mississippi River Basins and annual runoff volume records set at 47 of the 211 streamgages analyzed for annual runoff. For the period of 1950 through 2011, the Ohio River provided almost one-half of the annual runoff at Vicksburg; the Missouri River contributed less than one-fourth, and the lower Mississippi River less than one-fourth. Those relative contribution patterns also occurred in 1973 and 2011, with the notable exception of the decrease in contribution of the lower Mississippi River tributaries and the increase in contribution from the upper Missouri River Basin in 2011 as compared to 1973 and the long-term average from 1950 to 2011.

Rainfall and runoff quantity and quality characteristics of four urban land-use catchments in Fresno, California, October 1981 to April 1983

USGS Publications Warehouse

Oltmann, Richard N.; Shulters, Michael V.

1989-01-01

Rainfall and runoff quantity and quality were monitored for industrial, single-dwelling residential, multiple-dwelling residential, and commercial land-use catchments during the 1981-82 and 1982-83 rain seasons. Storm-composite rainfall and discrete run6ff samples were analyzed for numerous inorganic, biological, physical, and organic constituents. Atmospheric dry-deposition and street-surface particulate samples also were collected and analyzed. With the exception of the industrial catchment, the highest runoff concentrations for most constituents occurred during the initial storm runoff and then decreased throughout the remainder of the storm, independent of hydraulic conditions. Metal concentrations were high during initial runoff, but also increased as flow increased. Constituent concentrations for the industrial catchment fluctuated greatly during storms. Statistical tests showed higher ammonia plus organic nitrogen, ammonia, pH, and phenol concentrations in rainfall at the industrial site than at the single-dwelling residential and laboratory sites. Statistical testing of runoff quality data showed higher concentrations for the industrial catchment than for the two residential and commercial catchments for most constituents. Total recoverable lead was one of the few constituents that had lower concentrations for the industrial catchment than for the other three catchments. The two residential catchments showed no significant difference in runoff concentrations for 50 of the 57 constituents used in the statistical analysis. The commercial catchment runoff concentrations for most constituents generally were similar to the residential catchments. Although constituent concentrations generally were higher for the industrial catchment than for the commercial catchment, constituent storm loads from the commercial catchment were similar to the industrial catchment because of the greater runoff volume from the highly impervious commercial catchment. Between 10 and 50 percent of the constituent runoff loads for the two residential catchments were attributed to the rainfall load, with the percentages generally considerably less for the industrial catchment. Event mean concentrations (EMC) for most constituents for all but the industrial catchment were highest for the first two or three storms of the rain season after which they became almost constant. Constituent event mean concentrations for the industrial catchment generally did not show any pattern throughout a rain season. Multiple-regression predictor equations for event mean concentrations were developed for several constituents for all sites. Average annual constituent unit loads were computed for 18 constituents for each catchment. The organophosphorus compounds, diazinon, malathion, and parathion were the most prevalent pesticides detected in rainfall. Diazinon was detected in all 54 rainfall samples. Parathion and malathion were detected in 49 and 50 samples, respectively. Other pesticides detected in rainfall included chlordane, lindane, methoxychlor, endosulfan, and 2,4-D. Of these, only methoxychlor and endosulfan were not consistently detected in runoff.

Carbon and nitrogen loss during initial erosion processes under litter cover

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seitz, Steffen; Goebes, Philipp; Kühn, Peter; Scholten, Thomas

2013-04-01

Soil erosion translocates carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) from the soil pool. In natural or near-natural ecosystems like forests the soil is usually covered by litter. It can be assumed that litter decomposition and dust particles adhered on the surface of the leaves contribute to C and N fluxes during erosion processes as well. To our knowledge, the contribution of these compartments to the C and N balance of soil erosion is not yet known. As part of the "New Integrated Litter Experiment" within the DFG research unit "Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning (BEF)-China" we conducted a rainfall simulation experiment to quantify the role of litter cover for C and N fluxes during soil erosion in subtropical China. 96 mini runoff plots (40cm x 40cm) were established and divided into four blocks, two of them replicates. Seven different domestic litter species were used in this study combined to 1-species, 2-species and 4-species mixtures and complemented by none species plots (bare ground). Erosion processes were initiated by artificial rainfall using a rainfall simulator with a continuous and stable intensity of 60 mm/h. Sediment discharge and runoff volume were measured every 5 minutes for 20 minutes of rainfall duration and filtrated in the laboratory. Two time steps of rainfall simulation were carried out (summer 2012 and autumn 2012). Total C and N content were quantified from the solid sediment and the liquid runoff volume. Leaf decomposition rates were calculated based on the mass, leaf litter coverage was measured and loss of C and N contents from the decomposing leaves were provided by other project members. Additionally, C and N content of corresponding soils were designated. Lab work and statistical analysis are still ongoing. First results show that C and N concentrations of runoff and sediment are slightly higher for plots covered by litter than bare plots during the first run in summer 2012. It seems that 4-species plots have the highest C and N flux during rainfall simulation. Further analysis will focus on the role of litter diversity on C and N concentration and fluxes during initial erosion processes.

Effect of reforestation on streamflow in central New York

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schneider, William Joseph; Ayer, Gordon Roundy

1961-01-01

Hydrologic data have been collected since 1932 in central New York State to determine the effect of reforestation on streamflow. Data are available for three small partly reforested areas and for one nonreforested control area. From 35 to 58 percent of the 3 areas were reforested, mostly with species of pine and spruce. The trees were allowed to grow without thinning or cutting, and by 1958 these reforested areas had developed into dense coniferous woodlots. Intensive statistical analyses of the data from the four study areas were made in 1958. Analyses were made for three hydrologic periods: the dormant season represented by the 6-month period ending April 30, the growing season represented by the 6-month period ending October 31, and the year represented by the 12-month period ending April 30. Analyses of the hydrologic data using multiple correlation with time as a variable and analyses of covariance between early and late periods of record indicated that several significant changes had occurred in the streamflow from the partly reforested study areas. Based on correlation with precipitation, total runoff for the dormant season from the 3 study areas was reduced by annual rates of 0.17 to 0.29 inches per year. Based on correlations with streamflow from a control area, total runoff from the partly reforested Shackham Brook area was reduced by average rates of 0.14 inches per growing season, 0.23 inches per dormant season, and 0.36 inches per hydrologic year. Peak discharges on Shackham Brook during the dormant season were reduced by 1958 by an average of 41 percent for the season, with reductions ranging from an average of 66 percent for November to an average of 16 percent for April. No significant changes were found in the peak discharges for the growing season, rates of base-flow recession, volumes of direct runoff, or annual low flows of streams in the three partly reforested areas. The significant reductions in total runoff are attributed to increases in interception and transpiration in the reforested areas. The reductions in peak discharges during the dormant period are attributed largely to increased interception and sublimation of snowfall, and a gradual desynchronization of snowmelt runoff from the wooded and open areas of partly reforested watersheds. The changes in streamflow occurred gradually over the years; it could not be determined from the data whether changes in streamflow were still occurring in 1958, or whether they had reached a maximum.

Determining volume sensitive waters in Beaufort County, SC tidal creeks

Treesearch

Andrew Tweel; Denise Sanger; Anne Blair; John Leffler

2016-01-01

Non-point source pollution from stormwater runoff associated with large-scale land use changes threatens the integrity of ecologically and economically valuable estuarine ecosystems. Beaufort County, SC implemented volume-based stormwater regulations on the rationale that if volume discharge is controlled, contaminant loading will also be controlled.

Fish Passage Center; Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Authority, 2000 Annual Report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

DeHart, Michele

2001-06-01

The year 2000 hydrosystem operations illustrated two main points: (1) that the NMFS Biological Opinion on the operations of the Federal Columbia River Power System (FCRPS) fish migration measures could not be met in a slightly below average water year, and; (2) the impacts and relationships of energy deregulation and volatile wholesale energy prices on the ability of the FCRPS to provide the Biological Opinion fish migration measures. In 2000, a slightly below average water year, the flow targets were not met and, when energy ''emergencies'' were declared, salmon protection measures were reduced. The 2000 migration year was a belowmore » average runoff volume year with an actual run off volume of 61.1 MAF or 96% of average. This year illustrated the ability of the hydro system to meet the migration protection measures established by the NMFS Biological Opinion. The winter operation of storage reservoirs was based upon inaccurate runoff volume forecasts which predicted a January-July runoff volume forecast at The Dalles of 102 to 105% of average, from January through June. Reservoir flood control drafts during the winter months occurred according to these forecasts. This caused an over-draft of reservoirs that resulted in less volume of water available for fish flow augmentation in the spring and the summer. The season Biological Opinion flow targets for spring and summer migrants at Lower Granite and McNary dams were not met. Several power emergencies were declared by BPA in the summer of 2000. The first in June was caused by loss of resources (WNP2 went off-line). The second and third emergencies were declared in August as a result of power emergencies in California and in the Northwest. The unanticipated effects of energy deregulation, power market volatility and rising wholesale electricity prices, and Californian energy deregulation reduced the ability of the FCRPS to implement fish protection measures. A Spill Plan Agreement was implemented in the FCRPS. Under this plan, spill hours were increased at Lower Monumental Dam. Spill volume at The Dalles was reduced and daytime spill tests were conducted at John Day and Bonneville Dams. Although provided for fish, most spill that occurred in 2000 was either in excess of project hydraulic capacity or excess generation. This effectively reduced the actual cost of the spill program. For the most part, spill in 2000 was managed to the waiver limits for total dissolved gas levels and the NMFS action criteria for dissolved gas signs were not exceeded. Hatchery spring chinook returns comprised an estimated 81.4% of the total spring chinook adult return to Lower Granite Dam. Smolt travel time and survival were similar to past years for most Smolt Monitoring Program groups. The notable exceptions were Snake River hatchery steelhead groups and mid-Columbia hatchery sub-yearling groups from Wells and Ringold hatcheries, which had significantly lower survival than previous years. Yearling chinook travel time showed variation from past years, reflecting the atypical flow shape in 2000 which had high flows in April, declining through May.« less

Green roof hydrologic performance and modeling: a review.

PubMed

Li, Yanling; Babcock, Roger W

2014-01-01

Green roofs reduce runoff from impervious surfaces in urban development. This paper reviews the technical literature on green roof hydrology. Laboratory experiments and field measurements have shown that green roofs can reduce stormwater runoff volume by 30 to 86%, reduce peak flow rate by 22 to 93% and delay the peak flow by 0 to 30 min and thereby decrease pollution, flooding and erosion during precipitation events. However, the effectiveness can vary substantially due to design characteristics making performance predictions difficult. Evaluation of the most recently published study findings indicates that the major factors affecting green roof hydrology are precipitation volume, precipitation dynamics, antecedent conditions, growth medium, plant species, and roof slope. This paper also evaluates the computer models commonly used to simulate hydrologic processes for green roofs, including stormwater management model, soil water atmosphere and plant, SWMS-2D, HYDRUS, and other models that are shown to be effective for predicting precipitation response and economic benefits. The review findings indicate that green roofs are effective for reduction of runoff volume and peak flow, and delay of peak flow, however, no tool or model is available to predict expected performance for any given anticipated system based on design parameters that directly affect green roof hydrology.

Pesticide transport with runoff from creeping bentgrass turf: Relationship of pesticide properties to mass transport.

PubMed

Rice, Pamela J; Horgan, Brian P; Rittenhouse, Jennifer L

2010-06-01

The off-site transport of pesticides with runoff is both an agronomic and environmental concern, resulting from reduced control of target pests in the area of application and contamination of surrounding ecosystems. Experiments were designed to measure the quantity of pesticides in runoff from creeping bentgrass (Agrostis palustris) turf managed as golf course fairway to gain a better understanding of factors that influence chemical availability and mass transport. Less than 1 to 23% of applied chloropyrifos, flutolanil, mecoprop-p (MCPP), dimethylamine salt of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), or dicamba was measured in edge-of-plot runoff when commercially available pesticide formulations were applied at label rates 23 +/- 9 h prior to simulated precipitation (62 +/- 13 mm). Time differential between hollow tine core cultivation and runoff did not significantly influence runoff volumes or the percentage of applied chemicals transported in the runoff. With the exception of chlorpyrifos, all chemicals of interest were detected in the initial runoff samples and throughout the runoff events. Chemographs of the five pesticides followed trends in agreement with mobility classifications associated with their soil organic carbon partition coefficient (K(OC).) Data collected from the present study provides information on the transport of chemicals with runoff from turf, which can be used in model simulations to predict nonpoint source pollution potentials and estimate ecological risks. Copyright 2010 SETAC.

Stormwater run-off and pollutant transport related to the activities carried out in a modern waste management park.

PubMed

Marques, M; Hogland, W

2001-02-01

Stormwater run-off from twelve different areas and roads has been characterized in a modern waste disposal site, where several waste management activities are carried out. Using nonparametric statistics, medians and confidence intervals of the medians, 22 stormwater quality parameters were calculated. Suspended solids, chemical oxygen demand, biochemical oxygen demand, total nitrogen and total phosphorus, as well as run-off from several areas, showed measured values above standard limits for discharge into recipient waters--even higher than those of leachate from covered landfill cells. Of the heavy metals analyzed, copper, zinc and nickel were the most prevalent, being detected in every sample. Higher concentrations of metals such as zinc, nickel, cobalt, iron and cadmium were found in run-off from composting areas, compared to areas containing stored and exposed scrap metal. This suggests that factors other than the total amount of exposed material affect the concentration of metals in run-off, such as binding to organic compounds and hydrological transport efficiency. The pollutants transported by stormwater represent a significant environmental threat, comparable to leachate. Careful design, monitoring and maintenance of stormwater run-off drainage systems and infiltration elements are needed if infiltration is to be used as an on-site treatment strategy.

Runoff and erosion response of simulated waste burial covers in a semi-arid environment

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bent, G.C.; Goff, B.F.; Rightmire, K.G.; Sidle, R.C.

1999-01-01

Control of runoff (reducing infiltration) and erosion at shallow land burials is necessary in order to assure environmentally safe disposal of low-level radioactive-waste and other waste products. This study evaluated the runoff and erosion response of two perennial grass species on simulated waste burial covers at Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL). Rainfall simulations were applied to three plots covered by crested wheatgrass [Agropyron desertorum (Fischer ex Link) Shultes], three plots covered by streambank wheatgrass [Elymus lanceolatus (Scribner and Smith) Gould spp. lanceolatus], and one bare plot. Average total runoff for rainfall simulations in 1987, 1989, and 1990 was 42 percent greater on streambank wheatgrass plots than on crested wheatgrass plots. Average total soil loss for rainfall simulations in 1987 and 1990 was 105 percent greater on streambank wheatgrass plots than on crested wheatgrass plots. Total runoff and soil loss from natural rainfall and snowmelt events during 1987 were 25 and 105 percent greater, respectively, on streambank wheatgrass plots than on crested wheatgrass plots. Thus, crested wheatgrass appears to be better suited in revegetation of waste burial covers at INEEL than streambank wheatgrass due to its much lower erosion rate and only slightly higher infiltration rate (lower runoff rate).

Rainfall simulation in greenhouse microcosms to assess bacterial-associated runoff from land-applied poultry litter.

PubMed

Brooks, John P; Adeli, Ardeshir; Read, John J; McLaughlin, Michael R

2009-01-01

Runoff water following a rain event is one possible source of environmental contamination after a manure application. This greenhouse study used a rainfall simulator to determine bacterial-associated runoff from troughs of common bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.] that were treated with P-based, N-based, and N plus lime rates of poultry (Gallus gallus) litter, recommended inorganic fertilizer, and control. Total heterotrophic plate count (HPC) bacteria, total and thermotolerant coliforms, enterococci, staphylococci, Clostridium perfringens, Salmonella, and Campylobacter, as well as antibiotic resistance profiles for the staphylococci and enterococci isolates were all monitored in runoff waters. Analysis following five rainfall events indicated that staphylococci, enterococci, and clostridia levels were related to manure application rate. Runoff release of staphylococci, enterococci, and C. perfringens were approximately 3 to 6 log10 greater in litter vs. control treatment. In addition, traditional indicators such as thermotolerant and total coliforms performed poorly as fecal indicators. Some isolated enterococci demonstrated increased antibiotic resistance to polymixin b and/or select aminoglyocosides, while many staphylococci were susceptible to most antimicrobials tested. Results indicated poultry litter application can lead to microbial runoff following simulated rain events. Future studies should focus on the use of staphylococci, enterococci, and C. perfringens as indicators.

Statistical summary of selected physical, chemical, and toxicity characteristics and estimates of annual constituent loads in urban stormwater, Maricopa County, Arizona

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fossum, Kenneth D.; O'Day, Christie M.; Wilson, Barbara J.; Monical, Jim E.

2001-01-01

Stormwater and streamflow in Maricopa County were monitored to (1) describe the physical, chemical, and toxicity characteristics of stormwater from areas having different land uses, (2) describe the physical, chemical, and toxicity characteristics of streamflow from areas that receive urban stormwater, and (3) estimate constituent loads in stormwater. Urban stormwater and streamflow had similar ranges in most constituent concentrations. The mean concentration of dissolved solids in urban stormwater was lower than in streamflow from the Salt River and Indian Bend Wash. Urban stormwater, however, had a greater chemical oxygen demand and higher concentrations of most nutrients. Mean seasonal loads and mean annual loads of 11 constituents and volumes of runoff were estimated for municipalities in the metropolitan Phoenix area, Arizona, by adjusting regional regression equations of loads. This adjustment procedure uses the original regional regression equation and additional explanatory variables that were not included in the original equation. The adjusted equations had standard errors that ranged from 161 to 196 percent. The large standard errors of the prediction result from the large variability of the constituent concentration data used in the regression analysis. Adjustment procedures produced unsatisfactory results for nine of the regressions?suspended solids, dissolved solids, total phosphorus, dissolved phosphorus, total recoverable cadmium, total recoverable copper, total recoverable lead, total recoverable zinc, and storm runoff. These equations had no consistent direction of bias and no other additional explanatory variables correlated with the observed loads. A stepwise-multiple regression or a three-variable regression (total storm rainfall, drainage area, and impervious area) and local data were used to develop local regression equations for these nine constituents. These equations had standard errors from 15 to 183 percent.

[Characteristics of Nitrogen and Phosphorus Losses in Longhong Ravine Basin of Westlake in Rainstorm Runoff].

PubMed

Yang, Fan; Jiang, Yi-feng; Wang, Cui-cui; Huang, Xiao-nan; Wu, Zhi-ying; Chen, Lin

2016-01-15

In order to understand the non-point source pollution status in Longhong ravine basin of Westlake, the characteristics of nutrient losses in runoff was investigated during three rainstorms in one year. The results showed that long duration rainstorm event generally formed several runoff peaks, and the time of its lag behind the peaks of rain intensity was dependent on the distribution of heavy rainfall. The first flush was related to the antecedent rainfall, and the less rainfall in the earlier period, the more total phosphorus (TP) and ammonia (NH4+ -N) in runoff was washed off. During the recession of runoff, more subsurface runoff would result in a concentration peak of total nitrogen (TN) and nitrogen (NO3- -N) . The event mean concentration (EMC) of runoff nitrogen had a negative correlation with rainfall, rainfall duration, maximum rain intensity and average rain intensity except for antecedent rainfall, whereas the change in TP EMC showed the opposite trend. The transport fluxes of nutrients increased with an elevation in runoffs, and Pearson analysis showed that the transport fluxes of TN and NO3- -N had good correlations with runoff depth. The average transport fluxes of TP, TN, NH4+ -N and NO3- -N were 34.10, 1195.55, 1006.62 and 52.38 g x hm(-2), respectively, and NO3- -N was the main nitrogen form and accounted for 84% of TN.

Simulated rain events on an urban roadway to understand the dynamics of mercury mobilization in stormwater runoff.

PubMed

Eckley, Chris S; Branfireun, Brian

2009-08-01

This research focuses on mercury (Hg) mobilization in stormwater runoff from an urban roadway. The objectives were to determine: how the transport of surface-derived Hg changes during an event hydrograph; the influence of antecedent dry days on the runoff Hg load; the relationship between total suspended sediments (TSS) and Hg transport, and; the fate of new Hg input in rain and its relative importance to the runoff Hg load. Simulated rain events were used to control variables to elucidate transport processes and a Hg stable isotope was used to trace the fate of Hg inputs in rain. The results showed that Hg concentrations were highest at the beginning of the hydrograph and were predominantly particulate bound (HgP). On average, almost 50% of the total Hg load was transported during the first minutes of runoff, underscoring the importance of the initial runoff on load calculations. Hg accumulated on the road surface during dry periods resulting in the Hg runoff load increasing with antecedent dry days. The Hg concentrations in runoff were significantly correlated with TSS concentrations (mean r(2)=0.94+/-0.09). The results from the isotope experiments showed that the new Hg inputs quickly become associated with the surface particles and that the majority of Hg in runoff is derived from non-event surface-derived sources.

Modeling urban storm rainfall runoff from diverse underlying surfaces and application for control design in Beijing.

PubMed

Ouyang, Wei; Guo, Bobo; Hao, Fanghua; Huang, Haobo; Li, Junqi; Gong, Yongwei

2012-12-30

Managing storm rainfall runoff is paramount in semi-arid regions with urban development. In Beijing, pollution prevention in urban storm runoff and storm water utilization has been identified as the primary strategy for urban water management. In this paper, we sampled runoff during storm rainfall events and analyzed the concentration of chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solids (TSS) and total phosphorus (TP) in the runoff. Furthermore, the first flush effect of storm rainfall from diverse underlying surfaces was also analyzed. With the Storm Water Management Model (SWMM), the different impervious rates of underlying surfaces during the storm runoff process were expressed. The removal rates of three typical pollutants and their interactions with precipitation and underlying surfaces were identified. From these rates, the scenarios regarding the urban storm runoff pollution loading from different designs of underlying previous rates were assessed with the SWMM. First flush effect analysis showed that the first 20% of the storm runoff should be discarded, which can help in utilizing the storm water resource. The results of this study suggest that the SWMM can express in detail the storm water pollution patterns from diverse underlying surfaces in Beijing, which significantly affected water quality. The scenario analysis demonstrated that impervious rate adjustment has the potential to reduce runoff peak and decrease pollution loading. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Quality characterization and impact assessment of highway runoff in urban and rural area of Guangzhou, China.

PubMed

Gan, Huayang; Zhuo, Muning; Li, Dingqiang; Zhou, Yongzhang

2008-05-01

Accurate knowledge of the quality and environmental impact of the highway runoff in Pear River Delta, South China is required to assess this important non-point pollution source. This paper presents the quality characterization and environmental impact assessment of rainfall runoff from highways in urban and rural area of Guangzhou, the largest city of Pear River Delta over 1 year's investigation. Multiple regression and Pearson correlation analysis were used to determine influence of the rainfall characteristics on water quality and correlations among the constituents in highway runoff. The results and analysis indicates that the runoff water is nearly neutral with low biodegradability. Oil and grease (O&G), suspended solids (SS) and heavy metals are the dominant pollutants in contrast to the low level of nutrient constituents in runoff. Quality of highway runoff at rural site is better than that of at urban site for most constituents. Depth and antecedent dry period are the main rainfall factors influencing quality of highway runoff. The correlation patterns among constituents in highway runoff at urban site are consistent with their dominant phases in water. Strong correlations (r > or = 0.80) are found among chemical oxygen demand (COD), total phosphorus, Cu and Zn as well as conductivity, nitrate nitrogen and total nitrogen. O&G, COD, SS and Pb in highway runoff at urban site substantially exceed their concentrations in receiving water of Pear River. The soil directly discharged by highway runoff at rural site has contaminated seriously by heavy metals in surface layer accompanying with pH conversion from original acidic to alkaline at present.

Runoff losses of sediment and phosphorus from no-till and cultivated soils receiving dairy manure.

PubMed

Verbree, David A; Duiker, Sjoerd W; Kleinman, Peter J A

2010-01-01

Managing manure in no-till systems is a water quality concern because surface application of manure can enrich runoff with dissolved phosphorus (P), and incorporation by tillage increases particulate P loss. This study compared runoff from well-drained and somewhat poorly drained soils under corn (Zea mays, L.) production that had been in no-till for more than 10 yr. Dairy cattle (Bos taurus L.) manure was broadcast into a fall planted cover crop before no-till corn planting or incorporated by chisel/disk tillage in the absence of a cover crop. Rainfall simulations (60 mm h(-1)) were performed after planting, mid-season, and post-harvest in 2007 and 2008. In both years and on both soils, no-till yielded significantly less sediment than did chisel/disking. Relative effects of tillage on runoff and P loss differed with soil. On the well-drained soil, runoff depths from no-till were much lower than with chisel/disking, producing significantly lower total P loads (22-50% less). On the somewhat poorly drained soil, there was little to no reduction in runoff depth with no-till, and total P loads were significantly greater than with chisel/disking (40-47% greater). Particulate P losses outweighed dissolved P losses as the major concern on the well-drained soil, whereas dissolved P from surface applied manure was more important on the somewhat poorly drained soil. This study confirms the benefit of no-till to erosion and total P runoff control on well-drained soils but highlights trade-offs in no-till management on somewhat poorly drained soils where the absence of manure incorporation can exacerbate total P losses.

Analysis of sediment production from two small semiarid basins in Wyoming

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rankl, J.G.

1987-01-01

Data were collected at two small, semiarid basins in Wyoming to determine the relation between rainfall, runoff, and sediment production. The basins were Dugout Creek tributary and Saint Marys Ditch tributary. Sufficient rainfall and runoff data were collected at Dugout Creek tributary to determine the source of sediment and the dominant sediment production processes. Because runoff from only one storm occurred in Saint Marys Ditch tributary, emphasis of the study was placed on the analysis of data collected at Dugout Creek tributary. At Dugout Creek tributary, detailed measurements were made to establish the source of sediment. To determine the quantity of material removed from headcuts during the study, two headcuts were surveyed. Aerial photographs were used to define movement of all headcuts. The total quantity of sediment removed from all headcuts between September 26, 1982, and September 26, 1983, was estimated to be 1,220 tons, or 15%-25% of the estimated total sediment load passing the streamflow-gaging station. A soil plot was used to sample upland erosion. A rainfall and runoff modeling system was used to evaluate the interaction between the physical processes which control sediment production. The greatest change in computed sediment load was caused by changing the parameter values for equations used to compute the detachment of sediment particles by rainfall and overland flow resulted in very small changes in computed sediment load. The upland areas were the primary source of sediment. A relationship was developed between the peak of storm runoff and the total sediment load for that storm runoff. The sediment concentration used to compute the total sediment load for the storm runoff was determined from sediment samples collected by two automatic pumping samplers. The coefficient of variation of the relationship is 34% with a 0.99 correlation coefficient. (Author 's abstract)

Spot Spraying Reduces Herbicide Concentrations in Runoff.

PubMed

Melland, Alice R; Silburn, D Mark; McHugh, Allen D; Fillols, Emilie; Rojas-Ponce, Samuel; Baillie, Craig; Lewis, Stephen

2016-05-25

Rainfall simulator trials were conducted on sugar cane paddocks across dry-tropical and subtropical Queensland, Australia, to examine the potential for spot spraying to reduce herbicide losses in runoff. Recommended rates of the herbicides glyphosate, 2,4-D, fluoroxypyr, atrazine, and diuron were sprayed onto 0, 20, 40, 50, 70, or 100% of the area of runoff plots. Simulated rainfall was applied 2 days after spraying to induce runoff at one plant cane and three ratoon crop sites. Over 50% of all herbicides were transported in the dissolved phase of runoff, regardless of the herbicide's sediment-water partition coefficient. For most sites and herbicides, runoff herbicide concentrations decreased with decreasing spray coverage and with decreasing herbicide load in the soil and cane residues. Importantly, sites with higher infiltration prior to runoff and lower total runoff had lower runoff herbicide concentrations.

Water-quality characteristics of stormwater runoff in Rapid City, South Dakota, 2008-14

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hoogestraat, Galen K.

2015-01-01

For the Arrowhead and Meade-Hawthorne sites, event-mean concentrations typically exceeded the TSS and bacteria beneficial-use criteria for Rapid Creek by 1–2 orders of magnitude. Comparing the two drainage basins, median TSS event-mean concentrations were more than two times greater at the Meade-Hawthorne outlet (520 milligrams per liter) than the Arrowhead outlet (200 milligrams per liter). Median fecal coliform bacteria event-mean concentrations also were greater at the Meade-Hawthorne outlet site (30,000 colony forming units per 100 milliliters) than the Arrowhead outlet site (17,000 colony forming units per 100 milliliters). A comparison to relevant standards indicates that stormwater runoff from the Downtown drainage basin exceeded criteria for bacteria and TSS, but concentrations generally were below standards for nutrients and metals. Stormwater-quality conditions from the Downtown drainage basin outfalls were similar to or better than stormwater-quality conditions observed in the Arrowhead and Meade-Hawthorne drainage basins. Three wetland channels located at the outlet of the Downtown drainage basin were evaluated for their pollutant reduction capability. Mean reductions in TSS and lead concentrations were greater than 40 percent for all three wetland channels. Total nitrogen, phosphorus, copper, and zinc concentrations also were reduced by at least 20 percent at all three wetlands. Fecal coliform bacteria concentrations typically were reduced by about 21 and 36 percent at the 1st and 2nd Street wetlands, respectively, but the reduction at the 3rd Street wetland channel was nearly zero percent. Total wetland storage volume affected pollutant reductions because TSS, phosphorus, and ammonia reductions were greatest in the wetland with the greatest volume. Chloride concentrations typically increased from inflow to outflow at the 2nd and 3rd Street wetland channels.

Water quality and bathymetry of Sand Lake, Anchorage, Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Donaldson, Donald E.

1976-01-01

Sand Lake, a dimictic lowland lake in Anchorage, Alaska, has recently become as urban lake. Analyses indicate that the lake is oligotrophic, having low dissolved solids and nutrient concentrations. Snowmelt runoff from an adjacent residential area, however, has a dissolved-solids concentration 10 times that of the main body of Sand Lake. Lead concentrations in the runoff exceed known values from other water in the ANchorage area, including water samples taken beneath landfills. The volume of the snowmelt runoff has not been measured. The data presented can be used as a baseline for water-resource management. (Woodard-USGS)

Water runoff vs modern climatic warming in mountainous cryolithic zone in North-East Russia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glotov, V. E.; Glotova, L. P.

2018-01-01

The article presents the results of studying the effects of current climatic warming for both surface and subsurface water runoffs in North-East Russia, where the Main Watershed of the Earth separates it into the Arctic and Pacific continental slopes. The process of climatic warming is testified by continuous weather records during 80-100 years and longer periods. Over the Arctic slope and in the northern areas of the Pacific slope, climatic warming results in a decline in a total runoff of rivers whereas the ground-water recharge becomes greater in winter low-level conditions. In the southern Pacific slope and in the Sea of Okhotsk basin, the effect of climatic warming is an overall increase in total runoff including its subsurface constituents. We believe these peculiar characters of river runoff there to be related to the cryolithic zone environments. Over the Arctic slope and the northern Pacific slope, where cryolithic zone is continuous, the total runoff has its subsurface constituent as basically resulting from discharge of ground waters hosted in seasonally thawing rocks. Warmer climatic conditions favor growth of vegetation that needs more water for the processes of evapotranspiration and evaporation from rocky surfaces in summer seasons. In the Sea of Okhotsk basin, where the cryolithic zone is discontinuous, not only ground waters in seasonally thawing layers, but also continuous taliks and subpermafrost waters participate in processes of river recharges. As a result, a greater biological productivity of vegetation cover does not have any effect on ground-water supply and river recharge processes. If a steady climate warming is provided, a continuous cryolithic zone can presumably degrade into a discontinuous and then into an island-type permafrost layer. Under such a scenario, there will be a general increase in the total runoff and its subsurface constituent. From geoecological viewpoints, a greater runoff will have quite positive effects, whereas some minor negative consequences of it can be successfully prevented.

The impact of domestic rainwater harvesting systems in storm water runoff mitigation at the urban block scale.

PubMed

Palla, A; Gnecco, I; La Barbera, P

2017-04-15

In the framework of storm water management, Domestic Rainwater Harvesting (DRWH) systems are recently recognized as source control solutions according to LID principles. In order to assess the impact of these systems in storm water runoff control, a simple methodological approach is proposed. The hydrologic-hydraulic modelling is undertaken using EPA SWMM; the DRWH is implemented in the model by using a storage unit linked to the building water supply system and to the drainage network. The proposed methodology has been implemented for a residential urban block located in Genoa (Italy). Continuous simulations are performed by using the high-resolution rainfall data series for the ''do nothing'' and DRWH scenarios. The latter includes the installation of a DRWH system for each building of the urban block. Referring to the test site, the peak and volume reduction rate evaluated for the 2125 rainfall events are respectively equal to 33 and 26 percent, on average (with maximum values of 65 percent for peak and 51 percent for volume). In general, the adopted methodology indicates that the hydrologic performance of the storm water drainage network equipped with DRWH systems is noticeable even for the design storm event (T = 10 years) and the rainfall depth seems to affect the hydrologic performance at least when the total depth exceeds 20 mm. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An initial-abstraction, constant-loss model for unit hydrograph modeling for applicable watersheds in Texas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Asquith, William H.; Roussel, Meghan C.

2007-01-01

Estimation of representative hydrographs from design storms, which are known as design hydrographs, provides for cost-effective, riskmitigated design of drainage structures such as bridges, culverts, roadways, and other infrastructure. During 2001?07, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Texas Department of Transportation, investigated runoff hydrographs, design storms, unit hydrographs,and watershed-loss models to enhance design hydrograph estimation in Texas. Design hydrographs ideally should mimic the general volume, peak, and shape of observed runoff hydrographs. Design hydrographs commonly are estimated in part by unit hydrographs. A unit hydrograph is defined as the runoff hydrograph that results from a unit pulse of excess rainfall uniformly distributed over the watershed at a constant rate for a specific duration. A time-distributed, watershed-loss model is required for modeling by unit hydrographs. This report develops a specific time-distributed, watershed-loss model known as an initial-abstraction, constant-loss model. For this watershed-loss model, a watershed is conceptualized to have the capacity to store or abstract an absolute depth of rainfall at and near the beginning of a storm. Depths of total rainfall less than this initial abstraction do not produce runoff. The watershed also is conceptualized to have the capacity to remove rainfall at a constant rate (loss) after the initial abstraction is satisfied. Additional rainfall inputs after the initial abstraction is satisfied contribute to runoff if the rainfall rate (intensity) is larger than the constant loss. The initial abstraction, constant-loss model thus is a two-parameter model. The initial-abstraction, constant-loss model is investigated through detailed computational and statistical analysis of observed rainfall and runoff data for 92 USGS streamflow-gaging stations (watersheds) in Texas with contributing drainage areas from 0.26 to 166 square miles. The analysis is limited to a previously described, watershed-specific, gamma distribution model of the unit hydrograph. In particular, the initial-abstraction, constant-loss model is tuned to the gamma distribution model of the unit hydrograph. A complex computational analysis of observed rainfall and runoff for the 92 watersheds was done to determine, by storm, optimal values of initial abstraction and constant loss. Optimal parameter values for a given storm were defined as those values that produced a modeled runoff hydrograph with volume equal to the observed runoff hydrograph and also minimized the residual sum of squares of the two hydrographs. Subsequently, the means of the optimal parameters were computed on a watershed-specific basis. These means for each watershed are considered the most representative, are tabulated, and are used in further statistical analyses. Statistical analyses of watershed-specific, initial abstraction and constant loss include documentation of the distribution of each parameter using the generalized lambda distribution. The analyses show that watershed development has substantial influence on initial abstraction and limited influence on constant loss. The means and medians of the 92 watershed-specific parameters are tabulated with respect to watershed development; although they have considerable uncertainty, these parameters can be used for parameter prediction for ungaged watersheds. The statistical analyses of watershed-specific, initial abstraction and constant loss also include development of predictive procedures for estimation of each parameter for ungaged watersheds. Both regression equations and regression trees for estimation of initial abstraction and constant loss are provided. The watershed characteristics included in the regression analyses are (1) main-channel length, (2) a binary factor representing watershed development, (3) a binary factor representing watersheds with an abundance of rocky and thin-soiled terrain, and (4) curve numb

Geographic Information System and Remote Sensing Approach with Hydrologic Rational Model for Flood Event Analysis in Jakarta

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aditya, M. R.; Hernina, R.; Rokhmatuloh

2017-12-01

Rapid development in Jakarta which generates more impervious surface has reduced the amount of rainfall infiltration into soil layer and increases run-off. In some events, continuous high rainfall intensity could create sudden flood in Jakarta City. This article used rainfall data of Jakarta during 10 February 2015 to compute rainfall intensity and then interpolate it with ordinary kriging technique. Spatial distribution of rainfall intensity then overlaid with run-off coefficient based on certain land use type of the study area. Peak run-off within each cell resulted from hydrologic rational model then summed for the whole study area to generate total peak run-off. For this study area, land use types consisted of 51.9 % industrial, 37.57% parks, and 10.54% residential with estimated total peak run-off 6.04 m3/sec, 0.39 m3/sec, and 0.31 m3/sec, respectively.

Efficiencies of multilayer infiltration systems for the removal of urban runoff pollutants.

PubMed

Hou, Lizhu; Liu, Fang; Feng, Chuanping; Wan, Li

2013-01-01

Current rates of urban development will result in water runoff becoming a major complication of urban water pollution. To address the worsening situation regarding water resource shortage and pollution, novel multilayer infiltration systems were designed and their effectiveness for removing pollutants in urban runoff tested experimentally. The multilayer infiltration systems effectively removed most pollutants, including organic matter (chemical oxygen demand (CODCr)), total nitrogen (TN), ammonia-nitrogen (NH4(+)-N) and total phosphorus (TP). CODCr, TN, NH4(+)-N, and TP were reduced by 68.67, 23.98, 82.66 and 92.11%, respectively. The main mechanism for nitrogen removal was biological nitrogen removal through nitrification and denitrification. Phosphorus in the urban runoff was removed mainly by fixation processes in the soil, such as adsorption and chemical precipitation. The results indicate that the proposed novel system has potential for removal of pollutants from urban runoff and subsequent reuse of the treated water.

Effects of low-impact-development (LID) practices on streamflow, runoff quantity, and runoff quality in the Ipswich River Basin, Massachusetts-A Summary of field and modeling studies

USGS Publications Warehouse

Zimmerman, Marc J.; Waldron, Marcus C.; Barbaro, Jeffrey R.; Sorenson, Jason R.

2010-01-01

Low-impact-development (LID) approaches are intended to create, retain, or restore natural hydrologic and water-quality conditions that may be affected by human alterations. Wide-scale implementation of LID techniques may offer the possibility of improving conditions in river basins, such as the Ipswich River Basin in Massachusetts, that have run dry during the summer because of groundwater withdrawals and drought. From 2005 to 2008, the U.S. Geological Survey, in a cooperative funding agreement with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, monitored small-scale installations of LID enhancements designed to diminish the effects of storm runoff on the quantity and quality of surface water and groundwater. Funding for the studies also was contributed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Targeted Watersheds Grant Program through a financial assistance agreement with Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. The monitoring studies examined the effects of * replacing an impervious parking-lot surface with a porous surface on groundwater quality, * installing rain gardens and porous pavement in a neighborhood of 3 acres on the quantity and quality of stormwater runoff, and * installing a 3,000-ft2 (square-foot) green roof on the quantity and quality of rainfall-generated roof runoff. In addition to these small-scale installations, the U.S. Geological Survey's Ipswich River Basin model was used to simulate the basin-wide effects on streamflow of several changes: broad-scale implementation of LID techniques, reduced water-supply withdrawals, and water-conservation measures. Water-supply and conservation scenarios for application in model simulations were developed with the assistance of two technical advisory committees that included representatives of State agencies responsible for water resources, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Geological Survey, water suppliers, and non-governmental organizations. From June 2005 to June 2007, groundwater quality was monitored at the Silver Lake town beach parking lot in Wilmington, Massachusetts, prior to and following the replacement of the conventional, impervious-asphalt surface with a porous surface consisting primarily of porous asphalt and porous pavers designed to enhance rainfall infiltration into the groundwater and to minimize runoff to Silver Lake. Concentrations of phosphorus, nitrogen, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, nickel, zinc, and total petroleum hydrocarbons in groundwater were monitored. Enhancing infiltration of precipitation did not result in discernible increases in concentrations of these potential groundwater contaminants. Concentrations of dissolved oxygen increased slightly in groundwater profiles following the removal of the impervious asphalt parking-lot surface. In Wilmington, Massachusetts, in a 3-acre neighborhood, stormwater runoff volume and quality were monitored to determine the ability of selected LID enhancements (rain gardens and porous paving stones) to reduce flows and loads of the selected constituents to Silver Lake. Water-quality samples were analyzed for nutrients, metals, total petroleum hydrocarbons, and total-coliform and E. coli bacteria. A decrease in runoff quantity was observed for storms of 0.25 inch or less of precipitation. Water-quality-monitoring results were inconclusive; there were no statistically significant differences in concentrations or loads when the pre- and post-installation-period samples were compared. In a third field study, the characteristics of runoff from a vegetated 'green' roof and a conventional, rubber-membrane roof were compared. The two primary factors affecting the green roof's water-storage capacity were the amount of precipitation and antecedent dry period. Although concentrations of many of the chemicals in roof runoff were higher from the green roof than from the conventional roof, the ability of the green roof to retain w

[Quantification study on the runoff and seepage distribution and N, P pollutants removal of the vegetated buffer strips].

PubMed

Wang, Min; Huang, Yu-Chi; Wu, Jian-Qiang

2010-11-01

By using the constructed buffer strips test base and the runoff hydrometric devices, a research on stagnant runoff and nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P) pollutants removal capacity of the vegetated buffer strips was conducted. The results show that the vegetated buffer strips might reduce the speed of runoff significantly and improve the hydraulic permeability of soil. The runoff water output time of 19 m buffer strips planted with Cynodon dactylon, Festuca arundinacea and Trifolium repens are 2.46, 1.72 and 2.03 times higher than the control (no vegetation) respectively; The seepage water quantity of three vegetation buffer strips are 3.01, 2.16 and 2.45 times higher than the control respectively as well. Total removal efficiency of the three buffer strips increase about 237%, 268% and 274% comparing with the control respectively. The N, P removal capacity of seepage is significantly higher than that of the runoff, the larger seepage water quantity will cause higher N, P total removal efficiency and removal loads of unit area. With different vegetated buffer strips, the TN, NH4(+) -N, TP removal ratio of seepage and runoff are 2.79, 2.02 and 2.83 respectively.

Atmospheric deposition of selected chemicals and their effect on nonpoint-source pollution in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area, Minnesota

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brown, R.G.

1984-01-01

The atmospheric contribution to nonpoint-source-runoff pollution of nitrogen, in the form of nitrite-plus-nitrate, and lead was extremely high contributing as much as 84 percent of the runoff load. In contrast, phosphorus and chloride inputs were low averaging of 6 percent of the total runoff load. Future investigations of nonpoint-source pollution in runoff might include collection of data on atmospheric deposition of nitrite-plus-nitrate nitrogen and lead because of the importance of that source of these constituents in runoff.

[Effects of slopes on nitrogen transport along with runoff from sloping plots on a lateritic red soil amended with sewage sludge].

PubMed

Chen, Yan-Hui; Chen, Ming-Hua; Wang, Guo; Chen, Wen-Xiang; Yang, Shun-Cheng; Chai, Peng

2010-10-01

The effects of different slopes on nitrogen transport along with runoff from sloping plots amended with sewage sludge on a lateritic red soil were studied under simulated rainfall conditions. When the sludge was broadcasted and mixed with surface soils (BM), the MTN (total nitrogen of mixing sample), STN (total nitrogen of settled sample), TPN (total particulate nitrogen), TSN (total suspended nitrogen), TDN (total dissolved nitrogen) and NH4(+) -N concentrations and nitrogen loss amounts in runoff of all treatments were highest at 1 day or 18 days after application. The highest concentrations and the loss amounts of MTN and STN in the slope runoff for the BM treatment increased with slope degree, showing increasing pollution risks to the surface waters. The STN concentration and loss amounts from the 25 degrees plots were 126.1 mg x L(-1) and 1788.6 mg x m(-2), respectively, being 4.6 times and 5.8 times of the corresponding values from the 10 degrees plots, respectively. Then the concentrations and the loss amounts of nitrogen (except NO3(-) -N) from the BM plots diminished rapidly first and then tended to be stable with dwindling differences between the slopes. The loss of MTN and STN in early runoff (1 day and 18 days) accounted for 68.6% -73.4% and 62.3% -66.7% of the cumulative loss amounts during the experimental period for all the broadcasted treatments. Runoff loss coefficients of MTN increased in the order of 20 degrees > 25 degrees > 15 degrees > 10 degrees. Nitrogen was largely lost in dissolved species while large portion of NH4(+) -N was lost with particulates.

Reuse of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operating Wastewater on Agricultural Lands

EPA Science Inventory

Concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) generate large volumes of manure and manure-contaminated wash and runoff water. Transportation, storage, and treatment of manure and manure-contaminated water are costly. The large volume of waste generated, and the lack of disposal ...

Reducing N losses through surface runoff from rice-wheat rotation by improving fertilizer management.

PubMed

Cao, Yansheng; Sun, Huifeng; Liu, Yaqin; Fu, Zishi; Chen, Guifa; Zou, Guoyan; Zhou, Sheng

2017-02-01

To better understand N runoff losses from rice-wheat rotation and demonstrate the effectiveness of improved fertilizer management in reducing N runoff losses, a field study was conducted for three consecutive rice-wheat rotations. Nitrogen losses through surface runoff were measured for five treatments, including CK without N application, C200, C300 simulating the conventional practices, CO200, and CO300. Optimum N rate was applied for C200 and CO200, and 30% of chemical fertilizer was substituted with organic fertilizer for CO200 and CO300 with respect to C200 and C300, respectively. Rice season had higher runoff coefficients than wheat season. Approximately 52% of total N was lost as NH 4 + -N in rice season, ranging from 21 to 83%, and in wheat season, the proportion of NO 3 - -N in total N averaged 53% with a variation from 38 to 67%. The N treatments lost less total N in rice season (1.67-10.7 kg N ha -1 ) than in wheat season (1.72-17.1 kg N ha -1 ). These suggested that a key to controlling N runoff losses from rice-wheat rotation was to limit NO 3 - -N accumulation in wheat season. In both seasons, N runoff losses for C200 and CO300 were lower than those for C300. CO200 better cut N losses than C200 and CO300, with 64 and 57% less N in rice and wheat seasons than C300, respectively. Compared with the conventional practices, optimum N inputs integrated with co-application of organic and chemical fertilizers could reduce N runoff losses with a better N balance under rice-wheat rotation.

Nonpoint source of nutrients and herbicides associated with sugarcane production and its impact on Louisiana coastal water quality.

PubMed

Yu, Kewei; Delaune, Ronald D; Tao, Rui; Beine, Robert L

2008-01-01

A watershed analysis of nonpoint-source pollution associated with sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) production was conducted. Runoff water samples following major rainfall events from two representative sugarcane fields (SC1 and SC2) were collected and analyzed. The impact of runoff on two receiving water bodies, St. James canal (SJC) and Bayou Chevreuil (BC) in a drainage basin (Baratarian Basin), was studied. Results show that runoff flow/rainfall ratios at the SC1 were significantly higher (P < 0.0001, n = 14) than at the SC2, probably mainly due to higher sand content and higher infiltration rate of surface soil at the SC2. In runoff water samples, total suspended solids (TSS) showed a significant correlation with the concentrations of N and P. Sugarcane runoff showed a direct impact on the SJC and BC locations where seasonal variations of pollutant concentrations in the waters followed the patterns of runoff loadings. Swamp forest runoff (SFR) location showed a buffering effect of forested wetlands on water quality with the lowest measured pollutant concentrations. The ratios in total N/total P and in inorganic N/organic N in runoff waters indicated that fertilization in spring greatly contributed to the temporal increase of N loadings, especially in forms of inorganic N. Isotope signature of (15)N-nitrate in the water samples verified that the nitrate was derived from fertilizers and was consumed during transportation. Both N and P concentrations in the receiving water bodies were above the eutrophic level. During the study period, herbicide concentrations in the receiving water bodies rarely exceeded the drinking water standards.

Characterization of wood mulch and leachate/runoff from three wood recycling facilities.

PubMed

Kannepalli, Sarat; Strom, Peter F; Krogmann, Uta; Subroy, Vandana; Giménez, Daniel; Miskewitz, Robert

2016-11-01

Large-scale open storage of wood mulch is common practice at wood recycling facilities. During rain and snow melt, leachate with soluble compounds and suspended particles is released from mulch stockpiles. The objective of this study was to determine the quality of leachate/runoff from wood recycling facilities to evaluate its potential to contaminate receiving waterbodies. Wood mulch (n = 30) and leachate/runoff (n = 26) samples were collected over 1.5 years from three wood recycling facilities in New Jersey, USA. Differences by site were found (p < 0.05) for most of the 21 constituents tested in the solid wood mulch samples. Biochemical oxygen demand (range <20-3000 mg/L), chemical oxygen demand (134-6000 mg/L) and total suspended solids (69-401 mg/L) median concentrations of the leachate/runoff samples were comparable to those of untreated domestic wastewater. Total Kjeldahl N, total P and fecal coliform median values were slightly lower than typical wastewater values. Dose-response studies with leachate/runoff samples using zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos showed that mortality and developmental defects typically did not occur even at the highest concentration tested, indicating low toxicity, although delayed development did occur. Based on this study, leachate/runoff from wood recycling facilities should not be released to surface waters as it is a potential source of organic contamination and low levels of nutrients. A study in which runoff from a controlled drainage area containing wood mulch of known properties is monitored would allow for better assessment of the potential impact of stormwater runoff from wood recycling facilities. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Relative importance of impervious area, drainage density, width function, and subsurface storm drainage on flood runoff from an urbanized catchment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ogden, Fred L.; Raj Pradhan, Nawa; Downer, Charles W.; Zahner, Jon A.

2011-12-01

The literature contains contradictory conclusions regarding the relative effects of urbanization on peak flood flows due to increases in impervious area, drainage density and width function, and the addition of subsurface storm drains. We used data from an urbanized catchment, the 14.3 km2 Dead Run watershed near Baltimore, Maryland, USA, and the physics-based gridded surface/subsurface hydrologic analysis (GSSHA) model to examine the relative effect of each of these factors on flood peaks, runoff volumes, and runoff production efficiencies. GSSHA was used because the model explicitly includes the spatial variability of land-surface and hydrodynamic parameters, including subsurface storm drains. Results indicate that increases in drainage density, particularly increases in density from low values, produce significant increases in the flood peaks. For a fixed land-use and rainfall input, the flood magnitude approaches an upper limit regardless of the increase in the channel drainage density. Changes in imperviousness can have a significant effect on flood peaks for both moderately extreme and extreme storms. For an extreme rainfall event with a recurrence interval in excess of 100 years, imperviousness is relatively unimportant in terms of runoff efficiency and volume, but can affect the peak flow depending on rainfall rate. Changes to the width function affect flood peaks much more than runoff efficiency, primarily in the case of lower density drainage networks with less impermeable area. Storm drains increase flood peaks, but are overwhelmed during extreme rainfall events when they have a negligible effect. Runoff in urbanized watersheds with considerable impervious area shows a marked sensitivity to rainfall rate. This sensitivity explains some of the contradictory findings in the literature.

Application of a snowmelt-runoff model using LANDSAT data. [Dinwoody Creek Basin, Wyoming

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1980-01-01

The snowmelt-runoff model developed for two small central European watersheds simulate daily streamflow on the 228 sq km Dinwoody Creek basin in Wyoming, using snowcover extent for LANDSAT and conventionally measured temperature and precipitation. For the six-month snowmelt seasons of 1976 and 1974, the simulated seasonal runoff volumes were within 5 and 1%, respectively, of the measured runoff. Also the daily fluctuations of discharge were simulated to a high degree by the model. Thus far the limiting basin size for applying the model has not been reached, and improvements can be expected if the hydrometeorological data can be obtained from a station inside the basin. LANDSAT provides an efficient way to obtain the critical snowcover input parameter required by the model.

Runoff amount and quality as influenced by tillage and fertilizer management choices in a Cecil soil

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Tillage and fertilizer choices and their interactions have varying impacts on levels and qualities of runoff from agricultural fields. We quantified runoff, sediment loss, concentrations and loads of ammonium-nitrogen (NH4-N), nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N), dissolved reactive phosphorus (PO4-P) and total...

Flood damage claims reveal insights about surface runoff in Switzerland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bernet, D. B.; Prasuhn, V.; Weingartner, R.

2015-12-01

A few case studies in Switzerland exemplify that not only overtopping water bodies frequently cause damages to buildings. Reportedly, a large share of the total loss due to flooding in Switzerland goes back to surface runoff that is formed and is propagating outside of regular watercourses. Nevertheless, little is known about when, where and why such surface runoff occurs. The described process encompasses surface runoff formation, followed by unchannelised overland flow until a water body is reached. It is understood as a type of flash flood, has short response times and occurs diffusely in the landscape. Thus, the process is difficult to observe and study directly. A promising source indicating surface runoff indirectly are houseowners' damage claims recorded by Swiss Public Insurance Companies for Buildings (PICB). In most of Switzerland, PICB hold a monopoly position and insure (almost) every building. Consequently, PICB generally register all damages to buildings caused by an insured natural hazard (including surface runoff) within the respective zones. We have gathered gapless flood related claim records of most of all Swiss PICB covering more than the last two decades on average. Based on a subset, we have developed a methodology to differentiate claims related to surface runoff from other causes. This allows us to assess the number of claims as well as total loss related to surface runoff and compare these to the numbers of overtopping watercourses. Furthermore, with the good data coverage, we are able to analyze surface runoff related claims in space and time, from which we can infer spatial and temporal characteristics of surface runoff. Although the delivered data of PICB are heterogeneous and, consequently, time-consuming to harmonize, our first results show that exploiting these damage claim records is feasible and worthwhile to learn more about surface runoff in Switzerland.

Impact of Roadway Stormwater Runoff on Microbial Contamination in the Receiving Stream.

PubMed

Wyckoff, Kristen N; Chen, Si; Steinman, Andrew J; He, Qiang

2017-09-01

Stormwater runoff from roadways has increasingly become a regulatory concern for water pollution control. Recent work has suggested roadway stormwater runoff as a potential source of microbial pollutants. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of roadway runoff on the microbiological quality of receiving streams. Microbiological quality of roadway stormwater runoff and the receiving stream was monitored during storm events with both cultivation-dependent fecal bacteria enumeration and cultivation-independent high-throughput sequencing techniques. Enumeration of total coliforms as a measure of fecal microbial pollution found consistently lower total coliform counts in roadway runoff than those in the stream water, suggesting that roadway runoff was not a major contributor of microbial pollutants to the receiving stream. Further characterization of the microbial community in the stormwater samples by 16S ribosomal RNA gene-based high-throughput amplicon sequencing revealed significant differences in the microbial composition of stormwater runoff from the roadways and the receiving stream. The differences in microbial composition between the roadway runoff and stream water demonstrate that roadway runoff did not appear to have a major influence on the stream in terms of microbiological quality. Thus, results from both fecal bacteria enumeration and high-throughput amplicon sequencing techniques were consistent that roadway stormwater runoff was not the primary contributor of microbial loading to the stream. Further studies of additional watersheds with distinct characteristics are needed to validate these findings. Understanding gained in this study could support the development of more effective strategies for stormwater management in sensitive watersheds. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

Indicate severe toxicity of highway runoff.

PubMed

Dorchin, Achik; Shanas, Uri

2013-09-01

Road runoff is recognized as a substantial nonpoint source of contamination to the aquatic environment. Highway seasonal first flushes contain particularly high concentrations of pollutants. To fully account for the toxicity potential of the runoff, the cumulative effects of the pollutants should be assessed, ideally by biological analyses. Acute toxicity tests with were used to measure the toxicity of runoff from three major highway sections in Israel for 2 yr. Highway first flushes resulted in the mortality of all tested individuals within 24 to 48 h. A first flush collected from Highway 4 (traffic volume: 81,200 cars d) remained toxic even after dilution to <5% (48 h EC <5%). Synthetic solutions with metal concentrations corresponding to highways' first flushes revealed a synergistic adverse effect on survival and a potential additive effect of nonmetal pollutants in the runoff. Because daphnids and other invertebrates constitute the base of the aquatic food chain, detrimental effects of highway runoff may propagate to higher levels of biological organization. The observed high potential of environmental contamination warrants the control of highway runoff in proximity to natural watercourses. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

A GIS-based Upscaling Estimation of Nutrient Runoff Losses from Rice Paddy Fields to a Regional Level.

PubMed

Sun, Xiaoxiao; Liang, Xinqiang; Zhang, Feng; Fu, Chaodong

2016-11-01

Nutrient runoff losses from cropping fields can lead to nonpoint source pollution; however, the level of nutrient export is difficult to evaluate, particularly at the regional scale. This study aimed to establish a novel yet simple approach for estimating total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) runoff losses from regional paddy fields. In this approach, temporal changes of nutrient concentrations in floodwater were coupled with runoff-processing functions in rice ( L.) fields to calculate nutrient runoff losses for three site-specific field experiments. Validation experiments verified the accuracy of this method. The geographic information system technique was used to upscale and visualize the TN and TP runoff losses from field to regional scales. The results indicated that nutrient runoff losses had significant spatio-temporal variation characteristics during rice seasons, which were positively related to fertilizer rate and precipitation. The average runoff losses over five study seasons were 20.21 kg N ha for TN and 0.76 kg P ha for TP. Scenario analysis showed that TN and TP losses dropped by 7.64 and 3.0%, respectively, for each 10% reduction of fertilizer input. For alternate wetting and drying water management, the corresponding reduction ratio was 24.7 and 14.0% respectively. Our results suggest that, although both water and fertilizer management can mitigate nutrient runoff losses, the former is significantly more effective. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

Changes in the Composition of the Fram Strait Freshwater Outflow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dodd, Paul; Granskog, Mats; Fransson, Agneta; Chierici, Melissa; Stedmon, Colin

2016-04-01

Fram Strait is the largest gateway and only deep connection between the Arctic Ocean and the subpolar oceans. Monitoring the exchanges through Fram Strait allows us to detect and understand current changes occurring in the Arctic Ocean and to predict the effects of those changes on the Arctic and Subarctic climate and ecosystems. Polar water, recirculating Atlantic Water and deeper water masses exported from the Arctic Ocean through western Fram Strait are monitored year-round by an array of moored instruments along 78°50'N, continuously maintained by the Norwegian Polar Institute since the 1990s. Complimentary annual hydrographic sections have been repeated along the same latitude every September. This presentation will focus on biogeochemical tracer measurements collected along repeated sections from 1997-2015, which can be used to identify freshwater from different sources and reveal the causes of variations in total volume of freshwater exported e. g.: pulses of freshwater from the Pacific. Repeated tracer sections across Fram Strait reveal significant changes in the composition of the outflow in recent years, with recent sections showing positive fractions of sea ice meltwater at the surface near the core of the EGC, suggesting that more sea ice melts back into the surface than previously. The 1997-2015 time series of measurements reveals a strong anti-correlation between run-off and net sea ice meltwater inventories, suggesting that run-off and brine may be delivered to Fram Strait together from a common source. While the freshwater outflow at Fram Strait typically exhibits a similar run-off to net sea ice meltwater ratio to the central Arctic Ocean and Siberian shelves, we find that the ratio of run-off to sea ice meltwater at Fram Strait is decreasing with time, suggesting an increased surface input of sea ice meltwater in recent years. In 2014 and 2015 measurements of salinity, δ18O and total alkalinity were collected from sea ice cores as well as the underlying water column in Fram Strait. We use this dataset to investigate the feasibility of using concurrent δ18O and total alkalinity measurements to separately identify precipitation, which probably makes up a significant fraction of the freshwater in Fram Strait, but has so far not been separately monitored.

Rainfall, runoff and sediment transport in a Mediterranean mountainous catchment.

PubMed

Tuset, J; Vericat, D; Batalla, R J

2016-01-01

The relation between rainfall, runoff, erosion and sediment transport is highly variable in Mediterranean catchments. Their relation can be modified by land use changes and climate oscillations that, ultimately, will control water and sediment yields. This paper analyses rainfall, runoff and sediment transport relations in a meso-scale Mediterranean mountain catchment, the Ribera Salada (NE Iberian Peninsula). A total of 73 floods recorded between November 2005 and November 2008 at the Inglabaga Sediment Transport Station (114.5 km(2)) have been analysed. Suspended sediment transport and flow discharge were measured continuously. Rainfall data was obtained by means of direct rain gauges and daily rainfall reconstructions from radar information. Results indicate that the annual sediment yield (2.3 t km(-1) y(-1) on average) and the flood-based runoff coefficients (4.1% on average) are low. The Ribera Salada presents a low geomorphological and hydrological activity compared with other Mediterranean mountain catchments. Pearson correlations between rainfall, runoff and sediment transport variables were obtained. The hydrological response of the catchment is controlled by the base flows. The magnitude of suspended sediment concentrations is largely correlated with flood magnitude, while sediment load is correlated with the amount of direct runoff. Multivariate analysis shows that total suspended load can be predicted by integrating rainfall and runoff variables. The total direct runoff is the variable with more weight in the equation. Finally, three main hydro-sedimentary phases within the hydrological year are defined in this catchment: (a) Winter, where the catchment produces only water and very little sediment; (b) Spring, where the majority of water and sediment is produced; and (c) Summer-Autumn, when little runoff is produced but significant amount of sediments is exported out of the catchment. Results show as land use and climate change may have an important role in modifying the cycles of water and sediment yields in Mediterranean mountain catchments. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Hillslope versus riparian zone runoff contributions in headwater catchments: A multi-watershed comparison

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McGlynn, B. L.; McGlynn, B. L.; McDonnell, J. J.; Hooper, R. P.; Shanley, J. B.; Hjerdt, K. N.; Hjerdt, K. N.

2001-12-01

It is often assumed that hillslope and riparian areas constitute the two most important and identifiable landscape units contributing to catchment runoff in upland humid catchments. Nevertheless, the relative amount and timing of hillslope versus riparian contributions to stormflow are poorly understood across different watersheds. We quantified the contributions of hillslopes and riparian zones to stormflow using physical, chemical, and isotopic techniques across 3 diverse ({ ~}15 ha) headwater catchments: a highly responsive steep wet watershed (Maimai, New Zealand), a moderately steep snowmelt dominated watershed (Sleepers, River, VT), and at a highly seasonal relatively low relief watershed (Panola Mt., Georgia). We monitored catchment runoff, internal hydrological response, and isotopic and solute dynamics for discrete riparian and hillslope zones within each catchment. Monitored catchment positions, including hillslope trenches at Maimai and Panola, were used to characterize directly, the hydrologic response and source water signatures for hillslope zones and riparian zones. We also examined the spatial and temporal source components of catchment stormflow using 3-component mass balance hydrograph separation techniques. At Maimai, NZ we found that hillslope runoff comprised 47-55% of total runoff during a 70 mm event. Despite the large amount of subsurface hillslope runoff in total catchment stormflow, riparian and channel zones accounted for 28% out of 29% of the total new water measured catchment runoff. Riparian water dominated the storm hydrograph composition early in the event, although hillslope water reached the catchment outlet soon after hillslope water tables were developed. Preliminary results for Sleepers River, VT and Panola Mountain, GA indicate that the timing and relative proportion of hillslope water in catchment runoff is later and smaller than at Maimai. Our multi-catchment comparison suggests that the ratio of the riparian reservoir to the hillslope reservoir/stormflow flux partially controls the relative contributions of hillslope and riparian zones to catchment runoff and solute dynamics.

A Pulse of Mercury and Major Ions in Snowmelt Runoff from a Small Arctic Alaska Watershed.

PubMed

Douglas, Thomas A; Sturm, Matthew; Blum, Joel D; Polashenski, Christopher; Stuefer, Svetlana; Hiemstra, Christopher; Steffen, Alexandra; Filhol, Simon; Prevost, Romain

2017-10-03

Atmospheric mercury (Hg) is deposited to Polar Regions during springtime atmospheric mercury depletion events (AMDEs) that require halogens and snow or ice surfaces. The fate of this Hg during and following snowmelt is largely unknown. We measured Hg, major ions, and stable water isotopes from the snowpack through the entire spring melt runoff period for two years. Our small (2.5 ha) watershed is near Barrow (now Utqiaġvik), Alaska. We measured discharge, made 10 000 snow depths, and collected over 100 samples of snow and meltwater for chemical analysis in 2008 and 2009 from the watershed snowpack and ephemeral stream channel. Results show an "ionic pulse" of mercury and major ions in runoff during both snowmelt seasons, but major ion and Hg runoff concentrations were roughly 50% higher in 2008 than in 2009. Though total discharge as a percent of total watershed snowpack water equivalent prior to the melt was similar in both years (36% in 2008 melt runoff and 34% in 2009), it is possible that record low precipitation in the summer of 2007 led to the higher major ion and Hg concentrations in 2008 melt runoff. Total dissolved Hg meltwater runoff of 14.3 (± 0.7) mg/ha in 2008 and 8.1 (± 0.4) mg/ha in 2009 is five to seven times higher than that reported from other arctic watersheds. We calculate 78% of snowpack Hg was exported with snowmelt runoff in 2008 and 41% in 2009. Our results suggest AMDE Hg complexed with Cl - or Br - may be less likely to be photochemically reduced and re-emitted to the atmosphere prior to snowmelt, and we estimate that roughly 25% of the Hg in snowmelt is attributable to AMDEs. Projected Arctic warming, with more open sea ice leads providing halogen sources that promote AMDEs, may provide enhanced Hg deposition, reduced Hg emission and, ultimately, an increase in snowpack and snowmelt runoff Hg concentrations.

Effectiveness of foam-based and traditional green roofs in reducing nitrogen, phosphorus, organic carbon and suspended solids in urban installations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

MacAvoy, S. E.; Mucha, S.; Williamson, G.

2017-12-01

While green roofs have well understood benefits for retaining runoff, there is less of a consensus regarding the potential for retaining and absorbing nutrients or suspended solids from roof runoff that would otherwise travel to waterways. Additionally, there are numerous designs, materials and maintenance plans associated with "green" roofs/surfaces that may greatly impact not only their hydrological benefit but also their pollution mitigation potential. Here we examine the NO3, NH4, total organic carbon (TOC), total phosphorus (TP) and total suspended solids (TSS) retention potential from planted and unplanted foam roofs and traditional soil roofs. Direct precipitation, untreated runoff and throughflow from the different roof types were collected for 3 to 11 rain events over a year (depending on roof). Unplanted and traditional roofs reduced TSS by 80% or better relative to runoff. Traditional roofs showed 50% lower TP than runoff or other roof types. TOC was higher than direct precipitation for all treatments, although there were no differences among the treatments themselves. Taken as averages over the 11 events, NO3 and NH4 concentrations were highly variable for runoff and treatments and significant differences were not detected. Preliminary analysis suggests there were no differences between performance of traditional versus foam-based roofs, although a greater sample size is required to be definitive.

Modeling Episodic Surface Runoff in an Arid Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Waichler, S. R.; Wigmosta, M. S.

2003-12-01

Methods were developed for estimating episodic surface runoff in arid eastern Washington, USA. Small (1--10 km2) catchments in this region with mean annual precipitation around 180 mm produce runoff in about half the years, and such events usually occur during winter when a widespread cold snap and possible snow accumulation is followed by warmer temperatures and rainfall. Existence of frozen soil appears to be a key factor, and a moving average of air temperature is an effective predictor of soil temperature. The watershed model DHSVM simulates snow accumulation and ablation reasonably well at a monitoring location, but the same model applied in distributed mode across a 850 km2 basin overpredicts runoff. Inadequate definition of local meteorology appears to limit the accuracy of runoff predictions. However, runoff estimates of sufficient quality to support modeling of long-term groundwater recharge and sediment transport may be found in focusing on recurrence intervals and volumes rather than hydrographs. Usefulness of upland watershed modeling to environmental management of the Hanford Site and an adjacent military reservation will likely improve through sensitivity analysis of basic assumptions about upland water balance.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, Hongyi; Sivapalan, Murugesu

Hortonian overland flow, Dunne overland flow and subsurface stormflow are the three dominant mechanisms contributing to both the volume and timing of streamflow. A previous study quantified the climatic and landscape controls on the relative dominance of the volumes of the different runoff components. In this paper we explore the impacts of climate, soil and topography on the timing of these runoff components in small catchments within the framework of the Connected Instantaneous Response Functions (CIRF). The CIRF here is viewed as a probability density function of travel times of water droplets associated with a given runoff generation mechanism (frommore » the locations where they are generated to the catchment outlet). CIRF is a refinement of the traditional catchment IRF in that it explicitly accounts for variable contributing areas: only those partial areas of runoff generation which are hydrologically connected to the outlet are regarded as contributing areas. The CIRFs are derived for each runoff mechanism through the numerical simulations with a spatially distributed hydrological model which accounts for spatially distributed runoff generation and routing, involving all three mechanisms, under multiple combinations of climate, soil and topographic properties. The advective and dispersive aspects of catchment’s runoff routing response are captured through the use of, respectively, the mean travel times and dimensionless forms of the CIRFs (i.e., scaled by their respective mean travel times). It was found that the CIRFs, upon non-dimensionalization, collapsed to common characteristic shapes, which could be explained in terms of the relative contributions of hillslope and channel network flows, and especially of the size of the runoff contributing areas. The contributing areas are themselves governed by the competition between drainage and recharge to the water table, and could be explained by a dimensionless drainage index which quantifies this competition. On the other hand, the mean residence times were vastly different in each case, and are governed by relative lengths of the flow pathways, flow velocities (and their variability) and the study also revealed simple indicators based on landscape properties that can explain their magnitudes in different catchments.« less

Evaluating the impacts on runoff of landscape-based Best Management Practices in a rain-fed agroecosystem of the US Midwest

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Papanicolaou, T.; Elhakeem, M.; Wilson, C. G.; Dermisis, D. C.; Abaci, O.

2010-12-01

Conversion of the natural prairie-forested landscape in US Midwestern states to a corn-soybean crop rotation has altered the runoff condition and stream hydrology throughout the region by creating more dynamic surface water flow regimes and increasing the likelihood of severe floods. Flooding and the associated water quality issues in the region adversely affect crop yields, downstream ecosystem health, and water availability. In response to these concerns, Midwestern agricultural producers have adopted Best Management Practices (BMPs) to increase runoff retention and reduce sediment delivery. Common BMPs in the region are Grassed WaterWays (GWWs), which have been found to effectively reduce runoff/sediment conveyance by slowing water flow and increasing infiltration rates. This study examined the storm-event based efficiency of GWWs at reducing runoff within an agricultural watershed of the US Midwest using the Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP). Reductions in runoff volume in a representative field increased by 9 times as the length of the GWW increased. GWW efficiency was governed by the hydrology, expressed as Qpeak. The GWWs were more efficient during events with smaller Qpeak values, while the efficiency decreased during larger events. Building on these simulations for a single hillslope, a standardized hydrologic analysis was conducted in the watershed using established hydrologic modeling techniques (i.e., WIN TR-20) to quantify and mitigate potential flooding impacts for the entire watershed. The outcome of this study was to identify and quantify the management practices (e.g., conversion to grass or no-till) and detention structures needed to mitigate large flood events in the watershed. The results suggested that detention structures located along the stream channel corridor were most effective with the landscape changes as a secondary effort. A high level of land use conversion was needed to produce significant runoff reductions. Average reductions in runoff volumes of about 12% were observed for a 25% conversion of agricultural land to grasslands, with about an average 15% reduction for a 50% conversion. However, these land conversions will likely decrease sediment loads in the streams, which can extend the lifespan of the detention structures by preventing siltation.

Phosphorus loads from different urban storm runoff sources in southern China: a case study in Wenzhou City.

PubMed

Zhou, Dong; Bi, Chun-Juan; Chen, Zhen-Lou; Yu, Zhong-Jie; Wang, Jun; Han, Jing-Chao

2013-11-01

Storm runoff from six types of underlying surface area during five rainfall events in two urban study areas of Wenzhou City, China was investigated to measure phosphorus (P) concentrations and discharge rates. The average event mean concentrations (EMCs) of total phosphorus (TP), total dissolved phosphorus (TDP), and particulate phosphorus (PP) ranged from 0.02 to 2.5 mg · L(-1), 0.01 to 0.48 mg · L(-1), and 0.02 to 2.43 mg · L(-1), respectively. PP was generally the dominant component of TP in storm runoff, while the major form of P varied over time, especially in roof runoff, where TDP made up the largest portion in the latter stages of runoff events. Both TP and PP concentrations were positively correlated with pH, total suspended solids (TSS), and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD)/chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentrations (p<0.01), while TDP was positively correlated with BOD/COD only (p<0.01). In addition, the EMCs of TP and PP were negatively correlated with maximum rainfall intensity (p<0.05), while the EMCs of TDP positively correlated with the antecedent dry weather period (p<0.05). The annual TP emission fluxes from the two study areas were 367.33 and 237.85 kg, respectively. Underlying surface type determined the TP and PP loadings in storm runoff, but regional environmental conditions affected the export of TDP more significantly. Our results indicate that the removal of particles from storm runoff could be an effective measure to attenuate P loadings to receiving water bodies.

Climatic Models Ensemble-based Mid-21st Century Runoff Projections: A Bayesian Framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Achieng, K. O.; Zhu, J.

2017-12-01

There are a number of North American Regional Climate Change Assessment Program (NARCCAP) climatic models that have been used to project surface runoff in the mid-21st century. Statistical model selection techniques are often used to select the model that best fits data. However, model selection techniques often lead to different conclusions. In this study, ten models are averaged in Bayesian paradigm to project runoff. Bayesian Model Averaging (BMA) is used to project and identify effect of model uncertainty on future runoff projections. Baseflow separation - a two-digital filter which is also called Eckhardt filter - is used to separate USGS streamflow (total runoff) into two components: baseflow and surface runoff. We use this surface runoff as the a priori runoff when conducting BMA of runoff simulated from the ten RCM models. The primary objective of this study is to evaluate how well RCM multi-model ensembles simulate surface runoff, in a Bayesian framework. Specifically, we investigate and discuss the following questions: How well do ten RCM models ensemble jointly simulate surface runoff by averaging over all the models using BMA, given a priori surface runoff? What are the effects of model uncertainty on surface runoff simulation?

Snow cover, snowmelt and runoff in the Himalayan River basins

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dey, B.; Sharma, V. K.; Goswami, D. C.; Rao, P. Subba

1988-01-01

Not withstanding the seasonal vagaries of both rainfall amount and snowcover extent, the Himalayan rivers retain their basic perennial character. However, it is the component of snowmelt yield that accounts for some 60 to 70 percent of the total annual flow volumes from Hamilayan watersheds. On this large hydropotential predominantly depends the temporal performance of hydropower generation and major irrigation projects. The large scale effects of Himalayan snowcover on the hydrologic responses of a few selected catchments in western Himalayas was studied. The antecedent effects of snowcover area on long and short term meltwater yields can best be analyzed by developing appropriate hydrologic models forecasting the pattern of snowmelt as a function of variations in snowcover area. It is hoped that these models would be of practical value in the management of water resources. The predictability of meltwater for the entire snowmelt season was studied, as was the concurrent flow variation in adjacent watersheds, and their hydrologic significance. And the applicability of the Snowmelt-Runoff Model for real time forecast of daily discharges during the major part of the snowmelt season is examined.

Experimental study on influence of vegetation coverage on runoff in wind-water erosion crisscross region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jinhua; Zhang, Ronggang; Sun, Juan

2018-02-01

Using artificial rainfall simulation method, 23 simulation experiments were carried out in water-wind erosion crisscross region in order to analyze the influence of vegetation coverage on runoff and sediment yield. The experimental plots are standard plots with a length of 20m, width of 5m and slope of 15 degrees. The simulation experiments were conducted in different vegetation coverage experimental plots based on three different rainfall intensities. According to the experimental observation data, the influence of vegetation coverage on runoff and infiltration was analyzed. Vegetation coverage has a significant impact on runoff, and the higher the vegetation coverage is, the smaller the runoff is. Under the condition of 0.6mm/min rainfall intensity, the runoff volume from the experimental plot with 18% vegetation coverage was 1.2 times of the runoff from the experimental with 30% vegetation coverage. What’s more, the difference of runoff is more obvious in higher rainfall intensity. If the rainfall intensity reaches 1.32mm/min, the runoff from the experimental plot with 11% vegetation coverage is about 2 times as large as the runoff from the experimental plot with 53%vegetation coverage. Under the condition of small rainfall intensity, the starting time of runoff in the experimental plot with higher vegetation coverage is later than that in the experimental plot with low vegetation coverage. However, under the condition of heavy rainfall intensity, there is no obvious difference in the beginning time of runoff. In addition, the higher the vegetation coverage is, the deeper the rainfall infiltration depth is.The results can provide reference for ecological construction carried out in wind erosion crisscross region with serious soil erosion.

40 CFR 440.141 - Specialized definitions and provisions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... shaking tables. (7) “Infiltration water” means that water which permeates through the earth into the plant... drainage, and infiltration and drainage waters which commingle with mine drainage or waters resulting from... increase in volume from precipitation or infiltration, plus the maximum volume of water runoff resulting...

40 CFR 440.141 - Specialized definitions and provisions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

..., hydrocyclones, or shaking tables. (7) “Infiltration water” means that water which permeates through the earth... drainage, and infiltration and drainage waters which commingle with mine drainage or waters resulting from... increase in volume from precipitation or infiltration, plus the maximum volume of water runoff resulting...

40 CFR 440.141 - Specialized definitions and provisions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

..., hydrocyclones, or shaking tables. (7) “Infiltration water” means that water which permeates through the earth... drainage, and infiltration and drainage waters which commingle with mine drainage or waters resulting from... increase in volume from precipitation or infiltration, plus the maximum volume of water runoff resulting...

40 CFR 440.141 - Specialized definitions and provisions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

..., hydrocyclones, or shaking tables. (7) “Infiltration water” means that water which permeates through the earth... drainage, and infiltration and drainage waters which commingle with mine drainage or waters resulting from... increase in volume from precipitation or infiltration, plus the maximum volume of water runoff resulting...

40 CFR 440.141 - Specialized definitions and provisions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... shaking tables. (7) “Infiltration water” means that water which permeates through the earth into the plant... drainage, and infiltration and drainage waters which commingle with mine drainage or waters resulting from... increase in volume from precipitation or infiltration, plus the maximum volume of water runoff resulting...

Synthesis and application of lignin-based copolymer LSAA on controlling non-point source pollution resulted from surface runoff.

PubMed

Liu, Chen; Wu, Guangxia; Mu, Huanzhen; Yuan, Zonghuan; Tang, Lianyi; Lin, Xiangwei

2008-01-01

In this article, alkali lignin separated from paper pulp waste was grafted into a novel copolymer LSAA (a copolymer of lignin, starch, acrylamide, and acrylic acid). Its practical application effect and environmental safety were studied. The results of field simulation experiment indicated that the application of LSAA significantly affected the output of the runoff and pollutants. The runoff quantity was decreased by 16.67%-47.00% and the loads of total suspended solids (TSS), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP) were reduced by 17.78%-62.14%, 26.32%-59.91%, 15.25%-47.42%, and 22.18%-52.78%, respectively. The tests on its environmental safety showed that LSAA did no harm the soil. Compared with polyacrylamide (PAM), a dominant product in this field, LSAA exhibited similar effects and cheap cost. Thus, this study not only created a new product for controlling runoff water quality but also offered a beneficial application for industrial paper waste.

Cover crops impact on excess rainfall and soil erosion rates in orchards and potato fields, Israel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Egozi, Roey; Gil, Eshel

2015-04-01

Bare soil and high drainage densities are common characteristics of intensive agriculture land. The couplings of these characteristics lead to high runoff and eroded soil volumes leaving the field or the orchard via the local drainage system into the fluvial system. This process increase flood risk due to massive deposition of the coarse fraction of the eroded soil and therefore reduces channel capacity to discharge the increase volumes of concentrated runoff. As a result drainage basin authorities are forced to invest large amount of money in maintaining and enlarging the drainage network. However this approach is un-sustainable. On the other hand, implementing cover crops (CC) and modification to current agricultural practices over the contributing area of the watershed seems to have more benefits and provide sustainable solution. A multi-disciplinary approach applied in commercial potatoes fields and orchards that utilize the benefit of CC shows great success as means of soil and water conservation and weed disinfestation without reduction in the yield, its quality or its profitability. The results indicate that it is possible to grow potatoes and citrus trees under CC with no reduction in yield or nutrient uptake, with more than 95% reduction in soil loss and more than 60% in runoff volumes and peak discharges.

The Great Geologic Sponge: What Do Storage Dynamics Reveal About Runoff Generation In Young Volcanic Landscapes? (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grant, G. E.; Jefferson, A. J.; Tague, C.; Lewis, S.

2010-12-01

In young volcanic landscapes, such as Hawaii or the Cascade Mountains of the U.S. Pacific Northwest, runoff generation is a hidden process. These landscapes are constructed by episodic volcanism, resulting in a layer-cake stratigraphy of multiple overlapping basaltic lava flows. Because of their cooling history, such lava flows are extremely porous, so that almost all precipitation infiltrates, and is stored as groundwater. Surficial channels are poorly defined or non-existent, and runoff is discharged at high-volume springs. These springs represent “windows” into the sub-surface, and the chemistry of the emerging water reveals important clues about the timescales, pathways, and storage volumes of water at the landscape scale. For example, water isotopes of Oregon High Cascades springs indicate transit times of years to decades, and can be used to identify recharge elevations and delineate cryptic flowpaths that do not necessarily obey topographic divides. Residence times can be used to infer aquifer thickness and overall landscape storage volumes, which are immense - on order of 20 -30 cubic kilometers. Moreover, inter-annual variability in discharge from springs can be used to interpret landscape memory and sensitivity to climate variation. These young volcanic landscapes are therefore perfect laboratories for exploring the role of storage dynamics in streamflow generation.

STWIR, a microorganism transport with infiltration and runoff add-on module for the KINEROS2 runoff and erosion model: documentation and user manual

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Runoff from manured fields is often considered to be the source of microorganisms in the surface water used for irrigation, recreation, and household needs. Concerns about microbial safety of this water resulted in development of predictive models for estimating the concentrations and total numbers ...

Hydrologic conditions and quality of rainfall and storm runoff for two agricultural areas of the Oso Creek Watershed, Nueces County, Texas, 2005-07

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ockerman, Darwin J.

2008-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board, Coastal Bend Bays and Estuaries Program, and Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Corpus Christi, studied hydrologic conditions and quality of rainfall and storm runoff of two (primarily) agricultural areas (subwatersheds) of the Oso Creek watershed in Nueces County, Texas. One area, the upper West Oso Creek subwatershed, is 5,145 acres. The other area, a subwatershed drained by an unnamed Oso Creek tributary (hereinafter, Oso Creek tributary), is 5,287 acres. Rainfall and runoff (streamflow) were continuously monitored at the outlets of the two subwatersheds during October 2005-September 2007. Fourteen rainfall samples were collected and analyzed for nutrients and major inorganic ions. Nineteen composite runoff samples (10 West Oso Creek, nine Oso Creek tributary) were collected and analyzed for nutrients, major inorganic ions, and pesticides. Twenty-two discrete suspended-sediment samples (10 West Oso Creek, 12 Oso Creek tributary) and 13 bacteria samples (eight West Oso Creek, five Oso Creek tributary) were collected and analyzed. These data were used to estimate, for selected constituents, rainfall deposition to and runoff loads and yields from the study subwatersheds. Quantities of fertilizers and pesticides applied in the subwatersheds were compared with quantities of nutrients and pesticides in rainfall and runoff. For the study period, total rainfall was greater than average. Most of the runoff at both subwatershed outlet sites occurred in response to a few specific storm periods. The West Oso Creek subwatershed produced more runoff during the study period than the Oso Creek tributary subwatershed, 10.83 inches compared with 7.28 inches. Runoff response was quicker and peak flows were higher in the West Oso Creek subwatershed than in the Oso Creek tributary subwatershed. Total nitrogen runoff yield for the 2-year study period averaged 2.61 pounds per acre per year from the West Oso Creek subwatershed and 0.966 pound per acre per year from the Oso Creek tributary subwatershed. Total phosphorus yields from the West Oso Creek and the Oso Creek tributary subwatersheds for the 2-year period were 0.776 and 0.498 pound per acre per year. Runoff yields of nitrogen and phosphorus were relatively small compared to inputs of nitrogen in fertilizer and rainfall deposition. Average annual runoff yield of total nitrogen (subwatersheds combined) represents about 2.4 percent of nitrogen applied as fertilizer and nitrogen entering the subwatersheds through rainfall deposition. Average annual runoff yield of total phosphorus (subwatersheds combined) represents about 4.4 percent of the phosphorus in applied fertilizer and rainfall deposition. Suspended-sediment yields from the West Oso Creek subwatershed were more than twice those from the Oso Creek tributary subwatershed. The average suspended-sediment yield from the West Oso Creek subwatershed was 582 pounds per acre per year. The average suspended-sediment yield from the Oso Creek tributary subwatershed was 257 pounds per acre per year. Twenty-two herbicides and eight insecticides were detected in runoff samples collected from the two subwatershed outlet sites. At the West Oso Creek site, 18 herbicides and four insecticides were detected, and at the Oso Creek tributary site, 17 herbicides and six insecticides. Seventeen pesticides were detected in only one sample at low concentrations (near the laboratory reporting level). Atrazine, atrazine degradation byproducts 2-chloro-4-isopropylamino-6-amino-s-triazine (CIAT) and 2-hydroxy-4-isopropylamino-6-ethylamino-s-triazine (OIET), glyphosate, and glyphosate byproduct aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) were detected in all samples. Of all pesticides detected in runoff, the highest runoff yields were for glyphosate, 0.013 pound per acre per year for the West Oso Creek subwatershed and 0.001 pound per acre per year for the Oso Creek t

Hydrologic conditions and water quality of rainfall and storm runoff for two agricultural areas of the Oso Creek watershed, Nueces County, Texas, 2005-08

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ockerman, Darwin J.; Fernandez, Carlos J.

2010-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board, Coastal Bend Bays and Estuaries Program, and Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Corpus Christi, studied hydrologic conditions and water quality of rainfall and storm runoff of two primarily agricultural subwatersheds of the Oso Creek watershed in Nueces County, Texas. One area, the upper West Oso Creek subwatershed, is about 5,145 acres. The other area, a subwatershed drained by an unnamed tributary to Oso Creek (hereinafter, Oso Creek tributary), is about 5,287 acres. Rainfall and runoff (streamflow) were continuously monitored at the outlets of the two subwatersheds during the study period October 2005-September 2008. Seventeen rainfall samples were collected and analyzed for nutrients and major inorganic ions. Twenty-four composite runoff water-quality samples (12 at West Oso Creek, 12 at Oso Creek tributary) were collected and analyzed for nutrients, major inorganic ions, and pesticides. Twenty-six discrete suspended-sediment samples (12 West Oso Creek, 14 Oso Creek tributary) and 17 bacteria samples (10 West Oso Creek, 7 Oso Creek tributary) were collected and analyzed. These data were used to estimate, for selected constituents, rainfall deposition to and runoff loads and yields from the two subwatersheds. Quantities of fertilizers and pesticides applied in the two subwatersheds were compared with quantities of nutrients and pesticides in rainfall and runoff. For the study period, total rainfall was greater than average. Most of the runoff from the two subwatersheds occurred in response to a few specific storm periods. The West Oso Creek subwatershed produced more runoff during the study period than the Oso Creek tributary subwatershed, 13.95 inches compared with 9.45 inches. Runoff response was quicker and peak flows were higher in the West Oso Creek subwatershed than in the Oso Creek tributary subwatershed. Total nitrogen runoff yield for the 3-year study period averaged 2.62 pounds per acre per year from the West Oso Creek subwatershed and 0.839 pound per acre per year from the Oso Creek tributary subwatershed. Total phosphorus yields from the West Oso Creek and Oso Creek tributary subwatersheds for the 3-year period were 0.644 and 0.419 pound per acre per year, respectively. Runoff yields of nitrogen and phosphorus were relatively small compared to inputs of nitrogen in fertilizer and rainfall deposition. Average annual runoff yield of total nitrogen (subwatersheds combined) represents about 2.5 percent of nitrogen applied as fertilizer to cropland in the watershed and nitrogen entering the subwatersheds through rainfall deposition. Average annual runoff yield of total phosphorus (subwatersheds combined) represents about 4.0 percent of the phosphorus in applied fertilizer and rainfall deposition. Suspended-sediment yields from the West Oso Creek subwatershed were more than twice those from the Oso Creek tributary subwatershed. The average suspended-sediment yield from the West Oso Creek subwatershed was 522 pounds per acre per year and from the Oso Creek tributary subwatershed was 139 pounds per acre per year. Twenty-four herbicides and eight insecticides were detected in runoff samples collected at the two subwatershed outlets. At the West Oso Creek site, 19 herbicides and 4 insecticides were detected; at the Oso Creek tributary site, 18 herbicides and 6 insecticides were detected. Fourteen pesticides were detected in only one sample at low concentrations (near the laboratory reporting level). Atrazine and atrazine degradation byproduct 2-chloro-4-isopropylamino-6-amino-s-triazine (CIAT) were detected in all samples. Glyphosate and glyphosate byproduct aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) were detected in all samples collected and analyzed during water years 2006-07 but were not included in analysis for samples collected in water year 2008. Of all pesticides detected in runoff, the highest runoff yields w

Ponds' water balance and runoff of endorheic watersheds in the Sahel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gal, Laetitia; Grippa, Manuela; Kergoat, Laurent; Hiernaux, Pierre; Mougin, Eric; Peugeot, Christophe

2015-04-01

The Sahel has been characterized by a severe rainfall deficit since the mid-twentieth century, with extreme droughts in the early seventies and again in the early eighties. These droughts have strongly impacted ecosystems, water availability, fodder resources, and populations living in these areas. However, an increase of surface runoff has been observed during the same period, such as higher "summer discharge" of Sahelian's rivers generating local floods, and a general increase in pond's surface in pastoral areas of central and northern Sahel. This behavior, less rain but more surface runoff is generally referred to as the "Sahelian paradox". Various hypotheses have been put forward to explain this paradoxical situation. The leading role of increase in cropped areas, often cited for cultivated Sahel, does not hold for pastoral areas in central and northern Sahel. Processes such as degradation of vegetation subsequent to the most severe drought events, soils erosion and runoff concentration on shallow soils, which generate most of the water ending up in ponds, seem to play an important role. This still needs to be fully understood and quantified. Our study focuses on a model-based approach to better understand the hydrological changes that affected the Agoufou watershed (Gourma, Mali), typical of the central, non-cultivated Sahel. Like most of the Sahelian basins, the Agoufou watershed is ungauged. Therefore we used indirect data to provide the information required to validate a rainfall-runoff model approach. The pond volume was calculated by combining in-situ water level measurements with pond's surface estimations derived by remote sensing. Using the pond's water balance equation, the variations of pond volume combined to estimates of open water bodies' evaporation and infiltration determined an estimation for the runoff supplying the pond. This estimation highlights a spectacular runoff increase over the last sixty years on the Agoufou watershed. The runoff proxy derived for the Agoufou pond is used to evaluate results from the KINEROS2 model (KINematic runoff and EROSion). This model is specifically designed to simulate surface runoff in semi-arid watersheds. It describes the processes of runoff, infiltration and erosion by taking into account land cover and soil characteristics. We show that rain intensity, soil hydrological properties (hydraulic conductivity and Manning's roughness coefficient), contributing source area areas and land use-land cover were the major factors to take into account to correctly simulate runoff over the present period (2006-2010). This will help to simulate the past evolution of the Agoufou watershed and better understand the key mechanisms of the Sahelian paradox in non-cultivated Sahel. Finally, we will discuss the application of the SWOT and Sentinel-2 future satellites, which will provide water level and pond's surface, to obtain large-scale estimates of water balance in ungauged Sahelian basins.

Assessment of surface water resources availability using catchment modelling and the results of tracer studies in the mesoscale Migina Catchment, Rwanda

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Munyaneza, O.; Mukubwa, A.; Maskey, S.; Uhlenbrook, S.; Wenninger, J.

2014-12-01

In the present study, we developed a catchment hydrological model which can be used to inform water resources planning and decision making for better management of the Migina Catchment (257.4 km2). The semi-distributed hydrological model HEC-HMS (Hydrologic Engineering Center - the Hydrologic Modelling System) (version 3.5) was used with its soil moisture accounting, unit hydrograph, liner reservoir (for baseflow) and Muskingum-Cunge (river routing) methods. We used rainfall data from 12 stations and streamflow data from 5 stations, which were collected as part of this study over a period of 2 years (May 2009 and June 2011). The catchment was divided into five sub-catchments. The model parameters were calibrated separately for each sub-catchment using the observed streamflow data. Calibration results obtained were found acceptable at four stations with a Nash-Sutcliffe model efficiency index (NS) of 0.65 on daily runoff at the catchment outlet. Due to the lack of sufficient and reliable data for longer periods, a model validation was not undertaken. However, we used results from tracer-based hydrograph separation from a previous study to compare our model results in terms of the runoff components. The model performed reasonably well in simulating the total flow volume, peak flow and timing as well as the portion of direct runoff and baseflow. We observed considerable disparities in the parameters (e.g. groundwater storage) and runoff components across the five sub-catchments, which provided insights into the different hydrological processes on a sub-catchment scale. We conclude that such disparities justify the need to consider catchment subdivisions if such parameters and components of the water cycle are to form the base for decision making in water resources planning in the catchment.

Impacts of Climate Change on Management of the Colorado River Reservoir System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christensen, N. S.; Lettenmaier, D. P.

2002-05-01

The Colorado River system provides water supply to a large area of the interior west. It drains a mostly arid area, with naturalized flow (effects of reservoirs and diversions removed) averaging only 40 mm/yr over the 630,000 km2 drainage area at the mouth of the river. Total reservoir storage (mostly behind Hoover and Glen Canyon Dams) is equivalent to over four times the mean flow of the river. Runoff is heavily dominated by high elevation source areas in the Rocky Mountain headwaters, and the seasonal runoff pattern throughout the Colorado basin is strongly dominated by winter snow accumulation and spring melt. Because of the arid nature of the basin and the low runoff per unit area, performance of the reservoir system is potentially susceptible to changes in streamflow that would result from global warming, although those manifestations are somewhat different than elsewhere in the west where reservoir storage is relatively much smaller. We evaluate, using the macroscale Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) model, possible changes in streamflow over the next century using three 100-year ensemble climate simulations of the NCAR/DOE Parallel Climate Model corresponding to business-as-usual (BAU) future greenhouse gas emissions. Single ensemble simulations of the U.K. Hadley Center, and the Max Planck Institute, are considered as well. For most of the climate scenarios, the peak runoff shifts about one month earlier relative to the recent past. However, unlike reservoir systems elsewhere in the west, the effect of these timing shifts is largely mitigated by the size of the reservoir system, and changes in reservoir system reliability (for agricultural water supply and hydropower production) are dominated by streamflow volume shifts, which vary considerably across the climate scenarios.

MAJOR TRANSPORT MECHANISMS OF PYRETHROIDS IN RESIDENTIAL SETTINGS AND EFFECTS OF MITIGATION MEASURES

PubMed Central

Davidson, Paul C; Jones, Russell L; Harbourt, Christopher M; Hendley, Paul; Goodwin, Gregory E; Sliz, Bradley A

2014-01-01

The major pathways for transport of pyrethroids were determined in runoff studies conducted at a full-scale test facility in central California, USA. The 6 replicate house lots were typical of front lawns and house fronts of California residential developments and consisted of stucco walls, garage doors, driveways, and residential lawn irrigation sprinkler systems. Each of the 6 lots also included a rainfall simulator to generate artificial rainfall events. Different pyrethroids were applied to 5 surfaces—driveway, garage door and adjacent walls, lawn, lawn perimeter (grass near the house walls), and house walls above grass. The volume of runoff water from each house lot was measured, sampled, and analyzed to determine the amount of pyrethroid mass lost from each surface. Applications to 3 of the house lots were made using the application practices typically used prior to recent label changes, and applications were made to the other 3 house lots according to the revised application procedures. Results from the house lots using the historic application procedures showed that losses of the compounds applied to the driveway and garage door (including the adjacent walls) were 99.75% of total measured runoff losses. The greatest losses were associated with significant rainfall events rather than lawn irrigation events. However, runoff losses were 40 times less using the revised application procedures recently specified on pyrethroid labels. Environ Toxicol Chem 2014;33:52–60. © 2013 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of SETAC. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. PMID:24105831

Quantitative identification of riverine nitrogen from point, direct runoff and base flow sources.

PubMed

Huang, Hong; Zhang, Baifa; Lu, Jun

2014-01-01

We present a methodological example for quantifying the contributions of riverine total nitrogen (TN) from point, direct runoff and base flow sources by combining a recursive digital filter technique and statistical methods. First, we separated daily riverine flow into direct runoff and base flow using a recursive digital filter technique; then, a statistical model was established using daily simultaneous data for TN load, direct runoff rate, base flow rate, and temperature; and finally, the TN loading from direct runoff and base flow sources could be inversely estimated. As a case study, this approach was adopted to identify the TN source contributions in Changle River, eastern China. Results showed that, during 2005-2009, the total annual TN input to the river was 1,700.4±250.2 ton, and the contributions of point, direct runoff and base flow sources were 17.8±2.8%, 45.0±3.6%, and 37.2±3.9%, respectively. The innovation of the approach is that the nitrogen from direct runoff and base flow sources could be separately quantified. The approach is simple but detailed enough to take the major factors into account, providing an effective and reliable method for riverine nitrogen loading estimation and source apportionment.

Sediment-bound total organic carbon and total organic nitrogen losses from conventional and strip tillage cropping systems

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Soil erosion and sediment loss with runoff are closely linked to global carbon and nitrogen cycles. Reducing tillage has been shown to reduce erosion and runoff sediment-bound carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) losses. However, published studies represent only a few soil types and regions and rarely direct...

On the non-uniqueness of sediment yield

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, J.; Ivanov, V. Y.; Katopodes, N.

2012-12-01

Estimation of sediment yield at the catchment scale plays an important role for optimal design of hydraulic structures, such as bridges, culverts, reservoirs, and detention basins, as well as making informed decisions in environmental management. Many experimental studies focused on obtaining flow and sediment data in search of unique relationships between runoff (specifically, volume and peak) and sediment characteristics. These relationships were employed to predict sediment yield from flow information. However, despite the same flow volume, the actual sediment yield produced by river basins can vary significantly depending on several conditions: (i) the catchment size, (ii) land use, topography, and soil type, (iii) climatic variations or characteristics , and (iv) initial conditions of soil moisture and soil surface . Additionally, shield formation by relatively larger particles can be one of the possible controllers of erosion and net sediment transport. Smaller particles have low settling velocities and tend to move far from their original position of detachment. Conversely, larger particles can settle quickly near their original locations. Eventually, such particles can form a shield on soil bed and protect underlying soil from rainfall detachment and runoff entrainment. The shield formation and temporal development can be influenced by rainfall intensity, frequency, and volume. Rainfall influences the generation of runoff leading to different conditions of flow depth and velocity that can perturb intact soil into a loose condition. In this study, we numerically investigate the effects of precipitation patterns on the generation of sediment yield. In particular, we address reasons of non-uniqueness of basin sediment yield for the same runoff volume as well as causes of unsteady phenomena in erosion processes under steady state flow conditions. For numerical simulations, the two-dimensional Hairsine-Rose model coupled with a fully distributed hydrology and hydraulics model (tRIBS-OFM: Triangulated irregular network - based Real time Integrated Basin Simulator-Overland Flow Model) is used.

Curve Number and Peakflow Responses Following the Cerro Grande Fire on a Small Watershed.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Springer, E. P.; Hawkins, Richard H.

The Curve Number (CN) method is routinely used to estimate runoff and peakflows following forest fires, but there has been essentially no literature on the estimated value and temporal variation of CNs following wildland fires. In May 2000, the Cerro Grande Fire burned the headwaters of the major watersheds that cross Los Alamos National Laboratory, and a stream gauging network presented an opportunity to assess CNs following the fire. Analysis of rainfall-runoff events indicated that the pre-fire watershed response was complacent or limited watershed area contributed to runoff. The post-fire response indicated that the complacent behavior continued so the watershedmore » response was not dramatically changed. Peakflows did increase by 2 orders of magnitude following the fire, and this was hypothesized to be a function of increase in runoff volume and changes in watershed network allowing more efficient delivery of runoff. More observations and analyses following fires are needed to support definition of CNs for post-fire response and mitigation efforts.« less

An empirical method for determining average soil infiltration rates and runoff, Powder River structural basin, Wyoming

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rankl, James G.

1982-01-01

This report describes a method to estimate infiltration rates of soils for use in estimating runoff from small basins. Average rainfall intensity is plotted against storm duration on log-log paper. All rainfall events are designated as having either runoff or nonrunoff. A power-decay-type curve is visually fitted to separate the two types of rainfall events. This separation curve is an incipient-ponding curve and its equation describes infiltration parameters for a soil. For basins with more than one soil complex, only the incipient-ponding curve for the soil complex with the lowest infiltration rate can be defined using the separation technique. Incipient-ponding curves for soils with infiltration rates greater than the lowest curve are defined by ranking the soils according to their relative permeabilities and optimizing the curve position. A comparison of results for six basins produced computed total runoff for all events used ranging from 16.6 percent less to 2.3 percent more than measured total runoff. (USGS)

Reducing runoff and nutrient loss from agricultural land in the Lower Mississippi River Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reba, M. L.; Bouldin, J.; Teague, T.; Choate, J.

2011-12-01

The Lower Mississippi River Basin (LMRB) yields suspended sediment, total phosphorus, total nitrogen and silicate that are disproportionately high for the area. In addition, groundwater pumping of the alluvial aquifer has been deemed unsustainable under current practices. Much of the LMRB is used for large-scale agricultural production of primarily cotton, soybeans and rice. The incorporation of conservation practices may improve nutrient use efficiency and reduce runoff from agricultural fields. Three paired fields have been instrumented at the edge-of-field to quantify nutrients and runoff. The fields are located in northeastern Arkansas in the Little River Ditches and St. Francis watersheds. Nutrient use efficiency will be gained by utilizing variable rate fertilizer application technology. Reduced runoff will be gained through improved irrigation management. This study quantifies the runoff and nutrient loss from the first year of a 5-year study and will serve as a baseline for a comparative study of conservation practices employed on the paired fields.

Comparison of planted soil infiltration systems for treatment of log yard runoff.

PubMed

Hedmark, Asa; Scholz, Miklas; Aronsson, Par; Elowson, Torbjorn

2010-07-01

Treatment of log yard runoff is required to avoid contamination of receiving watercourses. The research aim was to assess if infiltration of log yard runoff through planted soil systems is successful and if different plant species affect the treatment performance at a field-scale experimental site in Sweden (2005 to 2007). Contaminated runoff from the log yard of a sawmill was infiltrated through soil planted with Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gärtner (common alder), Salix schwerinii X viminalis (willow variety "Gudrun"), Lolium perenne (L.) (rye grass), and Phalaris arundinacea (L.) (reed canary grass). The study concluded that there were no treatment differences when comparing the four different plants with each other, and there also were no differences between the tree and the grass species. Furthermore, the infiltration treatment was effective in reducing total organic carbon (55%) and total phosphorus (45%) concentrations in the runoff, even when the loads on the infiltration system increased from year to year.

Analysis of factors controlling soil phosphorus loss with surface runoff in Huihe National Nature Reserve by principal component and path analysis methods.

PubMed

He, Jing; Su, Derong; Lv, Shihai; Diao, Zhaoyan; Bu, He; Wo, Qiang

2018-01-01

Phosphorus (P) loss with surface runoff accounts for the P input to and acceleration of eutrophication of the freshwater. Many studies have focused on factors affecting P loss with surface runoff from soils, but rarely on the relationship among these factors. In the present study, rainfall simulation on P loss with surface runoff was conducted in Huihe National Nature Reserve, in Hulunbeier grassland, China, and the relationships between P loss with surface runoff, soil properties, and rainfall conditions were examined. Principal component analysis and path analysis were used to analyze the direct and indirect effects on P loss with surface runoff. The results showed that P loss with surface runoff was closely correlated with soil electrical conductivity, soil pH, soil Olsen P, soil total nitrogen (TN), soil total phosphorus (TP), and soil organic carbon (SOC). The main driving factors which influenced P loss with surface runoff were soil TN, soil pH, soil Olsen P, and soil water content. Path analysis and determination coefficient analysis indicated that the standard multiple regression equation for P loss with surface runoff and each main factor was Y = 7.429 - 0.439 soil TN - 6.834 soil pH + 1.721 soil Olsen-P + 0.183 soil water content (r = 0.487, p < 0.01, n = 180). Soil TN, soil pH, soil Olsen P, and soil water content and the interactions between them were the main factors affecting P loss with surface runoff. The effect of physical and chemical properties of undisturbed soils on P loss with surface runoff was discussed, and the soil water content and soil Olsen P were strongly positive influences on the P loss with surface runoff.

Dairy heifer manure management, dietary phosphorus, and soil test P effects on runoff phosphorus.

PubMed

Jokela, William E; Coblentz, Wayne K; Hoffman, Patrick C

2012-01-01

Manure application to cropland can contribute to runoff losses of P and eutrophication of surface waters. We conducted a series of three rainfall simulation experiments to assess the effects of dairy heifer dietary P, manure application method, application rate, and soil test P on runoff P losses from two successive simulated rainfall events. Bedded manure (18-21% solids) from dairy heifers fed diets with or without supplemental P was applied on a silt loam soil packed into 1- by 0.2-m sheet metal pans. Manure was either surface-applied or incorporated (Experiment 1) or surface-applied at two rates (Experiment 2) to supply 26 to 63 kg P ha. Experiment 3 evaluated runoff P from four similar nonmanured soils with average Bray P1-extractable P levels of 11, 29, 51, and 75 mg kg. We measured runoff quantity, total P (TP), dissolved reactive P (DRP), and total and volatile solids in runoff collected for 30 min after runoff initiation from two simulated rain events (70 mm h) 3 or 4 d apart. Manure incorporation reduced TP and DRP concentrations and load by 85 to 90% compared with surface application. Doubling the manure rate increased runoff DRP and TP concentrations an average of 36%. In the same experiment, P diet supplementation increased water-extractable P in manure by 100% and increased runoff DRP concentration threefold. Concentrations of solids, TP, and DRP in runoff from Rain 2 were 25 to 75% lower than from Rain 1 in Experiments 1 and 2. Runoff DRP from nonmanured soils increased quadratically with increasing soil test P. These results show that large reductions in P runoff losses can be achieved by incorporation of manure, avoiding unnecessary diet P supplementation, limiting manure application rate, and managing soils to prevent excessive soil test P levels. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

Stochastic Model of Seasonal Runoff Forecasts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krzysztofowicz, Roman; Watada, Leslie M.

1986-03-01

Each year the National Weather Service and the Soil Conservation Service issue a monthly sequence of five (or six) categorical forecasts of the seasonal snowmelt runoff volume. To describe uncertainties in these forecasts for the purposes of optimal decision making, a stochastic model is formulated. It is a discrete-time, finite, continuous-space, nonstationary Markov process. Posterior densities of the actual runoff conditional upon a forecast, and transition densities of forecasts are obtained from a Bayesian information processor. Parametric densities are derived for the process with a normal prior density of the runoff and a linear model of the forecast error. The structure of the model and the estimation procedure are motivated by analyses of forecast records from five stations in the Snake River basin, from the period 1971-1983. The advantages of supplementing the current forecasting scheme with a Bayesian analysis are discussed.

Quantitative and qualitative hydrologic balance for a suburban watershed with a separate sewer system (Nantes, France).

PubMed

Ruban, V; Larrarte, F; Berthier, M; Favreau, L; Sauvourel, Y; Letellier, L; Mosisni, M L; Raimbault, G

2005-01-01

A qualitative and quantitative budget at the outlet of the storm-water runoff system of a small suburban watershed is presented together with some data regarding waste-water. 445,000 m3 (34% of the rain-water volume) were drained by the storm-water runoff system and 40,879 m3 by the waste-water system from September 2002 to March 2004. Storm-water runoff is generally not heavily polluted with regard to trace metals but concentrations occasionally exceed the standards for surface water of good quality. On the contrary, pesticides (diuron and glyphosate) have very high concentrations especially in spring and autumn when their use is maximum. As the St Joseph storm-water runoff is finally discharged into the Erdre River, measures to reduce the use of these pollutants should be considered.

Speciation distribution and mass balance of copper and zinc in urban rain, sediments, and road runoff.

PubMed

Zuo, Xiaojun; Fu, Dafang; Li, He

2012-11-01

Heavy metal pollution in road runoff had caused widespread concern since the last century. However, there are little references on metal speciation in multiple environmental media (e.g., rain, road sediments, and road runoff). Our research targeted the investigation of metal speciation in rain, road sediments, and runoff; the analysis of speciation variation and mass balance of metals among rain, road sediments, and runoff; the selection of main factors by principal component analysis (PCA); and the establishment of equation to evaluate the impact of rain and road sediments to metals in road runoff. Sequential extraction procedure contains five steps for the chemical fractionation of metals. Flame atomic absorption spectrometry (Shimadzu, AA-6800) was used to determine metal speciation concentration, as well as the total and dissolved fractions. The dissolved fractions for both Cu and Zn were dominant in rain. The speciation distribution of Zn was different from that of Cu in road sediments, while speciation distribution of Zn is similar to that of Cu in runoff. The bound to carbonates for both Cu and Zn in road sediments were prone to be dissolved by rain. The levels of Cu and Zn in runoff were not obviously influenced by rain, but significantly influenced by road sediments. The masses for both Cu and Zn among rain, road sediments, and road runoff approximately meet the mass balance equation for all rainfall patterns. Five principal factors were selected for metal regression equation based on PCA, including rainfall, average rainfall intensity, antecedent dry periods, total suspended particles, and temperature. The established regression equations could be used to predict the effect of road runoff on receiving environments.

Rainfall intensity and phosphorus source effects on phosphorus transport in surface runoff from soil trays.

PubMed

Shigaki, Francirose; Sharpley, Andrew; Prochnow, Luis Ignacio

2007-02-01

Phosphorus runoff from agricultural fields amended with mineral fertilizers and manures has been linked to freshwater eutrophication. A rainfall simulation study was conducted to evaluate the effects of different rainfall intensities and P sources differing in water soluble P (WSP) concentration on P transport in runoff from soil trays packed with a Berks loam and grassed with annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.). Triple superphosphate (TSP; 79% WSP), low-grade super single phosphate (LGSSP; 50% WSP), North Carolina rock phosphate (NCRP; 0.5% WSP) and swine manure (SM; 70% WSP), were broadcast (100 kg total P ha-1) and rainfall applied at 25, 50 and 75 mm h-1 1, 7, 21, and 56 days after P source application. The concentration of dissolved reactive (DRP), particulate (PP), and total P (TP) was significantly (P<0.01) greater in runoff with a rainfall intensity of 75 than 25 mm h-1 for all P sources. Further, runoff DRP increased as P source WSP increased, with runoff from a 50 mm h-1 rain 1 day after source application having a DRP concentration of 0.25 mg L-1 for NCRP and 28.21 mg L-1 for TSP. In contrast, the proportion of runoff TP as PP was greater with low (39% PP for NCRP) than high WSP sources (4% PP for TSP) averaged for all rainfall intensities. The increased PP transport is attributed to the detachment and transport of undissolved P source particles during runoff. These results show that P source water solubility and rainfall intensity can influence P transport in runoff, which is important in evaluating the long-term risks of P source application on P transport in surface runoff.

Phosphorus runoff from waste water treatment biosolids and poultry litter applied to agricultural soils.

PubMed

White, John W; Coale, Frank J; Sims, J Thomas; Shober, Amy L

2010-01-01

Differences in the properties of organic phosphorus (P) sources, particularly those that undergo treatment to reduce soluble P, can affect soil P solubility and P transport in surface runoff. This 2-yr field study investigated soil P solubility and runoff P losses from two agricultural soils in the Mid-Atlantic region after land application of biosolids derived from different waste water treatment processes and poultry litter. Phosphorus speciation in the biosolids and poultry litter differed due to treatment processes and significantly altered soil P solubility and dissolved reactive P (DRP) and bioavailable P (FeO-P) concentrations in surface runoff. Runoff total P (TP) concentrations were closely related to sediment transport. Initial runoff DRP and FeO-P concentrations varied among the different biosolids and poultry litter applied. Over time, as sediment transport declined and DRP concentrations became an increasingly important component of runoff FeO-P and TP, total runoff P was more strongly influenced by the type of biosolids applied. Throughout the study, application of lime-stabilized biosolids and poultry litter increased concentrations of soil-soluble P, readily desorbable P, and soil P saturation, resulting in increased DRP and FeO-P concentrations in runoff. Land application of biosolids generated from waste water treatment processes that used amendments to reduce P solubility (e.g., FeCl(3)) did not increase soil P saturation and reduced the potential for DRP and FeO-P transport in surface runoff. These results illustrate the importance of waste water treatment plant process and determination of specific P source coefficients to account for differential P availability among organic P sources.

Effects of urban development on direct runoff to East Meadow Brook, Nassau County, Long Island, New York

USGS Publications Warehouse

Seaburn, G.E.

1969-01-01

The study described in this report is concerned with the effects of intensive urban development on direct runoff to East Meadow Brook, a southward-flowing stream in central Nassau County, N.Y., during the period 1937-66. The specific objectives of the study were (a) to relate indices of urban development to increases in the volume of annual direct runoff to the stream; (b) to compare hydrograph features at different periods during the transition of the drainage basin from rural to urban conditions; and (c) to compare the rainfall-runoff relations for periods before and after urban development.Periods of housing and street construction in the drainage basin correspond to three distinct periods of increased direct runoff after the base period 1937-43-namely, 1944-51, 1952-59, and 1960-62. During each period, the average annual direct runoff increased because of an increase in the area served by storm sewers that discharged into East Meadow Brook. The amount of land served by sewers increased from about 570 acres in 1943 to about 3,600 acres in 1962, or about 530 percent. During this same period, the average annual direct runoff increased from about 920 acre-feet per year to about 3,400 acre-feet per year, or about 270 percent.The shape of direct-runoff unit hydrographs of East Meadow Brook also changed during the period of study. The average peak discharge of a 1-hour-duration unit hydrograph increased from 313 cubic feet per second, for storms in 1937-43, to 776 cubic feet per second, for storms in 1960-62, or about 2.5 times. In addition, the widths of the unit hydrographs for 1960-62 at values of 50 and 75 percent of the peak discharge were 38 and 28 percent, respectively, the comparable widths of the unit hydrographs for 1937-43.An analysis of the rainfall-runoff relations for both preurban and urban conditions indicates that the direct runoff for both periods increased with the magnitude of the storm. However, the direct runoff during a period of urbanized conditions (1964- 66) was from 1.1 to 4.6 times greater than the corresponding runoff during the preurban period 1937-43, depending on the size of the individual storm.The volume of direct runoff from the parts of the subarea equipped with storm sewers that discharged into East Meadow Brook is estimated to have been roughly 3,000 acre-feet per year in 1960-62, or about 20 percent of the precipitation on those parts of the area.The increase in direct runoff probably represents a loss of ground-water recharge. However, because data changes in evapo-transpiration are insufficient and because the effects of recharge basins are unknown, adequate quantitative estimates of groundwater recharge can not be made.On the basis of the present zoning regulations and on assumption that an additional 320 acres in the Hempstead subarea will be serviced by storm sewers that discharge into East Meadow Brook, direct runoff from the subarea is expected to increase in the future to an estimated 4,000-4,500 acre-feet per year.

Development of a Model of Nitrogen Cycling in Stormwater Control Measures and Application of the Model at the Watershed Scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bell, C.; Tague, C.; McMillan, S. K.

2016-12-01

Stormwater control measures (SCMs) create ecosystems in urban watersheds that store water and promote nitrogen (N) retention and removal. This work used computer modeling at two spatial scales (the individual SCM and watershed scale) to quantify how SCMs affect runoff and nitrogen export in urban watersheds. First, routines that simulate the dynamic hydrologic and water quality processes of an individual wet pond SCM were developed and applied to quantify N processing under different environmental and design scenarios. Results showed that deeper SCMs have greater inorganic N removal efficiencies because they have more stored volume of relatively N-deplete water, and therefore have a greater capacity to dilute relatively N-rich inflow. N removal by the SCM was more sensitive to this design parameter than it was to variations in air temperature, inflow N concentrations, and inflow volume. Next, these SCM model routines were used to simulate processes of a suburban watershed in Charlotte, NC with 16 SCMs. The watershed configuration was varied to simulate runoff under different scenarios of impervious surface connectivity to SCMs with the goal of developing a simple predictive relationship between watershed condition and N loads. We used unmitigated imperviousness (UI), percent of the impervious area that is unmitigated by SCMs, to quantify watershed condition. Results showed that as SCM mitigation decreased, or as UI increased from 3% to 15%, runoff ratios and loads of nitrite and total dissolved N increased by 26% (21-32%), 14% (3-26%) and 13% (2-25%), respectively. The shape of the relationship between these response variables and UI was linear, which indicates that mitigation of any impervious surfaces will result in proportional reductions. However, the range of UI included in this study is on the low end of urban watersheds and future work will assess the behavior of this relationship at higher TI and UI levels.

Catchment-scale hydrologic implications of parcel-level stormwater management (Ohio USA)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shuster, William; Rhea, Lee

2013-04-01

SummaryThe effectiveness of stormwater management strategies is a key issue affecting decision making on urban water resources management, and so proper monitoring and analysis of pilot studies must be addressed before drawing conclusions. We performed a pilot study in the suburban Shepherd Creek watershed located in Cincinnati, Ohio to evaluate the practicality of voluntary incentives for stormwater quantity reduction on privately owned suburban properties. Stream discharge and precipitation were monitored 3 years before and after implementation of the stormwater management treatments. To implement stormwater control measures, we elicited the participation of citizen landowners with two successive reverse-auctions. Auctions were held in spring 2007, and 2008, resulting in the installation of 85 rain gardens and 174 rain barrels. We demonstrated an analytic process of increasing model flexibility to determine hydrologic effectiveness of stormwater management at the sub-catchment level. A significant albeit small proportion of total variance was explained by both the effects of study period (˜69%) and treatment-vs.-control (˜7%). Precipitation-discharge relationships were synthesized in estimated unit hydrographs, which were decomposed and components tested for influence of treatments. Analysis of unit hydrograph parameters showed a weakened correlation between precipitation and discharge, and support the output from the initial model that parcel-level green infrastructure added detention capacity to treatment basins. We conclude that retrofit management of stormwater runoff quantity with green infrastructure in a small suburban catchment can be successfully initiated with novel economic incentive programs, and that these measures can impart a small, but statistically significant decrease in otherwise uncontrolled runoff volume. Given consistent monitoring data and analysis, water resource managers can use our approach as a way to estimate actual effectiveness of stormwater runoff volume management, with potential benefits for management of both separated and combined sewer systems. We also discuss lessons-learned with regard to monitoring design for catchment-scale hydrologic studies.

TRADABLE CREDITS FOR STORM WATER VOLUME: AN ALTERNATIVE APPROACH FOR SUSTAINABLE URBAN WATERSHED MANAGEMENT

EPA Science Inventory

The increased storm water runoff rate and volume caused by urbanization, and their detrimental effects on stream habitat and morphology, is well documented. In most cases, current storm water management policies are focused on attenuating peak flow rates. While these policies may...

Isotopic separation of snowmelt runoff during an artificial rain-on-snow event

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Juras, Roman; Pavlasek, Jirka; Šanda, Martin; Jankovec, Jakub; Linda, Miloslav

2013-04-01

Rain-on-snow events are common phenomenon in the climate conditions of central Europe, mainly during the spring snowmelt period. These events can cause serious floods in areas with seasonal snow. The snowpack hit by rain is able to store a fraction of rain water, but runoff caused by additional snowmelt also increases. Assessment of the rainwater ratio contributing to the outflow from the snowpack is therefore critical for discharge modelling. A rainfall simulator and water enriched by deuterium were used for the study of rainwater behaviour during an artificial rain-on-snow event. An area of 1 m2 of the snow sample, which was 1.2 m deep, consisting of ripped coarse-grained snow, was sprayed during the experiment with deuterium enriched water. The outflow from the snowpack was measured and samples of outflow water were collected. The isotopic content of deuterium was further analyzed from these samples by means of laser spectroscopy for the purpose of hydrograph separation. The concentration of deuterium in snow before and after the experiment was also investigated. The deuterium enriched water above the natural concentration of deuterium in snowpack was detected in the outflow in 7th minute from start of spraying, but the significant increase of deuterium concentration in outflow was observed in 19th minute. The isotopic hydrograph separation estimated, that deuterium enriched rainwater became the major part (> 50% volumetric) of the outflow in 28th minute. The culmination of the outflow (1.23 l min-1) as well as deuterium enriched rainwater fraction (63.5%) in it occurred in 63th minute, i.e. right after the end of spraying. In total, 72.7 l of deuterium enriched water was sprayed on the snowpack in 62 minutes. Total volume of outflow (after 12.3 hours) water was 97.4 l, which contained 48.3 l of deuterium enriched water (i.e. 49.6 %) and 49.1 l (50.4 %) of the melted snowpack. The volume of 24.4 l of deuterium enriched spray-water was stored in the snowpack. The increased total output v. input of the water volume was caused by the warmer spray-water induced snowmelt also connecting separated liquid layers in the snowpack within the process of infiltration and drainage. Key words: deuterium tracer, rainfall simulator, snowmelt

Mitigation of nutrient losses via surface runoff from rice cropping systems with alternate wetting and drying irrigation and site-specific nutrient management practices.

PubMed

Liang, X Q; Chen, Y X; Nie, Z Y; Ye, Y S; Liu, J; Tian, G M; Wang, G H; Tuong, T P

2013-10-01

Resource-conserving irrigation and fertilizer management practices have been developed for rice systems which may help address water quality concerns by reducing N and P losses via surface runoff. Field experiments under three treatments, i.e., farmers' conventional practice (FCP), alternate wetting and drying (AWD), and AWD integrated with site-specific nutrient management (AWD + SSNM) were carried out during two rice seasons at two sites in the southwest Yangtze River delta region. Across site years, results indicated that under AWD irrigation (i.e., AWD and AWD + SSNM), water inputs were reduced by 13.4~27.5 % and surface runoff was reduced by 30.2~36.7 % compared to FCP. When AWD was implemented alone, total N and P loss masses via surface runoff were reduced by 23.3~30.4 % and 26.9~31.7 %, respectively, compared to FCP. However, nutrient concentrations of surface runoff did not decrease under AWD alone. Under AWD + SSNM, total N and P loss masses via surface runoff were reduced to a greater extent than AWD alone (39.4~47.6 % and 46.1~48.3 % compared to FCP, respectively), while fertilizer inputs and N surpluses significantly decreased and rice grain yields increased relative to FCP. Therefore, by more closely matching nutrient supply with crop demand and reducing both surface runoff and nutrient concentrations of surface runoff, our results demonstrate that integration of AWD and SSNM practices can mitigate N and P losses via surface runoff from rice fields while maintaining high yields.

Volumetric runoff coefficients for experimental rural catchments in the Iberian Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taguas, Encarnación V.; Molina, Cecilio; Nadal-Romero, Estela; Ayuso, José L.; Casalí, Javier; Cid, Patricio; Dafonte, Jorge; Duarte, Antonio C.; Farguell, Joaquim; Giménez, Rafael; Giráldez, Juan V.; Gómez, Helena; Gómez, Jose A.; González-Hidalgo, J. Carlos; Keizer, J. Jacob; Lucía, Ana; Mateos, Luciano; Rodríguez-Blanco, M. Luz; Schnabel, Sussane; Serrano-Muela, M. Pilar

2015-04-01

Analysis of runoff and peaks therein is essential for designing hydraulic infrastructures and for assessing the hydrological implications of likely scenarios of climate and/or land-use change. Different methods are available to calculate runoff coefficients. For instance, the runoff coefficient of a catchment can be described either as the ratio of total depth of runoff to total depth of rainfall or as the ratio of peak flow to rainfall intensity for the time of concentration (Dhakal et al. 2012). If the first definition is considered, runoff coefficients represent the global effect of different features and states of catchments and its determination requires a suitable analysis according to the objectives pursued (Chow et al., 1988). In this work, rainfall-runoff data and physical attributes from small rural catchments located in the Iberian Peninsula (Portugal and Spain) were examined in order to compare the representative values of runoff coefficients using three different approaches: i) statistical analysis of rainfall-runoff data and their quantiles (Dhakal et al., 2012); ii) probabilistic runoff coefficients from the rank-ordered pairs of observed rainfall-runoff data and their relationships with rainfall depths (Schaake et al., 1967); iii) finally, a multiple linear model based on geomorphological attributes. These catchments exhibit great variety with respect to their natural settings, such as climate, topography and lithology. We present a preliminary analysis of the rainfall-runoff relationships as well as their variability in a complex context such as the Iberian Peninsula where contrasted environmental systems coexist. We also discuss reference parameters representing runoff coefficients commonly included into hydrological models. This study is conceived as the first step to explore further working protocols and modeling gaps in a very susceptible area to the climate change such as the Iberian Peninsula's, where the analysis of runoff coefficients is crucial for designing appropriate decision making tools for water management. REFERENCES Chow V.T., Maidment D.R. and Mays, L.W. 1988. Applied Hydrology. MCGraw Hill, Nueva York. Dhakal, N., Fang, X., Cleveland, T., Thompson, D., Asquith, W., and Marzen, L. (2012). "Estimation of Volumetric Runoff Coefficients for Texas Watersheds Using Land-Use and Rainfall-Runoff Data." Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering, 1(2012):43-54. Schaake JC, Geyer JC,Knapp JW. 1967. Experimental examination of the rational method. J. Hydr.Div. 93(6),353-70

Precipitation depth-duration and frequency characteristics for Antelope Valley, Mojave Desert, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Blodgett, J.C.

1995-01-01

Methods to evaluate changes in the volume of storm runoff from drainage basins that are likely to be urbanized are needed by land-use planning agencies to establish criteria for the design of flood-control systems. To document the changes in runoff volume of basins that may be urbanized, nine small basins that are considered representative of varying hydrologic conditions in Antelope Valley, California, were selected for detailed study. Precipitation and stream-gaging stations were established and data were collected for the period 1990-93. The data collected at these U.S. Geological Survey stations were supplemented by data collected at 35 Long-term precipitation stations operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works. These data will be used to calibrate and verify rainfall-runoff models for the nine basins. Results of the model runs will then be used as a guide for estimating basin runoff characteristics throughout Antelope Valley. Annual precipitation in Antelope Valley ranges from more than 20 inches in the mountains to less than 4 inches on the valley floor. Most precipitation in the valley falls during the months of December through March, but cyclonic storms in the fall and convectional storms in the summer sometimes occur. The duration of most storms ranges from 1 to 8 days, but most of the precipitation usually occurs within the first 2 days. Many parts of the valley have been affected by storms with precipitation depths that equal or exceed 0.60 inch per hour. The storms of January 1943 and March 1983 were the most intense storms of record, with recurrence intervals greater than 100 years in some parts of the valley. Depth-duration ratios were calculated by disaggregating daily total precipitation data for intervals of 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 12, and 18 hours for storms that occurred during 1990-93. The hourly total precipitation data were then disaggregated at 5-minute intervals. A comparison of the depth-duration data collected during 1990-93 at the Geological Survey stations with the data collected at the other stations indicated that the 1990-93 data are not representative of historical storms. Therefore, depth-duration ratios developed using these data should be considered preliminary for use in disaggregating the historical hourly data for Antelope Valley. Annual maximum 24-hour precipitation records were used to calculate precipitation depth-frequency relations for 23 stations in the valley using the log Pearson type III distribution. These calculations indicate that the storms of January 1943 and March 1983 were the most intense of record in the valley with recurrence intervals greater than 100 years.

Impact of landuse/land cover change on run-off in the catchment of a hydro power project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khare, Deepak; Patra, Diptendu; Mondal, Arun; Kundu, Sananda

2017-05-01

The landuse/land cover change and rainfall have a significant influence on the hydrological response of the river basins. The run-off characteristics are changing naturally due to reduction of initial abstraction that increases the run-off volume. Therefore, it is necessary to quantify the changes in the run-off characteristics of a catchment under the influence of changed landuse/land cover. Soil conservation service model has been used in the present study to analyse the impact of various landuse/land cover (past, present and future time period) change in the run-off characteristics of a part of Narmada basin at the gauge discharge site of Mandaleswar in Madhya Pradesh, India. Calculated run-off has been compared with the observed run-off data for the study. The landuse/land cover maps of 1990, 2000 and 2009 have been prepared by digital classification method with proper accuracy using satellite imageries. The impact of the run-off change on hydro power potential has been assessed in the study along with the estimation of the future changes in hydro power potential. Five types of conditions (+10, +5 %, average, -5, -10 % of average rainfall) have been applied with 90 and 75 % dependability status. The generated energy will be less in 90 % dependable flow in respect to the 75 % dependable flow. This work will be helpful for future planning related to establishment of hydropower setup.

The stochastic runoff-runon process: Extending its analysis to a finite hillslope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, O. D.; Lane, P. N. J.; Sheridan, G. J.

2016-10-01

The stochastic runoff-runon process models the volume of infiltration excess runoff from a hillslope via the overland flow path. Spatial variability is represented in the model by the spatial distribution of rainfall and infiltration, and their ;correlation scale;, that is, the scale at which the spatial correlation of rainfall and infiltration become negligible. Notably, the process can produce runoff even when the mean rainfall rate is less than the mean infiltration rate, and it displays a gradual increase in net runoff as the rainfall rate increases. In this paper we present a number of contributions to the analysis of the stochastic runoff-runon process. Firstly we illustrate the suitability of the process by fitting it to experimental data. Next we extend previous asymptotic analyses to include the cases where the mean rainfall rate equals or exceeds the mean infiltration rate, and then use Monte Carlo simulation to explore the range of parameters for which the asymptotic limit gives a good approximation on finite hillslopes. Finally we use this to obtain an equation for the mean net runoff, consistent with our asymptotic results but providing an excellent approximation for finite hillslopes. Our function uses a single parameter to capture spatial variability, and varying this parameter gives us a family of curves which interpolate between known upper and lower bounds for the mean net runoff.

Agricultural runoff pollution control by a grassed swales coupled with wetland detention ponds system: a case study in Taihu Basin, China.

PubMed

Zhao, Jinhui; Zhao, Yaqian; Zhao, Xiaoli; Jiang, Cheng

2016-05-01

The performance of a field grassed swales (GSs) coupled with wetland detention ponds (WDPs) system was monitored under four typical rainfall events to assess its effectiveness on agricultural runoff pollution control in Taihu Basin, China. The results indicated that suspended solids (SS) derived from the flush process has significant influence on pollution loads in agricultural runoff. Determination of first flush effect (FFE) indicated that total suspended solids (TSS) and total phosphorus (TP) exhibited moderate FFE, while chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total nitrogen (TN) showed weak FFE. Average removal efficiencies of 83.5 ± 4.5, 65.3 ± 6.8, 91.6 ± 3.8, and 81.3 ± 5.8 % for TSS, COD, TN, and TP were achieved, respectively. The GSs played an important role in removing TSS and TP and acted as a pre-treatment process to prevent clogging of the subsequent WDPs. Particle size distributions (PSDs) analysis indicated that coarse particles larger than 75 μm accounted for 80 % by weight of the total particles in the runoff. GSs can effectively reduce coarse particles (≥75 μm) in runoff, while its removal efficiency for fine particles (<75 μm) was low, even minus results being recorded, especially for particles smaller than 25 μm. The length of GSs is a key factor in its performance. The WDPs can remove particles of all sizes by sedimentation. In addition, WDPs can improve water quality due to their buffering and dilution capacity during rainfall as well as their water purification ability during dry periods. Overall, the ecological system of GSs coupled with WDPs is an effective system for agricultural runoff pollution control.

Repeated compost application effects on phosphorus runoff in the Virginia Piedmont.

PubMed

Spargo, John T; Evanylo, Gregory K; Alley, Marcus M

2006-01-01

Increasing amounts of animal and municipal wastes are being composted before land application to improve handling and spreading characteristics, and to reduce odor and disease incidence. Repeated applications of composted biosolids and manure to cropland may increase the risk for P enrichment of agricultural runoff. We conducted field research in 2003 and 2004 on a Fauquier silty clay loam (Ultic Hapludalfs) to compare the effects of annual (since 1999) applications of composted and uncomposted organic residuals on P runoff characteristics. Biosolids compost (BSC), poultry litter-yard waste compost (PLC), and uncomposted poultry litter (PL) were applied based on estimated plant-available N. A commercial fertilizer treatment (CF) and an unamended control treatment (CTL) were also included. Corn (Zea mays L.) and a cereal rye (Secale cereal L.) cover crop were planted each year. We applied simulated rainfall in fall 2004 and analyzed runoff for dissolved reactive P (DRP), total dissolved P (TDP), total P (TP), total organic C (TOC), and total suspended solids (TSS). End of season soil samples were analyzed for Mehlich-3 P (M3P), EPA 3050 P (3050P), water soluble P (WSP), degree of P saturation (DPS), soil C, and bulk density. Compost treatments significantly increased soil C, decreased bulk density, and increased M3P, 3050P, WSP, and DPS. The concentration of DRP, TDP, and TP in runoff was highest in compost treatments, but the mass of DRP and TDP was not different among treatments because infiltration was higher and runoff lower in compost-amended soil. Improved soil physical properties associated with poultry litter-yard waste compost application decreased loss of TP and TSS.

Application of GIS in Modeling Zilberchai Basin Runoff

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malekani, L.; Khaleghi, S.; Mahmoodi, M.

2014-10-01

Runoff is one of most important hydrological variables that are used in many civil works, planning for optimal use of reservoirs, organizing rivers and warning flood. The runoff curve number (CN) is a key factor in determining runoff in the SCS (Soil Conservation Service) based hydrologic modeling method. The traditional SCS-CN method for calculating the composite curve number consumes a major portion of the hydrologic modeling time. Therefore, geographic information systems (GIS) are now being used in combination with the SCS-CN method. This work uses a methodology of determining surface runoff by Geographic Information System model and applying SCS-CN method that needs the necessary parameters such as land use map, hydrologic soil groups, rainfall data, DEM, physiographic characteristic of the basin. The model is built by implementing some well known hydrologic methods in GIS like as ArcHydro, ArcCN-Runoff for modeling of Zilberchai basin runoff. The results show that the high average weighted of curve number indicate that permeability of the basin is low and therefore likelihood of flooding is high. So the fundamental works is essential in order to increase water infiltration in Zilberchai basin and to avoid wasting surface water resources. Also comparing the results of the computed and observed runoff value show that use of GIS tools in addition to accelerate the calculation of the runoff also increase the accuracy of the results. This paper clearly demonstrates that the integration of GIS with the SCS-CN method provides a powerful tool for estimating runoff volumes in large basins.

Rill erosion in natural and disturbed forests: 1. Measurements

Treesearch

P. R. Robichaud; J. W. Wagenbrenner; R. E. Brown

2010-01-01

Rill erosion can be a large portion of the total erosion in disturbed forests, but measurements of the runoff and erosion at the rill scale are uncommon. Simulated rill erosion experiments were conducted in two forested areas in the northwestern United States on slopes ranging from 18 to 79%. We compared runoff rates, runoff velocities, and sediment flux rates from...

Estuarine and Riverine Areas Final Programmatic Environmental Assessment

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-06-25

sources in the study area include WWTP spray field runoff, urban and agricultural runoff, septic tank leachate , landfill leachate , silviculture...overland sheet flow. Urban and agricultural runoff are sources of fecal and total coliform and fecal streptococcus bacteria. Septic tank leachate and...in leachate from experiments using sand showed the greatest mobility of tungsten. Outdoor exposures and accelerated aging tests studied the

Contrasting runoff trends between dry and wet parts of eastern Tibetan Plateau.

PubMed

Wang, Yuanyuan; Zhang, Yongqiang; Chiew, Francis H S; McVicar, Tim R; Zhang, Lu; Li, Hongxia; Qin, Guanghua

2017-11-13

As the "Asian Water Tower", the Tibetan Plateau (TP) provides water resources for more than 1.4 billion people, but suffers from climatic and environmental changes, followed by the changes in water balance components. We used state-of-the-art satellite-based products to estimate spatial and temporal variations and trends in annual precipitation, evapotranspiration and total water storage change across eastern TP, which were then used to reconstruct an annual runoff variability series for 2003-2014. The basin-scale reconstructed streamflow variability matched well with gauge observations for five large rivers. Annual runoff increased strongly in dry part because of increases in precipitation, but decreased in wet part because of decreases in precipitation, aggravated by noticeable increases in evapotranspiration in the north of wet part. Although precipitation primarily governed temporal-spatial pattern of runoff, total water storage change contributed greatly to runoff variation in regions with wide-spread permanent snow/ice or permafrost. Our study indicates that the contrasting runoff trends between the dry and wet parts of eastern TP requires a change in water security strategy, and attention should be paid to the negative water resources impacts detected for southwestern part which has undergone vast glacier retreat and decreasing precipitation.

Characterization of bridge deck runoff.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-03-01

In this study, time-weighted composite samples of bridge runoff and hourly traffic data were collected at four sampling : locations in Nebraska. Total suspended solids (TSS) and hexane extractable material (HEM) had the highest concentrations : durin...

Simulation of Runoff Changes Caused by Cropland to Forest Conversion in the Upper Yangtze River Region, SW China

PubMed Central

Yu, Pengtao; Wang, Yanhui; Coles, Neil; Xiong, Wei; Xu, Lihong

2015-01-01

The "Grain for Green Project" is a country-wide ecological program to converse marginal cropland to forest, which has been implemented in China since 2002. To quantify influence of this significant vegetation change, Guansihe Hydrological (GSH) Model, a validated physically-based distributed hydrological model, was applied to simulate runoff responses to land use change in the Guansihe watershed that is located in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River basin in Southwestern China with an area of only 21.1 km2. Runoff responses to two single rainfall events, 90 mm and 206 mm respectively, were simulated for 16 scenarios of cropland to forest conversion. The model simulations indicated that the total runoff generated after conversion to forest was strongly dependent on whether the land was initially used for dry croplands without standing water in fields or constructed (or walled) paddy fields. The simulated total runoff generated from the two rainfall events displayed limited variation for the conversion of dry croplands to forest, while it strongly decreased after paddy fields were converted to forest. The effect of paddy terraces on runoff generation was dependent on the rainfall characteristics and antecedent moisture (or saturation) conditions in the fields. The reduction in simulated runoff generated from intense rainfall events suggested that afforestation and terracing might be effective in managing runoff and had the potential to mitigate flooding in southwestern China. PMID:26192181

Evaluation of the precipitation-runoff modeling system, Beaver Creek basin, Kentucky

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bower, D.E.

1985-01-01

The Precipitation Runoff Modeling System (PRMS) was evaluated with data from Cane branch and Helton Branch in the Beaver Creek basin of Kentucky. Because of previous studies, 10.6 years of record were available to establish a data base for the basin including 60 storms for Cane Branch and 50 storms for Helton Branch. The model was calibrated initially using data from the 1956-58 water years. Runoff predicted by the model was 94.7% of the observed runoff at Cane Branch (mined area) and 96.9% at Helton Branch (unmined area). After the model and data base were modified, the model was refitted to the 1956-58 data for Helton Branch. It then predicted 98.6% of the runoff for the 10.6-year period. The model parameters from Helton Branch were then used to simulate the Cane Branch runoff and discharge. The model predicted 102.6% of the observed runoff at Cane Branch for the 10.6 years. The simulations produced reasonable storm volumes and peak discharges. Sensitivity analysis of model parameters indicated the parameters associated with soil moisture are the most sensitive. The model was used to predict sediment concentration and daily sediment load for selected storm periods. The sediment computations indicated the model can be used to predict sediment concentrations during storm events. (USGS)

Improving risk estimates of runoff producing areas: formulating variable source areas as a bivariate process.

PubMed

Cheng, Xiaoya; Shaw, Stephen B; Marjerison, Rebecca D; Yearick, Christopher D; DeGloria, Stephen D; Walter, M Todd

2014-05-01

Predicting runoff producing areas and their corresponding risks of generating storm runoff is important for developing watershed management strategies to mitigate non-point source pollution. However, few methods for making these predictions have been proposed, especially operational approaches that would be useful in areas where variable source area (VSA) hydrology dominates storm runoff. The objective of this study is to develop a simple approach to estimate spatially-distributed risks of runoff production. By considering the development of overland flow as a bivariate process, we incorporated both rainfall and antecedent soil moisture conditions into a method for predicting VSAs based on the Natural Resource Conservation Service-Curve Number equation. We used base-flow immediately preceding storm events as an index of antecedent soil wetness status. Using nine sub-basins of the Upper Susquehanna River Basin, we demonstrated that our estimated runoff volumes and extent of VSAs agreed with observations. We further demonstrated a method for mapping these areas in a Geographic Information System using a Soil Topographic Index. The proposed methodology provides a new tool for watershed planners for quantifying runoff risks across watersheds, which can be used to target water quality protection strategies. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Updates to watershed modeling in the Potholes Reservoir basin, Washington-a supplement to Scientific Investigation Report 2009-5081

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mastin, Mark

2012-01-01

A previous collaborative effort between the U.S. Geological Survey and the Bureau of Reclamation resulted in a watershed model for four watersheds that discharge into Potholes Reservoir, Washington. Since the model was constructed, two new meteorological sites have been established that provide more reliable real-time information. The Bureau of Reclamation was interested in incorporating this new information into the existing watershed model developed in 2009, and adding measured snowpack information to update simulated results and to improve forecasts of runoff. This report includes descriptions of procedures to aid a user in making model runs, including a description of the Object User Interface for the watershed model with details on specific keystrokes to generate model runs for the contributing basins. A new real-time, data-gathering computer program automates the creation of the model input files and includes the new meteorological sites. The 2009 watershed model was updated with the new sites and validated by comparing simulated results to measured data. As in the previous study, the updated model (2012 model) does a poor job of simulating individual storms, but a reasonably good job of simulating seasonal runoff volumes. At three streamflow-gaging stations, the January 1 to June 30 retrospective forecasts of runoff volume for years 2010 and 2011 were within 40 percent of the measured runoff volume for five of the six comparisons, ranging from -39.4 to 60.3 percent difference. A procedure for collecting measured snowpack data and using the data in the watershed model for forecast model runs, based on the Ensemble Streamflow Prediction method, is described, with an example that uses 2004 snow-survey data.

[Runoff Pollution Experiments of Paddy Fields Under Different Irrigation Patterns].

PubMed

Zhou, Jing-wen; Su, Bao-lin; Huang, Ning-bo; Guan, Yu-tang; Zhao, Kun

2016-03-15

To study runoff and non-point source pollution of paddy fields and to provide a scientific basis for agricultural water management of paddy fields, paddy plots in the Jintan City and the Liyang City were chosen for experiments on non-point source pollution, and flood irrigation and intermittent irrigation patterns were adopted in this research. The surface water level and rainfall were observed during the growing season of paddies, and the runoff amount from paddy plots and loads of total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) were calculated by different methods. The results showed that only five rain events of totally 27 rainfalls and one artificially drainage formed non-point source pollution from flood irrigated paddy plot, which resulted in a TN export coefficient of 49.4 kg · hm⁻² and a TP export coefficient of 1.0 kg · hm⁻². No any runoff event occurred from the paddy plot with intermittent irrigation even in the case of maximum rainfall of 95.1 mm. Runoff from paddy fields was affected by water demands of paddies and irrigation or drainage management, which was directly correlated to surface water level, rainfall amount and the lowest ridge height of outlets. Compared with the flood irrigation, intermittent irrigation could significantly reduce non-point source pollution caused by rainfall or artificial drainage.

Characterization of runoff from various urban catchments at different spatial scales in Beijing, China.

PubMed

Zhang, W; Che, W; Liu, D K; Gan, Y P; Lv, F F

2012-01-01

In order to investigate the characterization of runoff in storm sewer from various urban catchments, three monitoring systems at different spatial scales have been installed separately. They have been held since July 2010 in urban area of Beijing (China). The monitoring data revealed that chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solids (TSS), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), and NH(3)-N values significantly exceed the Class V surface water quality standard developed by Ministry of Environmental Protection of the People's Republic of China (MEP). A surface solids buildup and wash off model for small watershed was adopted to analyze and discuss the process of a runoff pollutant discharge. More than a half of pollutant parameters presented a good fit to the model. However, a slightly worse-fit to the wash off model appeared in less than half of the data. Due to the influence of sewer sediments, sewer system characteristics, catchment characteristics, and other reasons, first flush was seldom observed in storm sewer runoff from these three survey areas. Meanwhile, the correlation between TSS and any other pollutant was analyzed according to cumulative load of pollutants in runoff events. An event mean concentrations (EMCs) approach was adopted to quantify the pollution of runoff. EMCs of various pollutants in storm sewer runoff between different rainfall events were slightly higher than the typical values observed in similar areas at home and abroad, according to other studies reported in literature. Based on quantitative analysis, it can be concluded that urban non-point source pollution is recognized as the major causes of quality deterioration in the receiving water bodies. This is after the point source pollution has been controlled substantially in Beijing. An integrated strategy, which combines centralized and decentralized control, along with the conditions of meteorology, hydrology, urban planning, existing drainage system, etc., will be an effective and economic approach to urban runoff pollution control.

Study on the contribution of cryosphere to runoff in the cold alpine basin: A case study of Hulugou River Basin in the Qilian Mountains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zongxing, Li; Qi, Feng; Wei, Liu; Tingting, Wang; Aifang, Cheng; Yan, Gao; Xiaoyan, Guo; Yanhui, Pan; Jianguo, Li; Rui, Guo; Bing, Jia

2014-11-01

Global warming would inevitably lead to the increased glacier-snow meltwater and mountainous discharge. Taking an example the Hulugou River Basin in the Qilian Mountains, this study confirmed the contribution of cryosphere to runoff by means of the isotope hydrograph separation. The hydro-geochemistry and the isotope geochemistry suggested that both the meltwater and rainwater infiltrated into the subsurface and fed into the river runoff of the Hulugou River Basin in the form of springs. The isotopic composition of river water and underground water was close to the Local Meteoric Water Line, and the δ18O and δD ranged among precipitation, glacier-snow meltwater and frozen soil meltwater. The results indicated that 68% of the recharge of the Hulugou River water was the precipitation, thereinto, glacier-snow meltwater and frozen soil meltwater contributing 11% and 21%, respectively. For tributary-1, precipitation accounted for 77% of the total stream runoff, with frozen soil meltwater accounting for 17%, and glacier-snow meltwater only supplied 6%. During the sampling period, the contribution of surface runoff from precipitation was 44% to tributary-2, and glacier-snow meltwater had contributed 42%; only 14% from frozen soil meltwater. For tributary-3, precipitation accounted for 63% of the total runoff, and other 37% originated from the frozen soil meltwater. According to the latest observational data, the glacier-snow meltwater has accounted for 11.36% of the total runoff in the stream outlet, in which the calculation has been verified by hydrograph separation. It is obvious that the contribution of cryosphere has accounted for 1/3 of the outlet runoff in the Hulugou River Basin, which has been an important part of river sources. This study demonstrated that the alpine regions of western China, especially those basins with glaciers, snow and frozen soil, have played a crucial role in regional water resource provision under global warming.

Applicability of GLDAS in the Yarlung Zangbo River Basin under Climate Change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jia, L.; Hong, Z.; Linglei, Z.; Yun, D.

2017-12-01

The change of runoff has a great influence on global water cycle, and migration or transformation of biogenic matters. As the Tibet's most important economic region, the Yarlung Zangbo River basin is extremely sensitive and fragile to the global climate change. But the river is a typical lack-data basin, where the quantity of available runoff data is extremely limited and the spatial and temporal resolutions are very low. This study Chooses middle reaches of Yarlung Zangbo River basin as the study area, 4 models of Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS) and the water balance equation are used to calculate surface runoff of Nuxia hydrological station from year of 2009 to 2013. Through the analysis of hydrological elements change, the impact of climate factors to surface runoff is discussed. At last, Statistical method is used to compare correlation and error between the 4 models results and in situ runoff observation. The Broke ranking method is applied to evaluate data quality and applicability of the 4 models in the Yarlung Zangbo River basin. The results reveal that the total runoff calculated from 4 models all have similar change cycle around 12 months, and the values all tend to have slight increase as in situ runoff data during research period. Moreover, it can conclude that the runoff time series show obvious period and mutation characters. During study period, monthly mean precipitation and temperature both have obvious seasonal variability, and the variation trend is relatively consistent. Through the analysis of the runoff affecting factors, it shows that the changes of precipitation and temperature are the most direct factors affecting runoff of the Yarlung Zangbo River. Correlation between precipitations, temperature with runoff of Nuxia hydrological station is good, and the correlation coefficients are in the range of 0.727 to 0.924.It shows that climate change controls basin runoff change to some extent. At last, runoff estimated from GLDAS-CLM can better represent runoff of the Yarlung Zangbo River basin than other 3 models with a total ranking score of 2.00. This paper carries out a helpful attempt on hydrological study in lack-data basin. And in the matter of medium and long terms, large and medium scales, the result is benefit to deepen cognition and comprehend on runoff characteristics.

[Characteristics of rainfall and runoff in urban drainage based on the SWMM model.

PubMed

Xiong, Li Jun; Huang, Fei; Xu, Zu Xin; Li, Huai Zheng; Gong, Ling Ling; Dong, Meng Ke

2016-11-18

The characteristics of 235 rainfall and surface runoff events, from 2009 to 2011 in a typical urban drainage area in Shanghai were analyzed by using SWMM model. The results showed that the rainfall events in the region with high occurrence frequency were characterized by small rainfall amount and low intensity. The most probably occurred rainfall had total amount less than 10 mm, or mean intensity less than 5 mm·h -1 ,or peak intensity less than 10 mm·h -1 , accounting for 66.4%, 88.8% and 79.6% of the total rainfall events, respectively. The study was of great significance to apply low-impact development to reduce runoff and non-point source pollution under condition of less rainfall amount or low mean rainfall intensity in the area. The runoff generally increased with the increase of rainfall. The threshold of regional occurring runoff was controlled by not only rainfall amount, but also mean rainfall intensity and rainfall duration. In general, there was no surface runoff when the rainfall amount was less than 2 mm. When the rainfall amount was between 2 to 4 mm and the mean rainfall intensity was below 1.6 mm·h -1 , the runoff was less than 1 mm. When the rainfall exceeded 4 mm and the mean rainfall intensity was larger than 1.6 mm·h -1 , the runoff would occur generally. Based on the results of the SWMM simulation, three regression equations that were applicable to regional runoff amount and rainfall factors were established. The adjustment R 2 of the three equations were greater than 0.97. This indicated that the equations could reflect well the relationship between runoff and rainfall variables. The results provided the basis of calculations to plan low impact development and better reduce overflow pollution in local drainage area. It also could serve as a useful reference for runoff study in similar drainage areas.

Effects on run-off water quantity and quality of urban organic wastes applied in a degraded semi-arid ecosystem.

PubMed

Martínez, F; Casermeiro, M A; Morales, D; Cuevas, G; Walter, Ingrid

2003-04-15

Biosolids and composted municipal solid wastes were surface-applied (0 and 80 Mg ha(-1)) to a degraded soil in a semi-arid environment to determine their effects on the quantity and quality of run-off water. Three and 4 years after application, a simulated rainfall was performed (intensity=942.5 ml min(-1) and kinetic energy=3.92 J m(-2)) on 0.078 m(2) plots using a portable rainfall simulator. The run-off from the different treatment plots was collected and analysed. The type of treatment was highly related to infiltration, run-off and sediment production. The biosolid-treated plots showed the minimum value of total run-off, maximum time to the beginning of run-off and maximum run-off ratio (the relationship between total rainfall and run-off). The MSW-treated plots showed values intermediate between biosolid-treated plots and control plots. Soil losses were also closely related to treatment type. Control plots showed the maximum sediment yield, MSW-treated plots showed intermediate values, and biosolid plots the minimum values for washout. The concentrations of NH(4)-N and PO(4)-P in the run-off water were significantly higher in the treated plots than in control plots. The highest PO(4)-P value, 0.73 mg l(-1), was obtained in the soil treated with biosolids; NO(3)-N concentration also increased significantly with respect to the control and MSW treatments. NH(4)-N concentrations of 15.6 and 15.0 mg l(-1) were recorded in the soils treated with biosolids and MSW, respectively, values approximately five times higher than those obtained in run-off water from untreated soil. However, the concentrations of all these constituents were lower than threshold limits cited in water quality standards for agricultural use. With the exception of Cu, all trace metals analysed in the run-off water were below detection limits.

Water quality, bed-sediment quality, and simulation of potential contaminant transport in Foster Creek, Berkeley County, South Carolina, 1991-93

USGS Publications Warehouse

Campbell, T.R.; Bower, D.E.

1996-01-01

Foster Creek, a freshwater tidal creek in Berkeley County, South Carolina, is located in an area of potential contaminant sources from residential, commercial, light industrial, and military activities. The creek is used as a secondary source of drinking water for the surrounding Charleston area. Foster Creek meets most of the freshwater- quality requirements of State and Federal regulatory agencies, but often contains low concentrations of dissolved oxygen and has been characterized as eutrophic. Investigations of water- and bed-sediment quality were made between 1991 and 1993 to assess the effects of anthropogenic sources of contamination on Foster Creek. Low-flow surface-water samples were generally free of toxic compounds with the exception of laboratory artifacts and naturally occurring trace metals. Storm-runoff samples generally contained very low concentrations (near detection limits) of a small number of volatile and semivolatile organics and naturally occurring trace metals. Concentrations of toxic compounds in excess of current (1995) South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations were not detected in surface-water samples collected from Foster Creek. Chemical analyses of streambed sediments indicated minimal anthropogenic effects on sediment quality. The particle-tracking option of the U.S. Geological Survey one-dimensional unsteady-flow model (BRANCH) indicated that as the simulated volume of rainfall runoff increased in the Foster Creek Basin, simulated particles in Foster Creek were transported greater distances. Simulating flow through the Bushy Park Dam (also known as Back River Dam) had little effect on particle movement in Foster Creek. Simulating typical withdrawal rates at a water-supply intake resulted in a slight attraction of particles toward the intake during conditions of relatively low runoff. These withdrawals had a greater influence on particles downstream of the intake than on those upstream of the intake. Simulations confirmed earlier findings which suggested that the creek would not flush during baseflow conditions, with the exception of the lower 1-mile reach, where flushing results from tidal movements. According to the simulations, Foster Creek will fully flush if a 2-year, 7-day storm occurs. Flushing appears to be affected more by the total volume of storm runoff than by typical municipal withdrawals or tidal effects.

An initial abstraction and constant loss model, and methods for estimating unit hydrographs, peak streamflows, and flood volumes for urban basins in Missouri

USGS Publications Warehouse

Huizinga, Richard J.

2014-01-01

The rainfall-runoff pairs from the storm-specific GUH analysis were further analyzed against various basin and rainfall characteristics to develop equations to estimate the peak streamflow and flood volume based on a quantity of rainfall on the basin.

[Research on evaluation of water quality of Beijing urban stormwater runoff].

PubMed

Hou, Pei-Qiang; Ren, Yu-Fen; Wang, Xiao-Ke; Ouyang, Zhi-Yun; Zhou, Xiao-Ping

2012-01-01

The natural rainwater and stormwater runoff samples from three underlying surfaces (rooftop, campus road and ring road) were sampled and analyzed from July to October, 2010 in Beijing. Eight rainfall events were collected totally and thirteen water quality parameters were measured in each event. Grey relationship analysis and principal component analysis were applied to assess composite water quality and identify the main pollution sources of stormwater runoff. The results show that the composite water quality of ring road runoff is mostly polluted, and then is rooftop runoff, campus road runoff and rainwater, respectively. The composite water quality of ring road runoff is inferior to V class of surface water, while rooftop runoff, campus road runoff and rainwater are in II class of surface water. The mean concentration of TN and NH4(+)-N in rainwater and runoff is 5.49-11.75 mg x L(-1) and 2.90-5.67 mg x L(-1), respectively, indicating that rainwater and runoff are polluted by nitrogen (N). Two potential pollution sources are identified in ring road runoff: (1) P, SS and organic pollutant are possibly related to debris which is from vehicle tyre and material of ring road; (2) N and dissolved metal have relations with automobile exhaust emissions and bulk deposition.

Frequency analysis of urban runoff quality in an urbanizing catchment of Shenzhen, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qin, Huapeng; Tan, Xiaolong; Fu, Guangtao; Zhang, Yingying; Huang, Yuefei

2013-07-01

This paper investigates the frequency distribution of urban runoff quality indicators using a long-term continuous simulation approach and evaluates the impacts of proposed runoff control schemes on runoff quality in an urbanizing catchment in Shenzhen, China. Four different indicators are considered to provide a comprehensive assessment of the potential impacts: total runoff depth, event pollutant load, Event Mean Concentration, and peak concentration during a rainfall event. The results obtained indicate that urban runoff quantity and quality in the catchment have significant variations in rainfall events and a very high rate of non-compliance with surface water quality regulations. Three runoff control schemes with the capacity to intercept an initial runoff depth of 5 mm, 10 mm, and 15 mm are evaluated, respectively, and diminishing marginal benefits are found with increasing interception levels in terms of water quality improvement. The effects of seasonal variation in rainfall events are investigated to provide a better understanding of the performance of the runoff control schemes. The pre-flood season has higher risk of poor water quality than other seasons after runoff control. This study demonstrates that frequency analysis of urban runoff quantity and quality provides a probabilistic evaluation of pollution control measures, and thus helps frame a risk-based decision making for urban runoff quality management in an urbanizing catchment.

The Effects Of Urban Landscape Patterns On Rainfall-Runoff Processes At Small Scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, L.

2016-12-01

Many studies have indicated that urban landscape change may alter rainfall-runoff processes. However, how urban landscape pattern affect this process is little addressed. In this study, the hydrological effects of landscape pattern on rainfall-runoff processes at small-scale was explored. Twelve residential blocks with independent drainage systems in Beijing were selected as case study areas. Impervious metrics of these blocks, i.e., total impervious area (TIA) and directly connected impervious area (DCIA), were identified. A drainage index describing catchment general drainage load and the overland flow distance, Ad, was estimated and used as one of the landscape spatial metrics. Three scenarios were designed to test the potential influence of impervious surface pattern on runoff processes. Runoff variables including total and peak runoff depth (Qt and Qp) were simulated under different rainfall conditions by Storm Water Management Model (SWMM). The relationship between landscape patterns and runoff variables were analyzed, and further among the three scenarios. The results demonstrated that, in small urban blocks, spatial patterns have inherent influences on rainfall-runoff processes. Specifically, (1) Imperviousness acts as effective indicators in predicting both Qt and Qp. As rainfall intensity increases, the major affecting factor changes from DCIA to TIA for both Qt and Qp; (2) Increasing the size of drainage area dominated by each drainage inlet will benefit the block peak flow mitigation; (3) Different spatial concentrations of impervious surfaces have inherent influences on Qp, when impervious surfaces located away from the outlet can reduce the peak flow discharge. These findings may provide insights into the role of urban landscape patterns in driving rainfall-runoff responses in urbanization, which is essential for urban planning and stormwater management.

Characterizing Satellite Rainfall Errors based on Land Use and Land Cover and Tracing Error Source in Hydrologic Model Simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gebregiorgis, A. S.; Peters-Lidard, C. D.; Tian, Y.; Hossain, F.

2011-12-01

Hydrologic modeling has benefited from operational production of high resolution satellite rainfall products. The global coverage, near-real time availability, spatial and temporal sampling resolutions have advanced the application of physically based semi-distributed and distributed hydrologic models for wide range of environmental decision making processes. Despite these successes, the existence of uncertainties due to indirect way of satellite rainfall estimates and hydrologic models themselves remain a challenge in making meaningful and more evocative predictions. This study comprises breaking down of total satellite rainfall error into three independent components (hit bias, missed precipitation and false alarm), characterizing them as function of land use and land cover (LULC), and tracing back the source of simulated soil moisture and runoff error in physically based distributed hydrologic model. Here, we asked "on what way the three independent total bias components, hit bias, missed, and false precipitation, affect the estimation of soil moisture and runoff in physically based hydrologic models?" To understand the clear picture of the outlined question above, we implemented a systematic approach by characterizing and decomposing the total satellite rainfall error as a function of land use and land cover in Mississippi basin. This will help us to understand the major source of soil moisture and runoff errors in hydrologic model simulation and trace back the information to algorithm development and sensor type which ultimately helps to improve algorithms better and will improve application and data assimilation in future for GPM. For forest and woodland and human land use system, the soil moisture was mainly dictated by the total bias for 3B42-RT, CMORPH, and PERSIANN products. On the other side, runoff error was largely dominated by hit bias than the total bias. This difference occurred due to the presence of missed precipitation which is a major contributor to the total bias both during the summer and winter seasons. Missed precipitation, most likely light rain and rain over snow cover, has significant effect on soil moisture and are less capable of producing runoff that results runoff dependency on the hit bias only.

Nitrogen and phosphorus removed from a subsurface flow multi-stage filtration system purifying agricultural runoff.

PubMed

Zhao, Yaqi; Huang, Lei; Chen, Yucheng

2018-07-01

Agricultural nonpoint source pollution has been increasingly serious in China since the 1990s. The main causes were excessive inputs of nitrogen fertilizer and pesticides. A multi-stage filtration system was built to test the purification efficiencies and removal characteristics of nitrogen and phosphorus when treating agricultural runoff. Simulated runoff pollution was prepared by using river water as source water based on the monitoring of local agricultural runoff. Experimental study had been performed from September to November 2013, adopting 12 h for flooding and 12 h for drying. The results showed that the system was made adaptive to variation of inflow quality and quantity, and had good removal for dissolved total nitrogen, total nitrogen, dissolved total phosphorus (DTP), and total phosphorus, and the average removal rate was 27%, 36%, 32%, and 48%, respectively. Except nitrate ([Formula: see text]), other forms of nitrogen and phosphorus all decreased with the increase of stages. Nitrogen was removed mainly in particle form the first stage, and mostly removed in dissolved form the second and third stage. Phosphorus was removed mainly in particulate during the first two stages, but the removal of particulate phosphorus and DTP were almost the same in the last stage. An approximate logarithmic relationship between removal loading and influent loading to nitrogen and phosphorus was noted in the experimental system, and the correlation coefficient was 0.78-0.94. [Formula: see text]: ammonium; [Formula: see text]: nitrite; [Formula: see text]: nitrate; DTN: dissolved total nitrogen; TN: total nitrogen; DTP: dissolved total phosphorus; TP: total phosphorus; PN: particulate nitrogen; PP: particulate phosphorus.

Use of continuous and grab sample data for calculating total maximum daily load (TMDL) in agricultural watersheds.

PubMed

Gulati, Shelly; Stubblefield, Ashley A; Hanlon, Jeremy S; Spier, Chelsea L; Stringfellow, William T

2014-03-01

Measuring the discharge of diffuse pollution from agricultural watersheds presents unique challenges. Flows in agricultural watersheds, particularly in Mediterranean climates, can be predominately irrigation runoff and exhibit large diurnal fluctuation in both volume and concentration. Flow and pollutant concentrations in these smaller watersheds dominated by human activity do not conform to a normal distribution and it is not clear if parametric methods are appropriate or accurate for load calculations. The objective of this study was to compare the accuracy of five load estimation methods to calculate pollutant loads from agricultural watersheds. Calculation of loads using results from discrete (grab) samples was compared with the true-load computed using in situ continuous monitoring measurements. A new method is introduced that uses a non-parametric measure of central tendency (the median) to calculate loads (median-load). The median-load method was compared to more commonly used parametric estimation methods which rely on using the mean as a measure of central tendency (mean-load and daily-load), a method that utilizes the total flow volume (volume-load), and a method that uses measure of flow at the time of sampling (instantaneous-load). Using measurements from ten watersheds in the San Joaquin Valley of California, the average percent error compared to the true-load for total dissolved solids (TDS) was 7.3% for the median-load, 6.9% for the mean-load, 6.9% for the volume-load, 16.9% for the instantaneous-load, and 18.7% for the daily-load methods of calculation. The results of this study show that parametric methods are surprisingly accurate, even for data that have starkly non-normal distributions and are highly skewed. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Amending greenroof soil with biochar to affect runoff water quantity and quality.

PubMed

Beck, Deborah A; Johnson, Gwynn R; Spolek, Graig A

2011-01-01

Numbers of greenroofs in urban areas continue to grow internationally; so designing greenroof soil to reduce the amount of nutrients in the stormwater runoff from these roofs is becoming essential. This study evaluated changes in extensive greenroof water discharge quality and quantity after adding biochar, a soil amendment promoted for its ability to retain nutrients in soils and increase soil fertility. Prototype greenroof trays with and without biochar were planted with sedum or ryegrass, with barren soil trays used as controls. The greenroof trays were subjected to two sequential 7.4cm/h rainfall events using a rain simulator. Runoff from the rain events was collected and evaluated. Trays containing 7% biochar showed increased water retention and significant decreases in discharge of total nitrogen, total phosphorus, nitrate, phosphate, and organic carbon. The addition of biochar to greenroof soil improves both runoff water quality and retention. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Multiple Pathways to Bacterial Load Reduction by Stormwater Best Management Practices: Trade-Offs in Performance, Volume, and Treated Area.

PubMed

Wolfand, Jordyn M; Bell, Colin D; Boehm, Alexandria B; Hogue, Terri S; Luthy, Richard G

2018-06-05

Stormwater best management practices (BMPs) are implemented to reduce microbial pollution in runoff, but their removal efficiencies differ. Enhanced BMPs, such as those with media amendments, can increase removal of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) in runoff from 0.25-log 10 to above 3-log 10 ; however, their implications for watershed-scale management are poorly understood. In this work, a computational model was developed to simulate watershed-scale bacteria loading and BMP performance using the Ballona Creek Watershed (Los Angeles County, CA) as a case study. Over 1400 scenarios with varying BMP performance, percent watershed area treated, BMP treatment volume, and infiltrative capabilities were simulated. Incremental improvement of BMP performance by 0.25-log 10 , while keeping other scenario variables constant, reduces annual bacterial load at the outlet by a range of 0-29%. In addition, various simulated scenarios provide the same FIB load reduction; for example, 75% load reduction is achieved by diverting runoff from either 95% of the watershed area to 25 000 infiltrating BMPs with 0.5-log 10 removal or 75% of the watershed area to 75 000 infiltrating BMPs with 1.5-log 10 removal. Lastly, simulated infiltrating BMPs provide greater FIB reduction than noninfiltrating BMPs at the watershed scale. Results provide new insight on the trade-offs between BMP treatment volume, performance, and distribution.

Microorganisms in stormwater; a summary of recent investigations

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mallard, Gail E.

1980-01-01

All storm runoff contains a variety of bacteria, including total coliform, fecal coliform, and fecal streptococci, which are derived from the land over which the water flows. Most total coliform are native soil organisms, whereas the fecal coliform and fecal streptococci originate from the feces of wild and domestic animals. Urban runoff has been reported to contain pathogenic organisms, but this probably presents little direct threat to human health because the runoff is not ingested. Runoff water can, however, have other negative effects such as contamination of surface water, which may result in beach closures, or contamination of shellfish. This type of contamination is generally of short duration because indicator bacteria and pathogens die out rapidly in the aquatic environment. Similarly, bacteria and viruses deposited on soil by stormwater are inactivated by drying, competition from soil microflora, and a variety of other processes. Every storm producing runoff is unique in the number and type of microorganisms because these vary from site to site, from storm to storm, and during the course of the storm. Stormwater to be examined for microorganisms must be collected in sterile containers and processed immediately. (USGS)

An at-grade stabilization structure impact on runoff and suspended sediment

USGS Publications Warehouse

Minks, Kyle R.; Lowery, Birl; Madison, Fred W.; Ruark, Matthew; Frame, Dennis R.; Stuntebeck, Todd D.; Komiskey, Matthew J.

2012-01-01

In recent years, agricultural runoff has received more attention as a major contributor to surface water pollution. This is especially true for the unglaciated area of Wisconsin, given this area's steep topography, which makes it highly susceptible to runoff and soil loss. We evaluated the ability of an at-grade stabilization structure (AGSS), designed as a conservation practice to reduce the amount of overland runoff and suspended sediment transported to the surface waters of an agricultural watershed. Eight years of storm and baseflow data collected by the US Geological Survey–Wisconsin Water Science Center on a farm in west central Wisconsin were analyzed for changes in precipitation, storm runoff volume, and suspended sediment concentration before and after installation of an AGSS. The agricultural research site was designed as a paired watershed study in which monitoring stations were installed on the perennial streams draining both control and treatment watersheds. Linear mixed effects model analyses were conducted to determine if any statistically significant changes occurred in the water quality parameters before and after the AGSS was installed. Results indicated no significant changes (p = 0.51) in average event precipitation and runoff volumes before and after installation of the AGSS in either the treatment (NW) or control (SW) watersheds. However, the AGSS did significantly reduce the average suspended sediment concentration in the event runoff water (p = 0.02) in the NW from 972 to 263 mg L–1. In addition, particle size analyses, using light diffraction techniques, were conducted on soil samples taken from within the AGSS and adjacent valley and ridge top to determine if suspended sediments were being retained within the structure. Statistical analysis revealed a significantly (p < 0.001) larger proportion of clay inside the AGSS (37%) than outside (30%). These results indicate that the AGSS was successful in reducing the amount of suspended sediment transported to nearby surface waters. The cost of an AGSS can range from US$3,500 to US$8,000, depending on size. Thus, these structures provide a cheap and effective means of improving water quality in highly erosive landscapes.

Evaluating the variability in surface water reservoir planning characteristics during climate change impacts assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soundharajan, Bankaru-Swamy; Adeloye, Adebayo J.; Remesan, Renji

2016-07-01

This study employed a Monte-Carlo simulation approach to characterise the uncertainties in climate change induced variations in storage requirements and performance (reliability (time- and volume-based), resilience, vulnerability and sustainability) of surface water reservoirs. Using a calibrated rainfall-runoff (R-R) model, the baseline runoff scenario was first simulated. The R-R inputs (rainfall and temperature) were then perturbed using plausible delta-changes to produce simulated climate change runoff scenarios. Stochastic models of the runoff were developed and used to generate ensembles of both the current and climate-change-perturbed future runoff scenarios. The resulting runoff ensembles were used to force simulation models of the behaviour of the reservoir to produce 'populations' of required reservoir storage capacity to meet demands, and the performance. Comparing these parameters between the current and the perturbed provided the population of climate change effects which was then analysed to determine the variability in the impacts. The methodology was applied to the Pong reservoir on the Beas River in northern India. The reservoir serves irrigation and hydropower needs and the hydrology of the catchment is highly influenced by Himalayan seasonal snow and glaciers, and Monsoon rainfall, both of which are predicted to change due to climate change. The results show that required reservoir capacity is highly variable with a coefficient of variation (CV) as high as 0.3 as the future climate becomes drier. Of the performance indices, the vulnerability recorded the highest variability (CV up to 0.5) while the volume-based reliability was the least variable. Such variabilities or uncertainties will, no doubt, complicate the development of climate change adaptation measures; however, knowledge of their sheer magnitudes as obtained in this study will help in the formulation of appropriate policy and technical interventions for sustaining and possibly enhancing water security for irrigation and other uses served by Pong reservoir.

Monitoring and modeling of runoff from a natural and an urbanized part of a small stream catchment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kalicz, P.; Kucsara, M.; Gribovszki, Z.; Erős, M.; Csáfordi, P.

2012-04-01

Runoff processes in natural catchments are significantly different compared to urbanized areas. Human impacts are manifested in high amount of paved surfaces like roofs, roads, parking plots and the compacted soils of quasi natural areas like public gardens and parks. Decay of permeability and storage capacity both induce higher amount of runoff. The common practice to treat the increased volume of runoff is to collect in pipes and drain to a stream as soon as possible. These interventions induce flash floods with smaller time of concentration and higher flood peaks as normal food waves therefore strongly load discharge capacity of stream channel. Streams in urban areas are strongly modified and regulated. Sometimes the stream channel are dredged out to increase the discharge capacity. In worst case some smaller brooks are crowded with lid to increase urbanized habitat. Many climate change scenarios predict higher probability of heavy storm events, therefore increasing volume of runoff induces higher demands of strongly modified and enormous concrete channels. This study presents one year monitoring of a small stream comparing runoff from natural, rural and urban sections. In this paper we also introduce the process of a model setup and an evaluation to investigate the weak points of a stream section in urbanized areas. The pilot area of this research is the Rák Brook which is the second largest stream of city Sopron (western Hungary). The natural headwater catchment is long-term research area of Hidegvíz Valley Project, therefore we had a good basis to extend the research catchment monitoring in the direction of urbanized lower part of the stream. Seven monitoring points are established along the longitudinal section of the stream. In each point the water stage is recorded continuously beside several other water quality parameters. These data sets help the later validation of the hydrodynamic model.

Modeling the Impact of Soil and Water Conservation on Surface and Ground Water Based on the SCS and Visual Modflow

PubMed Central

Wang, Hong; Gao, Jian-en; Zhang, Shao-long; Zhang, Meng-jie; Li, Xing-hua

2013-01-01

Soil and water conservation measures can impact hydrological cycle, but quantitative analysis of this impact is still difficult in a watershed scale. To assess the effect quantitatively, a three-dimensional finite-difference groundwater flow model (MODFLOW) with a surface runoff model–the Soil Conservation Service (SCS) were calibrated and applied based on the artificial rainfall experiments. Then, three soil and water conservation scenarios were simulated on the sand-box model to assess the effect of bare slope changing to grass land and straw mulching on water volume, hydraulic head, runoff process of groundwater and surface water. Under the 120 mm rainfall, 60 mm/h rainfall intensity, 5 m2 area, 3° slope conditions, the comparative results indicated that the trend was decrease in surface runoff and increase in subsurface runoff coincided with the land-use converted from bare slope to grass land and straw mulching. The simulated mean surface runoff modulus was 3.64×10−2 m3/m2/h in the bare slope scenario, while the observed values were 1.54×10−2 m3/m2/h and 0.12×10−2 m3/m2/h in the lawn and straw mulching scenarios respectively. Compared to the bare slope, the benefits of surface water reduction were 57.8% and 92.4% correspondingly. At the end of simulation period (T = 396 min), the simulated mean groundwater runoff modulus was 2.82×10−2 m3/m2/h in the bare slope scenario, while the observed volumes were 3.46×10−2 m3/m2/h and 4.91×10−2 m3/m2/h in the lawn and straw mulching scenarios respectively. So the benefits of groundwater increase were 22.7% and 60.4% correspondingly. It was concluded that the soil and water conservation played an important role in weakening the surface runoff and strengthening the underground runoff. Meanwhile the quantitative analysis using a modeling approach could provide a thought for the study in a watershed scale to help decision-makers manage water resources. PMID:24244427

Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics Modeling of Gravity Currents on a Dry Porous Medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Daly, E.; Grimaldi, S.; Bui, H.

2014-12-01

Gravity currents flowing over porous media occur in many environmental processes and industrial applications, such as irrigation, benthic boundary layers, and oil spills. The coupling of the flow over the porous surface and the infiltration of the fluid in the porous media is complex and difficult to model. Of particular interest is the prediction of the position of the runoff front and the depth of the infiltration front. We present here a model for the flow of a finite volume of a highly viscous Newtonian fluid over a dry, homogenous porous medium. The Navier-Stokes equations describing the runoff flow are coupled to the Volume Averaged Navier-Stokes equations for the infiltration flow. The numerical solution of these equations is challenging because of the presence of two free surfaces (runoff and infiltration waves), the lack of fixed boundary conditions at the runoff front, and the difficulties in defining appropriate conditions at the surface of the porous medium. The first two challenges were addressed by using Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics, which is a Lagrangian, mesh-free particle method particularly suitable for modelling free surface flows. Two different approaches were used to model the flow conditions at the surface of the porous medium. The Two Domain Approach (TDA) assumes that runoff and infiltration flows occur in two separate homogenous domains; here, we assume the continuity of velocity and stresses at the interface of the two domains. The One Domain Approach (ODA) models runoff and infiltration flows as occurring through a medium whose hydraulic properties vary continuously in space. The transition from the hydraulic properties of the atmosphere and the porous medium occur in a layer near the surface of the porous medium. Expressions listed in literature were used to compute the thickness of this transition layer and the spatial variation of porosity and permeability within it. Our results showed that ODA led to slower velocities of the runoff front and enhanced infiltration when compared to the implemented formulation of TDA. In the ODA, depending on the description of the transition layer, the maximum distances travelled by the runoff front and the maximum depth of infiltration varied over a range of ±15% and ±50% when compared to their respective averaged values.

Limited Dissolved Phosphorus Runoff Losses from Layered Double Hydroxide and Struvite Fertilizers in a Rainfall Simulation Study.

PubMed

Everaert, Maarten; da Silva, Rodrigo C; Degryse, Fien; McLaughlin, Mike J; Smolders, Erik

2018-03-01

The enrichment of P in surface waters has been linked to P runoff from agricultural fields amended with fertilizers. Novel slow-release mineral fertilizers, such as struvite and P-exchanged layered double hydroxides (LDHs), have received increasing attention for P recycling from waste streams, and these fertilizers may potentially reduce the risk of runoff losses. Here, a rainfall simulation experiment was performed to evaluate P runoff associated with the application of recycled slow-release fertilizers relative to that of a soluble fertilizer. Monoammonium phosphate (MAP), struvite, and LDH granular fertilizers were broadcasted at equal total P doses on soil packed in trays (5% slope) and covered with perennial ryegrass ( L.). Four rainfall simulation events of 30 min were performed at 1, 5, 15, and 30 d after the fertilizer application. Runoff water from the trays was collected, filtered, and analyzed for dissolved P. For the MAP treatment, P runoff losses were high in the first two rain events and leveled off in later rain events. In total, 42% of the applied P in the MAP treatment was lost due to runoff. In the slow-release fertilizer treatments, P runoff losses were limited to 1.9 (struvite) and 2.4% (LDH) of the applied doses and were more similar over the different rain events. The use of these novel P fertilizer forms could be beneficial in areas with a high risk of surface water eutrophication and a history of intensive fertilization. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

Quantifying components of the hydrologic cycle in Virginia using chemical hydrograph separation and multiple regression analysis

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sanford, Ward E.; Nelms, David L.; Pope, Jason P.; Selnick, David L.

2012-01-01

This study by the U.S. Geological Survey, prepared in cooperation with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, quantifies the components of the hydrologic cycle across the Commonwealth of Virginia. Long-term, mean fluxes were calculated for precipitation, surface runoff, infiltration, total evapotranspiration (ET), riparian ET, recharge, base flow (or groundwater discharge) and net total outflow. Fluxes of these components were first estimated on a number of real-time-gaged watersheds across Virginia. Specific conductance was used to distinguish and separate surface runoff from base flow. Specific-conductance data were collected every 15 minutes at 75 real-time gages for approximately 18 months between March 2007 and August 2008. Precipitation was estimated for 1971–2000 using PRISM climate data. Precipitation and temperature from the PRISM data were used to develop a regression-based relation to estimate total ET. The proportion of watershed precipitation that becomes surface runoff was related to physiographic province and rock type in a runoff regression equation. Component flux estimates from the watersheds were transferred to flux estimates for counties and independent cities using the ET and runoff regression equations. Only 48 of the 75 watersheds yielded sufficient data, and data from these 48 were used in the final runoff regression equation. The base-flow proportion for the 48 watersheds averaged 72 percent using specific conductance, a value that was substantially higher than the 61 percent average calculated using a graphical-separation technique (the USGS program PART). Final results for the study are presented as component flux estimates for all counties and independent cities in Virginia.

First flush characteristics of rainfall runoff from a paddy field in the Taihu Lake watershed, China.

PubMed

Li, Songmin; Wang, Xiaoling; Qiao, Bin; Li, Jiansheng; Tu, Jiamin

2017-03-01

Nonpoint storm runoff remains a major threat to surface water quality in China. As a paddy matures, numerous fertilizers are needed, especially in the rainy seasons; the concentration of nitrogen and phosphorus in rainfall runoff from farmland is much higher than at other times, and this poses a great threat to water bodies and is the main reason for water eutrophication, especially in high concentration drainages. To date, most studies regarding the characteristics of pollutants in rainfall runoff have mainly been concentrated on urban runoff and watershed runoff; therefore, it is particularly important to investigate the characteristics of nitrogen and phosphorus loss in rainfall runoff from paddy fields. To study the characteristics of nitrogen and phosphorus loss and whether the first flush effect exists, continuous monitoring of the rainfall runoff process of six rainfall events was conducted in 2013, of which four rainfall events during storm, high, middle, and low intensity rainfalls were analyzed, and runoff and quality parameters, such as suspended solids (SS), total nitrogen (TN), ammonium nitrogen (NH 4 + -N), nitrate nitrogen (NO 3 - -N), total phosphorus (TP), and phosphate (PO 4 3- -P), were analyzed to determine the relationship between runoff and water quality. The paddy field is located north of Wuxi Lake Basin along the Hejia River upstream in Zhoutie town, Yixing city. An analysis of the load distribution during rainfall runoff was conducted. Event mean concentration (EMC) was used to evaluate the pollution situation of the paddy field's rainfall runoff. A curve of the dimensionless normalized cumulative load (L) vs. normalized cumulative flow (F) (L-F curve), the probability of the mass first flush (MFFn), and the pollutants carried by the initial 25% of runoff (FF 25 ) were used to analyze the first flush effect of the paddy field runoff, and different contaminants show different results: the concentration of nitrogen and phosphorus fluctuate and follow a similar trend as runoff changes, NO 3 - -N concentration is lower in the early part of runoff and higher in the later, and TP mainly occurs in the particle state in storm runoff and mainly in the dissolved state when the rainfall intensity is smaller. Nitrogen and phosphorus losses from paddy fields are closely related to the average rainfall intensity and the max rainfall intensity, and the runoff loss of nitrogen and phosphorus is more severe when the rainfall intensity is large. Based on an analysis of multiple methodologies, TN and NH 4 + -N show a certain degree of a first flush effect, whereas the first flush effect of TP is not obvious. The first flush effect of SS is obvious in larger intensity rainfall and shows a slight secondary flush effect in smaller rainfall events.

Nitrate-nitrogen reduction by established tree and pasture buffer strips associated with a cattle feedlot effluent disposal area near Armidale, NSW Australia.

PubMed

Wang, Liangmin; Duggin, John A; Nie, Daoping

2012-05-30

Vegetated buffer strips have been recognized as an important element in overall agro-ecosystem management to reduce the delivery of non-point source pollutants from agricultural land to inland water systems. A buffer strip experiment consisting of two tree species (Eucalyptus camaldulensis and Casuarina cunninghamiana) with two planting densities and a pasture treatment was conducted to determine the effectiveness of NO(3)-N removal from a cattle feedlot effluent disposal area at Tullimba near Armidale, NSW Australia. Different management methods were applied for the buffers where grass and weeds were mowed 2-3 times during the second and third years and were not managed during the rest experimental years for the tree buffer, while grass was harvested 1-3 times per year for the pasture buffer. The differences between tree species and planting density significantly affected tree growth, but the growth difference did not significantly affect their capacities to reduce NO(3)-N in soil surface runoff and groundwater. On average for all the tree and pasture treatments, the buffer strips reduced NO(3)-N concentration by 8.5%, 14.7% and 14.4% for the surface runoff, shallow and deep groundwater respectively. The tree and pasture buffer strips were not significantly different in NO(3)-N reduction for both shallow and deep groundwater while the pasture buffer strips reduced significantly more NO(3)-N concentration in surface runoff than the tree buffer strips. Both buffer strips reduced more than 50% of surface runoff volume indicating that both the tree and pasture buffer strips were efficient at removing water and nutrients, mostly through a significant reduction in soil surface runoff volume. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dispersion and Transport of Cryptosporidium Oocysts from Fecal Pats under Simulated Rainfall Events

PubMed Central

Davies, Cheryl M.; Ferguson, Christobel M.; Kaucner, Christine; Krogh, Martin; Altavilla, Nanda; Deere, Daniel A.; Ashbolt, Nicholas J.

2004-01-01

The dispersion and initial transport of Cryptosporidium oocysts from fecal pats were investigated during artificial rainfall events on intact soil blocks (1,500 by 900 by 300 mm). Rainfall events of 55 mm h−1 for 30 min and 25 mm h−1 for 180 min were applied to soil plots with artificial fecal pats seeded with approximately 107 oocysts. The soil plots were divided in two, with one side devoid of vegetation and the other left with natural vegetation cover. Each combination of event intensity and duration, vegetation status, and degree of slope (5° and 10°) was evaluated twice. Generally, a fivefold increase (P < 0.05) in runoff volume was generated on bare soil compared to vegetated soil, and significantly more infiltration, although highly variable, occurred through the vegetated soil blocks (P < 0.05). Runoff volume, event conditions (intensity and duration), vegetation status, degree of slope, and their interactions significantly affected the load of oocysts in the runoff. Surface runoff transported from 100.2 oocysts from vegetated loam soil (25-mm h−1, 180-min event on 10° slope) to up to 104.5 oocysts from unvegetated soil (55-mm h−1, 30-min event on 10° slope) over a 1-m distance. Surface soil samples downhill of the fecal pat contained significantly higher concentrations of oocysts on devegetated blocks than on vegetated blocks. Based on these results, there is a need to account for surface soil vegetation coverage as well as slope and rainfall runoff in future assessments of Cryptosporidium transport and when managing pathogen loads from stock grazing near streams within drinking water watersheds. PMID:14766600

Science in Action: National Stormwater Calculator (SWC) ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Stormwater discharges continue to cause impairment of our Nation’s waterbodies. Regulations that require the retention and/or treatment of frequent, small storms that dominate runoff volumes and pollutant loads are becoming more common. EPA has developed the National Stormwater Calculator (SWC) to help support local, state, and national stormwater management objectives to reduce runoff through infiltration and retention using green infrastructure practices as low impact development (LID) controls. To inform the public on what the Stormwater Calculator is used for.

RUNOFF, SEDIMENT TRANSPORT, AND SURFACE COLLAPSE AT A LOW-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE-WASTE BURIAL SITE NEAR SHEFFIELD, ILLINOIS.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gray, John R.; Peters, Charles A.; ,

1985-01-01

Runoff, sediment transport, and precipitation were measured in three gaged basins composing two-thirds of the 20-acre site, and in a 3. 5-acre basin located 0. 3 mile south of the site. Locations and dimensions of surface collapses at the site were recorded by the site contractor. Volumes of collapsed material were calculated and converted to an equivalent weight of earth material by applying a mean value for the bulk density of soils at the site.

Modelling and optimization of land use/land cover change in a developing urban catchment.

PubMed

Xu, Ping; Gao, Fei; He, Junchao; Ren, Xinxin; Xi, Weijin

2017-06-01

The impacts of land use/cover change (LUCC) on hydrological processes and water resources are mainly reflected in changes in runoff and pollutant variations. Low impact development (LID) technology is utilized as an effective strategy to control urban stormwater runoff and pollution in the urban catchment. In this study, the impact of LUCC on runoff and pollutants in an urbanizing catchment of Guang-Ming New District in Shenzhen, China, were quantified using a dynamic rainfall-runoff model with the EPA Storm Water Management Model (SWMM). Based on the simulations and observations, the main objectives of this study were: (1) to evaluate the catchment runoff and pollutant variations with LUCC, (2) to select and optimize the appropriate layout of LID in a planning scenario for reducing the growth of runoff and pollutants under LUCC, (3) to assess the optimal planning schemes for land use/cover. The results showed that compared to 2013, the runoff volume, peak flow and pollution load of suspended solids (SS), and chemical oxygen demand increased by 35.1%, 33.6% and 248.5%, and 54.5% respectively in a traditional planning scenario. The assessment result of optimal planning of land use showed that annual rainfall control of land use for an optimal planning scenario with LID technology was 65%, and SS pollutant load reduction efficiency 65.6%.

Runoff measurements and hydrological modelling for the estimation of rainfall volumes in an Alpine basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ranzi, R.; Bacchi, B.; Grossi, G.

2003-01-01

Streamflow data and water levels in reservoirs have been collected at 30 recording sites in the Toce river basin and its surroundings, upstream of Lago Maggiore, one of the target areas of the Mesoscale Alpine Programme (MAP) experiment. These data have been used for two purposes: firstly, the verification of a hydrological model, forced by rain-gauge data and the output of a mesoscale meteorological model, for flood simulation and forecasting; secondly, to solve an inverse problem--to estimate rainfall volumes from the runoff data in mountain areas where the influence of orography and the limits of actual monitoring systems prevent accurate measurement of precipitation. The methods are illustrated for 19-20 September 1999, MAP Intensive Observing Period 2b, an event with a 4-year return period for the Toce river basin. Uncertainties in the estimates of the areal rainfall volumes based on rain-gauge data and via the inverse solution are assessed.

Pollutant loading from low-density residential neighborhoods in California.

PubMed

Bale, Andrew E; Greco, Steven E; Pitton, Bruno J L; Haver, Darren L; Oki, Lorence R

2017-08-01

This paper presents a comparison of pollutant load estimations for runoff from two geographically distinct residential suburban neighborhoods in northern and southern California. The two neighborhoods represent a single urban land use type: low-density residential in small catchments (<0.3 km 2 ) under differing regional climates and irrigation practices. Pollutant loads of pesticides, nutrients, and drinking water constituents of concern are estimated for both storm and non-storm runoff. From continuous flow monitoring, it was found that a daily cycle of persistent runoff that peaks mid-morning occurs at both sites. These load estimations indicate that many residential neighborhoods in California produce significant non-storm pollutant loads year-round. Results suggest that non-storm flow accounted for 47-69% of total annual runoff and significantly contributed to annual loading rates of most nutrients and pesticides at both sites. At the Southern California site, annual non-storm loads are 1.2-10 times higher than storm loads of all conventional constituents and nutrients with one exception (total suspended solids). At the Northern California site, annual storm loads range from 51 to 76% of total loads for all conventional constituents and nutrients with one exception (total dissolved solids). Non-storm yields of pesticides at the Southern California site range from 1.3-65 times higher than those at the Northern California site. The disparity in estimated pollutant loads between the two sites indicates large potential variation from site-to-site within the state and suggests neighborhoods in drier and milder climates may produce significantly larger non-storm loads due to persistent dry season runoff and year-round pest control.

Integrated urban water management in commercial buildings.

PubMed

Trowsdale, S; Gabe, J; Vale, R

2011-01-01

Monitoring results are presented as an annual water balance from the pioneering Landcare Research green building containing commercial laboratory and office space. The building makes use of harvested roof runoff to flush toilets and urinals and irrigate glasshouse experiments, reducing the demand for city-supplied water and stormwater runoff. Stormwater treatment devices also manage the runoff from the carpark, helping curb stream degradation. Composting toilets and low-flow tap fittings further reduce the water demand. Despite research activities requiring the use of large volumes of water, the demand for city-supplied water is less than has been measured in many other green buildings. In line with the principles of sustainability, the composting toilets produce a useable product from wastes and internalise the wastewater treatment process.

Hydrologic monitoring for Chicago’s Sustainable Streetscapes Program

USGS Publications Warehouse

Duncker, James J.; Morrow, William S.

2016-04-05

The Chicago Department of Transportation’s Sustainable Streetscapes Program is an innovative program that strives to convert Chicago’s neighborhood commercial areas, riverwalks, and bicycle facilities into active, attractive places for Chicagoans to live, work, and play. The objective of each project is to create flourishing public places while improving the ability of infrastructure to support dense urban living. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRDGC), and the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT), is monitoring the pre- and postconstruction hydrologic characteristics of an urban corridor on the south side of Chicago that is being renovated using sustainable streetscapes technology.The CDOT Sustainable Streetscapes Program utilizes urban stormwater best-management practices (BMPs) to reduce the storm runoff to the local combined sewer system. The urban stormwater BMPs include permeable pavement, bioswales, infiltration basins, and planters. The urban stormwater BMPs are designed to capture the first flush of storm runoff through features that enhance the infiltration of stormwater runoff to shallow groundwater.The hydrology of the Sustainable Streetscapes Program area is being monitored to evaluate the impacts and effectiveness of the urban stormwater BMP’s. Continuous monitoring of rainfall, sewer flows, stormwater runoff, soil moisture, and groundwater levels will give engineers and scientists measured data to define baseline pre- and postconstruction conditions for the evaluation of the BMPs.Three tipping-bucket rain gages are located along the project corridor. The data provide information on the intensity and volume of rainfall. Rainfall can be highly variable even over a small area like the project corridor.Continuous recording meters are located at specific locations in the combined sewers to record water level and flow during both dry weather (mostly sanitary flow) and wet weather conditions (stormwater runoff in addition to the sanitary flow). Sanitary flow is the largest source of flow in the combined sewers during dry weather, and stormwater runoff and sanitary flow combine during wet weather. The sewer flow data allow engineers and scientists to calculate total runoff volume for selected storm events.Wells are located within the project corridor to record water levels and help determine the direction of movement of groundwater in response to rainfall and snowmelt. In urban settings with aging sewer systems, groundwater can seep into the sewers or combined sewage can seep from the sewers into the local groundwater system. The groundwater data are also important in evaluating the overall impacts of increased infiltration resulting from BMPs.Data from wells show the relative water levels of shallow groundwater, water levels in the combined sewer system, and nearby surface-water channels within the project corridor. In some aging urban sewer systems, the local combined sewer system lies below the water table and receives substantial amounts of groundwater inflow, which can significantly reduce the amount of additional water the sewer system can accept.The bioswale along the south side of West Cermak Road near South Throop Street functions to infiltrate stormwater runoff from the road. Stormwater on the road surface initially drains to the curb and then flows along the curb until it reaches a curb cut-out. Materials within the bioswale allow stormwater to infiltrate and reduce the load to the combined sewer.A common feature in urban areas are curbside catch basins that collect stormwater runoff from paved streets. Stormwater drains first to the curb and then flows along the curb to the catch basin. Lateral sewer pipe connects the catch basin to the combined sewer beneath the street. The use of permeable pavers along the curbs in the project study reach let stormwater infiltrate before it reaches the curb, thus reducing the amount of stormwater draining to the combined sewers.Water-level data from catch basins in the project study area show the effects of permeable pavers in reducing the stormwater drainage to the combined sewers.

Antibiotic losses from unprotected manure stockpiles.

PubMed

Dolliver, Holly A S; Gupta, Satish C

2008-01-01

Manure management is a major concern in livestock production systems. Although historically the primary concerns have been nutrients and pathogens, manure is also a source of emerging contaminants, such as antibiotics, to the environment. There is a growing concern that antibiotics in manure are reaching surface and ground waters and contributing to the development and spread of antibiotic resistance in the environment. One such pathway is through leaching and runoff from manure stockpiles. In this study, we quantified chlortetracycline, monensin, and tylosin losses in runoff from beef manure stockpiles during two separate but consecutive experiments representing different weather conditions (i.e., temperature and precipitation amount and form). Concentrations of chlortetracycline, monensin, and tylosin in runoff were positively correlated with initial concentrations of antibiotics in manure. The highest concentrations of chlortetracycline, monensin, and tylosin in runoff were 210, 3175, and 2544 microg L(-1), respectively. Relative antibiotic losses were primarily a function of water losses. In the experiment that had higher runoff water losses, antibiotic losses ranged from 1.2 to 1.8% of total extractable antibiotics in manure. In the experiment with lower runoff water losses, antibiotic losses varied from 0.2 to 0.6% of the total extractable antibiotics in manure. Manure analysis over time suggests that in situ degradation is an important mechanism for antibiotic losses. Degradation losses during manure stockpiling may exceed cumulative losses from runoff events. Storing manure in protected (i.e., covered) facilities could reduce the risk of aquatic contamination associated with manure stockpiling and other outdoor manure management practices.

Osmotically driven membrane process for the management of urban runoff in coastal regions.

PubMed

Li, Zhenyu; Valladares Linares, Rodrigo; Abu-Ghdaib, Muhannad; Zhan, Tong; Yangali-Quintanilla, Victor; Amy, Gary

2014-01-01

An osmotic detention pond was proposed for the management of urban runoff in coastal regions. Forward osmosis was employed as a bridge to utilize natural osmotic energy from seawater for concentrating and reusing urban runoff water, and as a barrier to reject runoff-derived contaminants. The process was demonstrated by a lab scale testing using synthetic urban runoff (as the feed solution) and synthetic seawater (as the draw solution). The submerged forward osmosis process was conducted under neutral, acidic and natural organic matter fouling condition, respectively. Forward osmosis flux decline was mainly attributed to the dilution of seawater during a semi-batch process in lab scale testing. However, it is possible to minimize flux decrease by maintaining a constant salinity at the draw solution side. Various changes in urban runoff water quality, including acidic conditions (acid rain) and natural organic matter presence, did not show significant effects on the rejection of trace metals and phosphorus, but influenced salt leakage and the rejection of nitrate and total nitrogen. Rejection of trace metals varied from 98% to 100%, phosphorus varied from 97% to 100, nitrate varied from 52% to 94% and total nitrogen varied from 65% to 85% under different feed water conditions. The work described in this study contributes to an integrated system of urban runoff management, seawater desalination and possible power generation in coastal regions to achieve a sustainable solution to the water-energy nexus. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The origin of high and low flows in the river Rhine: particle tracing and water quality calculations in a distributed hydrological model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schellekens, Jaap; van Gils, Jos; Christophe, Christophe; Sperna-Weiland, Frederiek; Winsemius, Hessel

2013-04-01

The ability to quickly link a complete water quality model to any distributed hydrological model can be of great value. It provides the hydrological modeller with more information on the performance of the model by being able to add particle tracing and independent mass balance calculations to an existing distributed hydrological model. It also allows for full catchment water quality calculations forced by emissions to different hydrological compartments, taking into account the relevant processes in the different compartments of the hydrological model. A combined distributed hydrological model and hydrochemical model (Delwaq) have been combined within the modeling framework OpenStreams to model large scale hydrological processes in the Rhine basin upstream of the Dutch border at Lobith. Several models have been setup to evaluate (1) the origin of high and low flows in the Rhine basin based on subcatchment contribution and (2) the contribution of different land covers to the total flow with special reference to urban land cover. In addition (3) the relative share of fast and slow runoff components in the total river discharge has been quantified, as well as the age of these two fractions, both as a function of time. Finally (4) the transmission of a pollutant released in infiltrating water and undergoing sorption has been simulated, as a first test for implementing full water quality modelling. The results of a thirty-five year run using daily time steps for 1975 to 2010 were analysed for monthly average contribution to the total flow of each subcatchment and the different land cover types both for average flow conditions and for the top ten and bottom ten flow percentiles. Furthermore, a number of high and low flow events have been analysed in detail. They reveal the large contribution of the basin area upstream of Basel to the dry season flow, especially during the driest summers. Flood conditions in the basin have a more varied origin with the Moselle being the main contributor. The amount of urban land cover (6.7%) generated a fairly large amount of (quick) runoff. In times up to 21 % of the flow at Lobith is generated in urban areas. The location of urban areas (in general close to the river) in combination with the associated impermeable surfaces most probably cause the relatively large contribution of urban areas. The fast runoff fraction at Lobith has an average age between 5 and 25 days, depending on the hydrology within the year, while the slow runoff fraction shows an average age between 300 and 600 days, again depending on the hydrology within the year. The time needed to flush out 90% of the total volume of water from the basin is about 20 years.

Hydraulic, water-quality, and temperature performance of three types of permeable pavement under high sediment loading conditions

USGS Publications Warehouse

Selbig, William R.; Buer, Nicolas

2018-05-11

Three permeable pavement surfaces - asphalt (PA), concrete (PC), and interlocking pavers (PIP) - were evaluated side-by-side to measure changes to the infiltrative capacity and water quality of stormwater runoff originating from a conventional asphalt parking lot in Madison, Wisconsin. During the 24-month monitoring period (2014-16), all three permeable pavements resulted in statistically significant reductions in the cumulative load of solids (total suspended solids and suspended sediment), total phosphorus, Escherichia coli (E. coli), and Enterococci. Most of the removal occurred through capture and retention in the void spaces of each permeable surface and aggregate base. The largest reduction in total suspended solids was for PC at 80 percent, followed by PIP and PA at 69 and 65 percent, respectively. Reductions (generally less than 50 percent) in total phosphorus also were observed, which might have been tempered by increases in the dissolved fraction observed in PIP and PA. Conversely, PC results indicated a slight reduction in dissolved phosphorus but failed to meet statistical significance. E. coli and Enterococci were reduced by about 80 percent for PC, almost twice the amount observed for PIP and PA.Results for the PIP and PC surfaces initially indicated higher pollutant load reduction than results for the PA surface. The efficiency of PIP and PC surfaces capturing sediment, however, led to a decline in infiltration rates that resulted in more runoff flowing over, not through, the permeable surface. This result led to a decline in treatment until the permeable surface was partially restored through maintenance practices, to which PIP responded more dramatically than PC or PA. Conversely, the PA surface was capable of infiltrating most of the influent runoff volume during the monitoring period and, thus, continued to provide some level of treatment. The combined effect of underdrain and overflow drainage resulted in similar pollutant treatment for all three permeable surfaces.Temperatures below each permeable surface generally followed changes in air temperature with a more gradual response observed in deeper layers. Therefore, permeable pavement may do little to mitigate heated runoff during summer. During winter, deeper layers remained above freezing even when air temperature was below freezing. Although temperatures were not high enough to melt snow or ice accumulated on the surface, temperatures below each permeable pavement did allow void spaces to remain open, which promoted infiltration of melted ice and snow as air temperatures rose above freezing. These open void spaces could potentially reduce the need for application of deicing agents in winter because melted snow and ice would infiltrate, thereby preventing refreezing of pooled water in what is known as the “black ice” effect.

Drainage water management combined with cover crop enhances reduction of soil phosphorus loss.

PubMed

Zhang, T Q; Tan, C S; Zheng, Z M; Welacky, T; Wang, Y T

2017-05-15

Integrating multiple practices for mitigation of phosphorus (P) loss from soils may enhance the reduction efficiency, but this has not been studied as much as individual ones. A four-year study was conducted to determine the effects of cover crop (CC) (CC vs. no CC, NCC) and drainage water management (DWM) (controlled drainage with sub-irrigation, CDS, vs. regular free tile drainage, RFD) and their interaction on P loss through both surface runoff (SR) and tile drainage (TD) water in a clay loam soil of the Lake Erie region. Cover crop reduced SR flow volume by 32% relative to NCC, regardless of DWM treatment. In contrast, CC increased TD flow volume by 57 and 9.4% with CDS and RFD, respectively, compared to the corresponding DWM treatment with NCC. The total (SR+TD) field water discharge volumes were comparable amongst all the treatments. Cover crop reduced flow-weighted mean (FWM) concentrations of particulate P (PP) by 26% and total P (TP) by 12% in SR, while it didn't affect the FWM dissolved reactive P (DRP) concentration, regardless of DWM treatments. Compared with RFD, CDS reduced FWM DRP concentration in TD water by 19%, while CC reduced FWM PP and TP concentrations in TD by 21 and 17%, respectively. Total (SR+TD) soil TP loss was the least with CDS-CC followed by RFD-CC, CDS-NCC, and RFD-NCC. Compared with RFD-NCC, currently popular practice in the region, total TP loss was reduced by 23% with CDS-CC. The CDS-CC system can be an effective practice to ultimately mitigate soil P loading to water resource. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

CADDIS Volume 2. Sources, Stressors and Responses: Urbanization - Temperature

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

water temperature changes associated with urbanization, heated surface runoff associated with urbanization, how temperature changes associated with urbanization can affect stream biota, interactive effects of urbanizaiton and climate change.

Estimating mean long-term hydrologic budget components for watersheds and counties: An application to the commonwealth of Virginia, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sanford, Ward E.; Nelms, David L.; Pope, Jason P.; Selnick, David L.

2015-01-01

Mean long-term hydrologic budget components, such as recharge and base flow, are often difficult to estimate because they can vary substantially in space and time. Mean long-term fluxes were calculated in this study for precipitation, surface runoff, infiltration, total evapotranspiration (ET), riparian ET, recharge, base flow (or groundwater discharge) and net total outflow using long-term estimates of mean ET and precipitation and the assumption that the relative change in storage over that 30-year period is small compared to the total ET or precipitation. Fluxes of these components were first estimated on a number of real-time-gaged watersheds across Virginia. Specific conductance was used to distinguish and separate surface runoff from base flow. Specific-conductance (SC) data were collected every 15 minutes at 75 real-time gages for approximately 18 months between March 2007 and August 2008. Precipitation was estimated for 1971-2000 using PRISM climate data. Precipitation and temperature from the PRISM data were used to develop a regression-based relation to estimate total ET. The proportion of watershed precipitation that becomes surface runoff was related to physiographic province and rock type in a runoff regression equation. A new approach to estimate riparian ET using seasonal SC data gave results consistent with those from other methods. Component flux estimates from the watersheds were transferred to flux estimates for counties and independent cities using the ET and runoff regression equations. Only 48 of the 75 watersheds yielded sufficient data, and data from these 48 were used in the final runoff regression equation. Final results for the study are presented as component flux estimates for all counties and independent cities in Virginia. The method has the potential to be applied in many other states in the U.S. or in other regions or countries of the world where climate and stream flow data are plentiful.

Distributed watershed modeling of design storms to identify nonpoint source loading areas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Endreny, T.A.; Wood, E.F.

1999-03-01

Watershed areas that generate nonpoint source (NPS) polluted runoff need to be identified prior to the design of basin-wide water quality projects. Current watershed-scale NPS models lack a variable source area (VSA) hydrology routine, and are therefore unable to identify spatially dynamic runoff zones. The TOPLATS model used a watertable-driven VSA hydrology routine to identify runoff zones in a 17.5 km{sup 2} agricultural watershed in central Oklahoma. Runoff areas were identified in a static modeling framework as a function of prestorm watertable depth and also in a dynamic modeling framework by simulating basin response to 2, 10, and 25 yrmore » return period 6 h design storms. Variable source area expansion occurred throughout the duration of each 6 h storm and total runoff area increased with design storm intensity. Basin-average runoff rates of 1 mm h{sup {minus}1} provided little insight into runoff extremes while the spatially distributed analysis identified saturation excess zones with runoff rates equaling effective precipitation. The intersection of agricultural landcover areas with these saturation excess runoff zones targeted the priority potential NPS runoff zones that should be validated with field visits. These intersected areas, labeled as potential NPS runoff zones, were mapped within the watershed to demonstrate spatial analysis options available in TOPLATS for managing complex distributions of watershed runoff. TOPLATS concepts in spatial saturation excess runoff modelling should be incorporated into NPS management models.« less

Hydrologic and hydraulic analyses for the Black Fork Mohican River Basin in and near Shelby, Ohio

USGS Publications Warehouse

Huitger, Carrie A.; Ostheimer, Chad J.; Koltun, G.F.

2016-05-06

Hydrologic and hydraulic analyses were done for selected reaches of five streams in and near Shelby, Richland County, Ohio. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District, conducted these analyses on the Black Fork Mohican River and four tributaries: Seltzer Park Creek, Seltzer Park Tributary, Tuby Run, and West Branch. Drainage areas of the four stream reaches studied range from 0.51 to 60.3 square miles. The analyses included estimation of the 10-, 2-, 1-, and 0.2-percent annual-exceedance probability (AEP) flood-peak discharges using the USGS Ohio StreamStats application. Peak discharge estimates, along with cross-sectional and hydraulic structure geometries, and estimates of channel roughness coefficients were used as input to step-backwater models. The step-backwater water models were used to determine water-surface elevation profiles of four flood-peak discharges and a regulatory floodway. This study involved the installation of, and data collection at, a streamflow-gaging station (Black Fork Mohican River at Shelby, Ohio, 03129197), precipitation gage (Rain gage at Reservoir Number Two at Shelby, Ohio, 405209082393200), and seven submersible pressure transducers on six selected river reaches. Two precipitation-runoff models, one for the winter events and one for nonwinter events for the headwaters of the Black Fork Mohican River, were developed and calibrated using the data collected. With the exception of the runoff curve numbers, all other parameters used in the two precipitation-runoff models were identical. The Nash-Sutcliffe model efficiency coefficients were 0.737, 0.899, and 0.544 for the nonwinter events and 0.850 and 0.671 for the winter events. Both of the precipitation-runoff models underestimated the total volume of water, with residual runoff ranging from -0.27 inches to -1.53 inches. The results of this study can be used to assess possible mitigation options and define flood hazard areas that will contribute to the protection of life and property. This study could also assist emergency managers, community officials, and residents in determining when flooding may occur and planning evacuation routes during a flood.

Assessing the hydrologic response to wildfires in mountainous regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Havel, Aaron; Tasdighi, Ali; Arabi, Mazdak

2018-04-01

This study aims to understand the hydrologic responses to wildfires in mountainous regions at various spatial scales. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was used to evaluate the hydrologic responses of the upper Cache la Poudre Watershed in Colorado to the 2012 High Park and Hewlett wildfire events. A baseline SWAT model was established to simulate the hydrology of the study area between the years 2000 and 2014. A procedure involving land use and curve number updating was implemented to assess the effects of wildfires. Application of the proposed procedure provides the ability to simulate the hydrologic response to wildfires seamlessly through mimicking the dynamic of the changes due to wildfires. The wildfire effects on curve numbers were determined comparing the probability distribution of curve numbers after calibrating the model for pre- and post-wildfire conditions. Daily calibration and testing of the model produced very good results. No-wildfire and wildfire scenarios were created and compared to quantify changes in average annual total runoff volume, water budgets, and full streamflow statistics at different spatial scales. At the watershed scale, wildfire conditions showed little impact on the hydrologic responses. However, a runoff increase up to 75 % was observed between the scenarios in sub-watersheds with high burn intensity. Generally, higher surface runoff and decreased subsurface flow were observed under post-wildfire conditions. Flow duration curves developed for burned sub-watersheds using full streamflow statistics showed that less frequent streamflows become greater in magnitude. A linear regression model was developed to assess the relationship between percent burned area and runoff increase in Cache la Poudre Watershed. A strong (R2 > 0.8) and significant (p < 0.001) positive correlation was determined between runoff increase and percentage of burned area upstream. This study showed that the effects of wildfires on hydrology of a watershed are scale-dependent. Also, using full streamflow statistics through application of flow duration curves revealed that the wildfires had a higher effect on peak flows, which may increase the risk of flash floods in post-wildfire conditions.

Assessment of water quality, road runoff, and bulk atmospheric deposition, Guanella Pass area, Clear Creek and Park Counties, Colorado, water years 1995-97

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stevens, Michael R.

2001-01-01

The Guanella Pass road, located about 40 miles west of Denver, Colorado, between the towns of Georgetown and Grant, has been designated a scenic byway and is being considered for reconstruction. The purpose of this report is to present an assessment of hydrologic and water-quality conditions in the Guanella Pass area and provide baseline data for evaluation of the effects of the proposed road reconstruction. The data were collected during water years 1995-97 (October 1, 1995, to September 30, 1997).Based on Colorado water-quality standards, current surface-water quality near Guanella Pass road was generally acceptable for specified use classifications of recreation, water supply, agriculture, and aquatic life. Streams had small concentrations of dissolved solids, nutrients, trace elements, and suspended sediment. An exception was upper Geneva Creek, which was acidic and had relatively large concentrations of iron, zinc, and other trace elements related to acid-sulfate weathering. Concentrations of many water-quality constituents, especially particle-related phases and suspended sediment, increased during peak snowmelt and rainstorm events and decreased to prerunoff concentrations at the end of runoff periods. Some dissolved (filtered) trace-element loads in Geneva Creek decreased during rainstorms when total recoverable loads remained generally static or increased, indicating a phase change that might be explained by adsorption of trace elements to suspended sediment during storm runoff.Total recoverable iron and dissolved zinc exceeded Colorado stream-water-quality standards most frequently. Exceedances for iron generally occurred during periods of high suspended-sediment transport in several streams. Zinc standards were exceeded in about one-half the samples collected in Geneva Creek 1.5 miles upstream from Grant.Lake-water quality was generally similar to that of area streams. Nitrogen and phosphorus ratios calculated for Clear and Duck Lakes indicated that phytoplankton in the lakes were probably phosphorus-limited. Measures of trophic status (secchi depth, total phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a) indicated that Duck and Clear Lakes were oligotrophic in 1997.Ground water had relatively low specific conductance (range 24 to 584 microsiemens per centimeter) and did not exceed U.S. Environmental Protection Agency drinking-water standards, except for samples collected from a single well, which exceeded the Proposed Maximum Contaminant Level for uranium.Runoff from the Guanella Pass road enters streams through surface channels connected to culverts and roadside ditches. Fifty-six percent of the total number of culvert and roadside-ditch drainage features on the Guanella Pass road showed evidence of recent surface runoff connection to an adjacent stream. Road runoff is generated during snowmelt and during summer rainstorms.At a road cross-drain culvert monitored continuously for discharge (water years 1996-97), most runoff (77 to 96 percent) was a result of snowmelt, and runoff from the road preceded the basinwide peak streamflow, resulting in sediment and water-quality constituent inputs to the stream when the stream?s capacity for dilution of the road runoff was low. Specific conductance of road-runoff samples ranged from 14 to 468 microsiemens per centimeter. Major-ion composition of some samples indicated effects from deicing salt (sodium chloride) and dust inhibitor (magnesium chloride) applied to sections of the road, but changes in the stream concentrations that might be attributed to the runoff were brief and relatively small.Nutrients were commonly measured in road-runoff samples at larger concentrations than in streamflow. Concentrations of nitrate and ammonia, especially during rainfall-generated road runoff, were more similar to the concentrations in precipitation than to the concentrations in stream water. Concentrations of ammonia plus organic nitrogen (total as N) (range less than 0.2 to 24 milligrams per liter) and t

Transport of plutonium in snowmelt run-off

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Purtymun, W.D.; Peters, R.; Maes, M.N.

1990-07-01

Plutonium in treated low-level radioactive effluents released into intermittent streams is bound by ion exchange or adsorption to bed sediments in the stream channel. These sediments are subject to transport with summer and spring snowmelt run-off. A study was made of the transport of plutonium during seven spring run-off events in Los Alamos and Pueblo canyons from the Laboratory boundary to Otowi on the Rio Grande. The melting of the snowpack during these years resulted in run-off that was large enough to reach the eastern edge of the Laboratory. Of these seven run-off events recorded at the Laboratory boundary, onlymore » five had sufficient flow to reach the Rio Grande. The volume of the five events that reached the river ranged from 5 {times} 10{sup 3} m{sup 3} to 104 {times} 10{sup 3} m{sup 3}. The five run-off events carried 119 {times} 10{sup 3} kg of suspended sediments and 1073 {times} 10{sup 3} kg of bed sediments, and transported 598 {mu}Ci of plutonium to the river. Of the 598 {mu}Ci of plutonium, 3% was transported in solution, 57% with suspended sediments, and 40% with bed sediments. 13 refs., 3 figs., 6 tabs.« less

Status, trends, and changes in freshwater inflows to bay systems in the Corpus Christi Bay National Estuary Program study area

USGS Publications Warehouse

Asquith, W.H.; Mosier, J. G.; Bush, P.W.

1997-01-01

The watershed simulation model Hydrologic Simulation Program—Fortran (HSPF) was used to generate simulated flow (runoff) from the 13 watersheds to the six bay systems because adequate gaged streamflow data from which to estimate freshwater inflows are not available; only about 23 percent of the adjacent contributing watershed area is gaged. The model was calibrated for the gaged parts of three watersheds—that is, selected input parameters (meteorologic and hydrologic properties and conditions) that control runoff were adjusted in a series of simulations until an adequate match between model-generated flows and a set (time series) of gaged flows was achieved. The primary model input is rainfall and evaporation data and the model output is a time series of runoff volumes. After calibration, simulations driven by daily rainfall for a 26-year period (1968–93) were done for the 13 watersheds to obtain runoff under current (1983–93), predevelopment (pre-1940 streamflow and pre-urbanization), and future (2010) land-use conditions for estimating freshwater inflows and for comparing runoff under the three land-use conditions; and to obtain time series of runoff from which to estimate time series of freshwater inflows for trend analysis.

Forecasting land use change and its environmental impact at a watershed scale.

PubMed

Tang, Z; Engel, B A; Pijanowski, B C; Lim, K J

2005-07-01

Urban expansion is a major driving force altering local and regional hydrology and increasing non-point source (NPS) pollution. To explore these environmental consequences of urbanization, land use change was forecast, and long-term runoff and NPS pollution were assessed in the Muskegon River watershed, located on the eastern coast of Lake Michigan. A land use change model, LTM, and a web-based environmental impact model, L-THIA, were used in this study. The outcomes indicated the watershed would likely be subjected to impacts from urbanization on runoff and some types of NPS pollution. Urbanization will slightly or considerably increase runoff volume, depending on the development rate, slightly increase nutrient losses in runoff, but significantly increase losses of oil and grease and certain heavy metals in runoff. The spatial variation of urbanization and its impact were also evaluated at the subwatershed scale and showed subwatersheds along the coast of the lake and close to cities would have runoff and nitrogen impact. The results of this study have significant implications for urban planning and decision making in an effort to protect and remediate water and habitat quality of Muskegon Lake, which is one of Lake Michigan's Areas of Concern (AOC), and the techniques described here can be used in other areas.

Evaluation of agricultural best-management practices in the Conestoga River headwaters, Pennsylvania; effects of pipe-outlet terracing on quantity and quality of surface runoff and ground water in a small carbonate-rock basin near Churchtown, Pennsylvania, 1983-89

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lietman, P.L.; Gustafson-Minnich, L. C.; Hall, D.W.

1997-01-01

Terracing effects on surface-runoff and ground- water quantity and quality were investigated by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources, during 1983-89 at a 23.1-acre agricultural site in Lancaster County, Pa., as part of the 1982 Rural Clean Water Program. The site, underlain by carbonate rock, was primarily corn and alfalfa fields; the median slope was 6 percent.Normal precipitation is about 42 inches per year. Average annual runoff was 11 percent and ground- water recharge was 37 percent of precipitation.Runoff quantity, suspended-sediment, and nutrient data, ground-water level and nutrient data, and precipitation-quantity data were collected for 21 months prior to, and 58 months after, pipe-outlet terrace construction. Data were analyzed by use of graphical, regression, covariate, cluster, Mann- Whitney Rank Sum test, and double-mass curvetechniques. Terracing changed runoff characteristics. Storm characteristics were similar throughout the study period. However, after terracing, storms producing less than 0.4 inch of precipitation rarely produced runoff. Total-storm discharge as a function of precipitation did not change significantly throughout the range of runoff-producing storms after terracing. Multiple-discharge peaks on hydrographs before terracing did not occur after terracing when hydrographs reflected the stepwisedraining of each terrace through the pipe outlet. After an initial 2-year period of terrace stabilization, suspended-sediment yield in runoff decreased significantly as a function of runoff. This result was expected because terracing decreased runoff energy, and because terrace ponding allowed time for sediment redeposition. Nitrate plus nitrite yields increased proportionally throughout the range of runoff during the post-terracing period relative to the pre- terracing period. After terracing, a combination of increased soil contact time and increased nitrification caused by wetter soils is believed to have increased nitrate concentrations in runoff. No significant change was found in yields of total nitrogen, ammonia plus organic nitrogen, or total phosphorus relative to runoff before and after terracing. Limited data suggest that fine-sediment particles (less than 0.62 micrometers in diameter), which continued to be discharged from the site, transported most of the phosphorus. Terracing did not significantly change the quantity of recharge to the carbonate aquifer. The mean annual water-table altitude did not change after terracing. Nitrate concentrations of ground water increased significantly at four of the site wells after terracing, probably because of increased contact time of the recharge with nutrient-rich soils in ponded terrace water. Qualitative evidence indicates that large decreases in nutrient requirements and nitrogen applications because of a crop change from corn to alfalfa upgradient of two site wells resulted in either no detectable change or a significant decrease in nitrate concentrations of ground water after terracing.

Hydrologic Impact of Straw Mulch On Runoff from a Burned Area for Various Soil Water Content

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carnicle, M. M.; Moody, J. A.; Ahlstrom, A. K.

2011-12-01

Mountainous watersheds often exhibit increases in runoff and flash floods after wildfires. During 11 days of September 2010, the Fourmile Canyon wildfire burned 2500 hectares of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains near Boulder, Colorado. In an effort to minimize the risk of flash floods after the wildfire, Boulder County aerially applied straw mulch on high-risk areas selected primarily on the basis of their slopes and burn severities. The purpose of this research is to investigate the hydrologic response, specifically runoff, of a burned area where straw mulch is applied. We measured the runoff, at different soil water contents, from 0.8-m diameter plots. Paired plots were installed in June 2011 in a basin burned by the Fourmile Canyon Fire. Two sets of bounded, paired plot (two control and two experimental plots) were calibrated for 35 days without straw on either plot by measuring volumetric soil water content 2-3 times per week and measuring total runoff from each storm. Straw (5 cm thick) was added to the two experimental plots on 19 July 2011 and also to the funnels of two visual rain gages in order to measure the amount of rainfall absorbed by the straw. Initial results during the calibration period showed nearly linear relations between the volumetric soil water content of the control and experimental plots. The regression line for the runoff from the control versus the runoff from the experiment plot did not fit a linear trend; the variability may have been caused by two intense storms, which produced runoff that exceeded the capacity of the runoff gages. Also, during the calibration period, when soil water content was low the runoff coefficients were high. It is anticipated that the final results will show that the total runoff is greater on plots with no straw compared to those with straw, under conditions of various antecedent soil water content. We are continuing to collect data during the summer of 2011 to test this hypothesis.

Parking Lot Runoff Quality and Treatment Efficiency of a Stormwater-Filtration Device, Madison, Wisconsin, 2005-07

USGS Publications Warehouse

Horwatich, Judy A.; Bannerman, Roger T.

2010-01-01

To evaluate the treatment efficiency of a stormwater-filtration device (SFD) for potential use at Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) park-and-ride facilities, a SFD was installed at an employee parking lot in downtown Madison, Wisconsin. This type of parking lot was chosen for the test site because the constituent concentrations and particle-size distributions (PSDs) were expected to be similar to those of a typical park-and-ride lot operated by WisDOT. The objective of this particular installation was to reduce loads of total suspended solids (TSS) in stormwater runoff to Lake Monona. This study also was designed to provide a range of treatment efficiencies expected for a SFD. Samples from the inlet and outlet were analyzed for 33 organic and inorganic constituents, including 18 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Samples were also analyzed for physical properties, including PSD. Water-quality samples were collected for 51 runoff events from November 2005 to August 2007. Samples from all runoff events were analyzed for concentrations of suspended sediment (SS). Samples from 31 runoff events were analyzed for 15 constituents, samples from 15 runoff events were analyzed for PAHs, and samples from 36 events were analyzed for PSD. The treatment efficiency of the SFD was calculated using the summation of loads (SOL) and the efficiency ratio methods. Constituents for which the concentrations and (or) loads were decreased by the SFD include TSS, SS, volatile suspended solids, total phosphorous (TP), total copper, total zinc, and PAHs. The efficiency ratios for these constituents are 45, 37, 38, 55, 22, 5, and 46 percent, respectively. The SOLs for these constituents are 32, 37, 28, 36, 23, 8, and 48 percent, respectively. The SOL for chloride was -21 and the efficiency ratio was -18. Six chemical constituents or properties-dissolved phosphorus, chemical oxygen demand, dissolved zinc, total dissolved solids, dissolved chemical oxygen demand, and dissolved copper-were not included in the efficiency or SOL, because the difference between concentrations in samples from the inlet and outlet were not significant. Concentrations of TP and TSS were inexplicably high in samples at the inlet for one event.

Build-up and wash-off dynamics of atmospherically derived Cu, Pb, Zn and TSS in stormwater runoff as a function of meteorological characteristics.

PubMed

Murphy, Louise U; Cochrane, Thomas A; O'Sullivan, Aisling

2015-03-01

Atmospheric pollutants deposited on impermeable surfaces can be an important source of pollutants to stormwater runoff; however, modelling atmospheric pollutant loads in runoff has rarely been done, because of the challenges and uncertainties in monitoring their contribution. To overcome this, impermeable concrete boards (≈ 1m(2)) were deployed for 11 months in different locations within an urban area (industrial, residential and airside) throughout Christchurch, New Zealand, to capture spatially distributed atmospheric deposition loads in runoff over varying meteorological conditions. Runoff was analysed for total and dissolved Cu, Zn, Pb, and total suspended solids (TSS). Mixed-effect regression models were developed to simulate atmospheric pollutant loads in stormwater runoff. In addition, the models were used to explain the influence of different meteorological characteristics (e.g. antecedent dry days and rain depth) on pollutant build-up and wash-off dynamics. The models predicted approximately 53% to 69% of the variation in pollutant loads and were successful in predicting pollutant-load trends over time which can be useful for general stormwater planning processes. Results from the models illustrated the importance of antecedent dry days on pollutant build-up. Furthermore, results indicated that peak rainfall intensity and rain duration had a significant relationship with TSS and total Pb, whereas, rain depth had a significant relationship with total Cu and total Zn. This suggested that the pollutant speciation phase plays an important role in surface wash-off. Rain intensity and duration had a greater influence when the pollutants were predominantly in their particulate phase. Conversely, rain depth exerted a greater influence when a high fraction of the pollutants were predominantly in their dissolved phase. For all pollutants, the models were represented by a log-arctan relationship for pollutant build-up and a log-log relationship for pollutant wash-off. The modelling approach enables the site-specific relationships between individual pollutants and rainfall characteristics to be investigated. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Particle Size Distribution and Pollutant Speciation Analyses of Stormwater Runoff in the Ancient Town of Suzhou].

PubMed

Li, Huai; Wu, Wei; Tian, Yong-jing; Huang, Tian-yin

2016-02-15

The particle size distribution (PSD) and its transformation processes in the stormwater runoffs in the ancient town of Suzhou were studied based on the particles size analyses, the water-quality monitoring data and the parameters of the rainfall-runoff models. The commercial districts, the modern residential area, the old residential area, the traffic area and the landscape tourist area were selected as the five functional example areas in the ancient town of Suzhou. The effects of antecedent dry period, the rainfall intensity and the amount of runoffs on the particle size distributions were studied, and the existing forms of the main pollutants in different functional areas and their possible relations were analyzed as well. The results showed that the particle size distribution, the migration processes and the output characteristics in the stormwater runoffs were greatly different in these five functional areas, which indicated different control measures for the pollution of the runoffs should be taken in the design process. The antecedent dry period, the rainfall intensity and the amount of runoffs showed significant correlations with the particle size distribution, showing these were the important factors. The output of the particles was greatly influenced by the flow scouring in the early period of the rainfall, and the correlations between the amount of runoffs and the particle migration ability presented significant difference in 30% (early period) and 70% (later period) of the runoff volume. The major existence form of the output pollutants was particle, and the correlation analyses of different diameter particles showed that the particles smaller than 150 microm were the dominant carrier of the pollutants via adsorption and accumulation processes.

Evaluation of Three Models for Simulating Pesticide Runoff from Irrigated Agricultural Fields.

PubMed

Zhang, Xuyang; Goh, Kean S

2015-11-01

Three models were evaluated for their accuracy in simulating pesticide runoff at the edge of agricultural fields: Pesticide Root Zone Model (PRZM), Root Zone Water Quality Model (RZWQM), and OpusCZ. Modeling results on runoff volume, sediment erosion, and pesticide loss were compared with measurements taken from field studies. Models were also compared on their theoretical foundations and ease of use. For runoff events generated by sprinkler irrigation and rainfall, all models performed equally well with small errors in simulating water, sediment, and pesticide runoff. The mean absolute percentage errors (MAPEs) were between 3 and 161%. For flood irrigation, OpusCZ simulated runoff and pesticide mass with the highest accuracy, followed by RZWQM and PRZM, likely owning to its unique hydrological algorithm for runoff simulations during flood irrigation. Simulation results from cold model runs by OpusCZ and RZWQM using measured values for model inputs matched closely to the observed values. The MAPE ranged from 28 to 384 and 42 to 168% for OpusCZ and RZWQM, respectively. These satisfactory model outputs showed the models' abilities in mimicking reality. Theoretical evaluations indicated that OpusCZ and RZWQM use mechanistic approaches for hydrology simulation, output data on a subdaily time-step, and were able to simulate management practices and subsurface flow via tile drainage. In contrast, PRZM operates at daily time-step and simulates surface runoff using the USDA Soil Conservation Service's curve number method. Among the three models, OpusCZ and RZWQM were suitable for simulating pesticide runoff in semiarid areas where agriculture is heavily dependent on irrigation. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

Surface Runoff of Pesticides from a Clay Loam Field in Sweden.

PubMed

Larsbo, Mats; Sandin, Maria; Jarvis, Nick; Etana, Ararso; Kreuger, Jenny

2016-07-01

Pesticides stored at or close to the soil surface after field application can be mobilized and transported off the field when surface runoff occurs. The objective of our study was to quantify the potential pesticide losses in surface runoff from a conventionally managed agricultural field in a Swedish climate. This was achieved by measuring surface runoff volumes and concentrations in runoff of six spring-applied pesticides and autumn-applied glyphosate and its metabolite aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA). Measurements were performed for 3 yr both during the growing seasons and during intervening winter snowmelt periods on a clay loam field close to Uppsala. During growing seasons, surface runoff was generated on only five occasions during one 25-d period in 2012 when the infiltration capacity of the soil may have been reduced by structural degradation due to large cumulative rainfall amounts after harrowing. Concentrations in surface runoff exceeded Swedish water quality standards in all samples during this growing season for diflufenican and pirimicarb. Surface runoff was generated during three snowmelt periods during the winter of 2012-2013. All of the applied pesticides were found in snowmelt samples despite incorporation of residues by autumn plowing, degradation, and leaching into the soil profile during the period between spraying and sampling. Concentrations of glyphosate ranged from 0.12 to 7.4 μg L, and concentrations of AMPA ranged from 0 to 2.7 μg L. Our results indicate that temporal changes in hydraulic properties during the growing season and when the soil freezes during winter affect pesticide losses through surface runoff. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

Runoff generation from neighboring headwater basins with differing glacier coverage using the distributed hydrological model WaSiM, Eklutna, Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ostman, J. S.; Loso, M.; Liljedahl, A. K.; Gaedeke, A.; Geck, J. E.

2017-12-01

Many Alaska glaciers are thinning and retreating, and glacier wastage is projected to affect runoff processes from glacierized basins. Accordingly, effective resource management in glacierized watersheds requires quantification of a glacier's role on streamflow generation. The Eklutna catchment (311 km2) supplies water and electricity for Anchorage, Alaska (pop. 300,000) via Eklutna Lake. The Eklutna headwaters include the West Fork (64 km2, 46% glacier), and the East Fork (101 km2, 12% glacier). Total average annual discharge (2009-2015) is similar from the West (42,100 m3) and East (42,200 m3) forks, while specific annual runoff from the West Fork (2940 mm) exceeds that of the East Fork (1500 mm). To better understand what controls runoff, we are simulating the Eklutna annual water budget using a distributed watershed-level hydrological model. We force the Water Flow and Balance Simulation Model (WaSiM) using continuous air temperature, precipitation, wind speed, shortwave incoming radiation, and relative humidity primarily measured in the West Fork basin. We use Eklutna Glacier snow accumulation and ablation to calibrate the snowmelt and glacier sub-modules. Melt season discharge from the West and East forks is used for runoff comparison. Preliminary results show 2013-2015 simulated glacier point balances (accumulation and melt) are within 15% of glacier stake observations. Runoff was effectively modeled in the West Fork (NSE=0.80), while being over-predicted in the East Fork , which we attribute to a lack of forcing data in the less-glacierized basin. The simulations suggest that 78% of West Fork total runoff is from glacier melt, compared with <40% in the East Fork where glacier runoff contribution is higher during low-snow years.

[Total pollution features of urban runoff outlet for urban river].

PubMed

Luo, Hong-Bing; Luo, Lin; Huang, Gu; He, Qiang; Liu, Ping

2009-11-01

The urban stormwater runoff discharged to urban river, especially to rainfall source river, cannot be ignored. In this study, the Futian River watershed in Shenzhen city in a typical southern city of China is taken as the research object. In order to guide the pollution control for urban river, the eighteen rainfall events were monitored, and the total pollution features of the urban runoff outlet for this urban river were analyzed and discussed by using the process of pollutographs, the identifying to first flush, event mean concentration (EMC), etc. Results show that the concentrations of COD, SS, TN, TP and BOD5 are ten times more than the grade V of the environmental quality standards for surface water during the runoff time; the pollution caused by heavy metals (Cr, Ge, Cu, Hg and As) in runoff at a typical rainfall event is serious; the average and range of pollutant concentration at this runoff outlet in study area are evidently higher than at Shapingba in Chongqing city of China and at Silerwood in Canada, but are lower than at Shilipu in Wuhan city of China. The first flushes of COD, SS, BOD5, especially COD and SS, are evident, but the TN and TP are not. The average EMC of COD, TN, TP and BOD5 are 224.14, 571.15, 5.223, 2.04, 143.5 mg/L, respectively. To some extent, the EMC of COD is about two times of the value of the near cities, Macao and Zhuhai. The EMC of TN and TP are obviously higher than Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai. To compared with foreign counties, the EMC of the study area in Shenzhen is obviously much higher than the cities of Korean, USA and Canada. So the total pollution caused by the urban surface runoff in study area is serious and necessary to be treated.

Trees and Streets as Drivers of Urban Stormwater Nutrient Pollution.

PubMed

Janke, Benjamin D; Finlay, Jacques C; Hobbie, Sarah E

2017-09-05

Expansion of tree cover is a major management goal in cities because of the substantial benefits provided to people, and potentially to water quality through reduction of stormwater volume by interception. However, few studies have addressed the full range of potential impacts of trees on urban runoff, which includes deposition of nutrient-rich leaf litter onto streets connected to storm drains. We analyzed the influence of trees on stormwater nitrogen and phosphorus export across 19 urban watersheds in Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN, U.S.A., and at the scale of individual streets within one residential watershed. Stormwater nutrient concentrations were highly variable across watersheds and strongly related to tree canopy over streets, especially for phosphorus. Stormwater nutrient loads were primarily related to road density, the dominant control over runoff volume. Street canopy exerted opposing effects on loading, where elevated nutrient concentrations from trees near roads outweighed the weak influence of trees on runoff reduction. These results demonstrate that vegetation near streets contributes substantially to stormwater nutrient pollution, and therefore to eutrophication of urban surface waters. Urban landscape design and management that account for trees as nutrient pollution sources could improve water quality outcomes, while allowing cities to enjoy the myriad benefits of urban forests.

The use of simulated rainfall to study the discharge process and the influence factors of urban surface runoff pollution loads.

PubMed

Qinqin, Li; Qiao, Chen; Jiancai, Deng; Weiping, Hu

2015-01-01

An understanding of the characteristics of pollutants on impervious surfaces is essential to estimate pollution loads and to design methods to minimize the impacts of pollutants on the environment. In this study, simulated rainfall equipment was constructed to investigate the pollutant discharge process and the influence factors of urban surface runoff (USR). The results indicated that concentrations of total suspended solids (TSS), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) appeared to be higher in the early period and then decreased gradually with rainfall duration until finally stabilized. The capacity and particle size of surface dust, rainfall intensity and urban surface slopes affected runoff pollution loads to a variable extent. The loads of TP, TN and COD showed a positive relationship with the surface dust capacity, whereas the maximum TSS load appeared when the surface dust was 0.0317 g·cm⁻². Smaller particle sizes (<0.125 mm) of surface dust generated high TN, TP and COD loads. Increases in rainfall intensity and surface slope enhanced the pollution carrying capacity of runoff, leading to higher pollution loads. Knowledge of the influence factors could assist in the management of USR pollution loads.

Occurrence and transport of nutrients in the Missouri River Basin, April through September 2011: Chapter G in 2011 floods of the central United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kalkhoff, Stephen J.

2013-01-01

Heavy snow and early spring rainfall generated substantial amounts of runoff and flooding in the upper part of the Missouri River Basin in 2011. Spring runoff in the upper and middle parts of the basin exceeded the storage capacity of the Missouri River reservoirs and unprecedented amounts of water were released into the lower parts of the basin resulting in record floods from June through September on the Missouri River in Iowa and Nebraska and extending into Kansas and Missouri. Runoff from the Missouri River Basin in April through September 2011 was 8,440,000 hectare meters (68,400,000 acre feet) and was only exceeded during flooding in 1993 when runoff was 11,200,000 hectare meters (90,700,000 acre feet). Nitrate and total phosphorus concentrations in the Missouri River and selected tributaries in April through September, 2011 generally were within the expected range of concentrations measured during the last 30 years. Substantial discharge from the upper and middle parts of the Missouri River Basin resulted in nitrate concentrations decreasing in the lower Missouri River beginning in June. Concentrations of nitrate in water entering the Mississippi River from the Missouri River were less in 2011 than in 1993, but total phosphorus concentrations entering the Mississippi River were substantially greater in 2011 than in 1993. The Missouri River transported an estimated 79,600 megagrams of nitrate and 38,000 megagrams of total phosphorus to the Mississippi River from April through September 2011. The nitrate flux in 2011 was less than 20 percent of the combined total from the Upper Mississippi and Missouri River Basins. In contrast, the total phosphorus flux of 38,000 megagrams from the Missouri River constituted about 39 percent of the combined total from the Upper Mississippi and Missouri River Basins during April through September 2011. Substantially more nitrate but less total phosphorus was transported from the Missouri River Basin during the historic 1993 than during the 2011 flood. Greater runoff from the lower part of the basin contributed to the greater nitrate transport in 1993. In addition to the differing amounts of runoff and the source of flood waters, changes in land use, and management practices are additional factors that may have contributed to the difference in nitrate and total phosphorus flux between the 1993 and 2011 floods.

Monitor-based evaluation of pollutant load from urban stormwater runoff in Beijing.

PubMed

Liu, Y; Che, W; Li, J

2005-01-01

As a major pollutant source to urban receiving waters, the non-point source pollution from urban runoff needs to be well studied and effectively controlled. Based on monitoring data from urban runoff pollutant sources, this article describes a systematic estimation of total pollutant loads from the urban areas of Beijing. A numerical model was developed to quantify main pollutant loads of urban runoff in Beijing. A sub-procedure is involved in this method, in which the flush process influences both the quantity and quality of stormwater runoff. A statistics-based method was applied in computing the annual pollutant load as an output of the runoff. The proportions of pollutant from point-source and non-point sources were compared. This provides a scientific basis for proper environmental input assessment of urban stormwater pollution to receiving waters, improvement of infrastructure performance, implementation of urban stormwater management, and utilization of stormwater.

Implications to stormwater management as a result of lot scale rainwater tank systems: a case study in Western Sydney, Australia.

PubMed

van der Sterren, M; Rahman, A; Dennis, G R

2012-01-01

Rainwater tanks are increasingly adopted in Australia to reduce potable water demand and are perceived to reduce the volume of stormwater discharge from developments. This paper investigates the water balance of rainwater tanks, in particular the possible impacts these tanks could have in controlling the stormwater discharge volume. The study collected water quantity data from two sites in the Hawkesbury City Council area, New South Wales, Australia and utilised the collected data in a simple water balance model to assess the effectiveness of rainwater tanks in reducing the stormwater discharge volume. The results indicate that a significant reduction in discharge volume from a lot scale development can be achieved if the rainwater tank is connected to multiple end-uses, but is minimal when using irrigation alone. In addition, the commonly used volumetric runoff coefficient of 0.9 was found to over-estimate the runoff from the roof areas and to thereby under-estimate the available volume within the rainwater tanks for retention or detention. Also, sole reliance on the water in the rainwater tanks can make the users aware of their water use pattern and water availability, resulting in significant reductions in water use as the supply dwindles, through self-imposed water restrictions.

Effects of moisture content and initial pH in composting process on heavy metal removal characteristics of grass clipping compost used for stormwater filtration.

PubMed

Khan, Eakalak; Khaodhir, Sutha; Ruangrote, Darin

2009-10-01

Heavy metals are common contaminants in stormwater runoff. One of the devices that can be used to effectively and economically remove heavy metals from runoff is a yard waste compost stormwater filter. The primary goal of composting is to reduce waste volume rather than to produce stormwater filter media. Moisture content (MC) and initial pH, the two important parameters in composting, were studied for their effects on yard waste volume reduction and heavy metal adsorption performances of the compost. The main objective of this investigation was to examine whether the conditions that provided high yard waste volume reduction would also result in compost with good heavy metal removal performances. Manila grass was composted at different initial pHs (5-9) and MCs (30-70%) and the composts were used to adsorb cadmium, copper, lead and zinc from water. Results indicated that MC is more critical than initial pH for both volume reduction and production of compost with high metal adsorption performances. The most optimal conditions for the two attributes were not exactly the same but lower MCs of 30-40% and pH 7 or higher tended to satisfy both high volume reduction and effective metal adsorption.

Run-off regime of the small rivers in mountain landscapes (on an example of the mountain "Mongun-taiga

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pryahina, G.; Zelepukina, E.; Guzel, N.

2012-04-01

Hydrological characteristics calculations of the small mountain rivers in the basins with glaciers frequently cause complexity in connection with absence of standard hydrological supervision within remote mountain territories. The unique way of the actual information reception on a water mode of such rivers is field work. The rivers of the mountain Mongun-taiga located on a joint of Altai and Sayan mountains became hydrological researches objects of Russian geographical society complex expeditions in 2010-2011. The Mongun-taiga cluster of international biosphere reserve "Ubsunurskaya hollow" causes heightened interest of researchers — geographers for many years. The original landscape map in scale 1:100000 has been made, hydrological supervision on the rivers East Mugur and ugur, belonging inland basin of Internal Asia are lead. Supervision over the river drain East Mugur runoff were spent in profile of glacier tongue (the freezing area - 22 % (3.2 km2) from the reception basin) and in the closing alignment of the river located on distance of 3,4 km below tongue of glacier. During researches following results have been received. During the ablation period diurnal fluctuations with a strongly shown maximum and minimum of water discharges are typically for the small rivers with considerable share of a glacial food. The run-off maximum from the glacier takes place from 2 to 7 p.m., the run-off minimum is observed early in the morning. High speed of thawed snow running-off from glacier tongue and rather small volume of dynamic stocks water on an ice surface lead to growth of water discharge. In the bottom profile the time of maximum and minimum of water discharge is displaced on the average 2 hours, it depends of the water travel time. Maximum glacial run-off discharge (1.12 m3/s) in the upper profile was registered on July 16 (it was not rain). Volumes of daily runoff in the upper and bottom profiles were 60700-67600 m3 that day. The run-off from nonglacial part of the basin is formed by underground waters and melting snowfields, during the absence of rainfall period the part of one amounted to 10% of the run-off in the lower profile. We suggest that this water discharge corresponds to base flow value in the lower profile because the area of snowfields of the basin was < 0.1 km2 that year. Run-off monitoring has showed that rivers with a small glacial food are characterized by absence of diurnal balance of runoff. During rainfall the water content of river has being increased due to substantial derivation of basin and, as a result, fast flowing rain water into bed of river. The sharp decrease in water content of river during periods of rainfall absence indicates low inventory of soil and groundwater and the low rate of glacial. Thus, glaciers and character of the relief influence the formation of run-off small mountain rivers. Results of researches will be used for mathematical modeling mountain rivers run-off.

Event-based stormwater management pond runoff temperature model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sabouri, F.; Gharabaghi, B.; Sattar, A. M. A.; Thompson, A. M.

2016-09-01

Stormwater management wet ponds are generally very shallow and hence can significantly increase (about 5.4 °C on average in this study) runoff temperatures in summer months, which adversely affects receiving urban stream ecosystems. This study uses gene expression programming (GEP) and artificial neural networks (ANN) modeling techniques to advance our knowledge of the key factors governing thermal enrichment effects of stormwater ponds. The models developed in this study build upon and compliment the ANN model developed by Sabouri et al. (2013) that predicts the catchment event mean runoff temperature entering the pond as a function of event climatic and catchment characteristic parameters. The key factors that control pond outlet runoff temperature, include: (1) Upland Catchment Parameters (catchment drainage area and event mean runoff temperature inflow to the pond); (2) Climatic Parameters (rainfall depth, event mean air temperature, and pond initial water temperature); and (3) Pond Design Parameters (pond length-to-width ratio, pond surface area, pond average depth, and pond outlet depth). We used monitoring data for three summers from 2009 to 2011 in four stormwater management ponds, located in the cities of Guelph and Kitchener, Ontario, Canada to develop the models. The prediction uncertainties of the developed ANN and GEP models for the case study sites are around 0.4% and 1.7% of the median value. Sensitivity analysis of the trained models indicates that the thermal enrichment of the pond outlet runoff is inversely proportional to pond length-to-width ratio, pond outlet depth, and directly proportional to event runoff volume, event mean pond inflow runoff temperature, and pond initial water temperature.

Runoff Response to Rainfall in Small Catchments Burned by the 2015 Valley Fire

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wagenbrenner, J. W.; Coe, D. B. R.; Lindsay, D.

2016-12-01

Burned areas often produce runoff volumes and peak flows much larger than unburned forests. However, very few studies demonstrate the effect of burn severity on runoff responses, and post-fire data are especially sparse in California. We measured the effects of different degrees of burn severity on rainfall-runoff responses in six small catchments (0.15-0.65 ha) in the Northern Coast Ranges. Weirs and tipping bucket rain gages were installed after the 2015 Valley Fire and prior to any substantial rainfall. In the first wet season (Nov 2015-May 2016), one runoff event was recorded in the catchment with the lowest burn severity (42% bare soil), while 13 runoff events occurred in the catchment with the highest burn severity (68% bare soil). Preliminary results indicate the thirty minute maximum rainfall intensity that generated runoff ranged from 27 mm hr-1 in the lowest severity catchment to only 8.6 mm hr-1 in the highest severity catchment. Peak flow rates for the most intense event (27 mm hr-1), a two-year, 30-min storm, were 1.1 m3 s-1 km-2 in the lowest severity catchment and 17 m3 s-1 km-2 in the highest severity catchment. Longer duration, moderate intensity rain events produced runoff in the highest severity catchments but not the lowest severity catchments. These results are on the high end of the range of post-fire peak flow rates reported in the western US and provide an idea of potential post-fire flood potential to land and emergency management agencies.

Evaluation of the Soil Conservation Service curve number methodology using data from agricultural plots

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lal, Mohan; Mishra, S. K.; Pandey, Ashish; Pandey, R. P.; Meena, P. K.; Chaudhary, Anubhav; Jha, Ranjit Kumar; Shreevastava, Ajit Kumar; Kumar, Yogendra

2017-01-01

The Soil Conservation Service curve number (SCS-CN) method, also known as the Natural Resources Conservation Service curve number (NRCS-CN) method, is popular for computing the volume of direct surface runoff for a given rainfall event. The performance of the SCS-CN method, based on large rainfall (P) and runoff (Q) datasets of United States watersheds, is evaluated using a large dataset of natural storm events from 27 agricultural plots in India. On the whole, the CN estimates from the National Engineering Handbook (chapter 4) tables do not match those derived from the observed P and Q datasets. As a result, the runoff prediction using former CNs was poor for the data of 22 (out of 24) plots. However, the match was little better for higher CN values, consistent with the general notion that the existing SCS-CN method performs better for high rainfall-runoff (high CN) events. Infiltration capacity (fc) was the main explanatory variable for runoff (or CN) production in study plots as it exhibited the expected inverse relationship between CN and fc. The plot-data optimization yielded initial abstraction coefficient (λ) values from 0 to 0.659 for the ordered dataset and 0 to 0.208 for the natural dataset (with 0 as the most frequent value). Mean and median λ values were, respectively, 0.030 and 0 for the natural rainfall-runoff dataset and 0.108 and 0 for the ordered rainfall-runoff dataset. Runoff estimation was very sensitive to λ and it improved consistently as λ changed from 0.2 to 0.03.

Contamination of Runoff Water at Gdańsk Airport (Poland) by Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) and Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)

PubMed Central

Sulej, Anna Maria; Polkowska, Żaneta; Namieśnik, Jacek

2011-01-01

Airport runoff can contain high concentrations of various pollutants, in particular polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), the environmental levels of which have to be monitored. Airport runoff water samples, collected at the Gdańsk-Rębiechowo Airport from 2008 to 2009, were analysed for PAHs and PCBs by gas chromatography. The aromatic fractions were separated by liquid-liquid extraction and analysed by GC/MS. Total PAH concentrations were 295–6,758 ng/L in 2008 and 180–1,924 ng/L in 2009, while total PCB levels in 2008 ranged from 0.14 to 0.44 μg/L and in 2009 from 0.06 to 0.23 μg/L. The PAH and PCB compositions in airport runoff waters were examined over a range of spatial and temporal scales to determine distributions, trends and possible sources. This pollution is mainly pyrolytic and related to anthropogenic activity. There were significant differences between the samples collected in the two seasons. An understanding of the magnitude of contamination due to airport runoff water is important for the effective management of airport infrastructure. PMID:22247699

Stormwater-runoff data, Madison, Wisconsin, 1993-94

USGS Publications Warehouse

Waschbusch, R.J.

1996-01-01

As required by Section 402(P) of the Water Quality Control Act of 1987, stormwater-runoff samples collected during storms that met three criteria (rainfall depths 50 to 150 percent of average depth range, rainfall durations 50 to 150 percent of average duration, and antecedent dry-weather period of at least 72 hours) were analyzed for semivolatile organic chemicals, total metals, pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls, inorganic constituents, bacteria, oil and grease, pH, and water temperature. Two of the seven sites also had samples analyzed for volatile organic chemicals. In addition to the required sampling, additional runoff samples that did not necessarily meet the three rainfall criteria, were analyzed for total metals and inorganic constituents. Storm loads of selected constituents were computed.

Runoff simulations from the Greenland ice sheet at Kangerlussuaq from 2006-2007 to 2007/08. West Greenland

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mernild, Sebastian Haugard; Hasholt, Bent; Van Den Broeke, Michiel

2009-01-01

This study focuses on runoff from a large sector of the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) - the Kangerlussuaq drainage area, West Greenland - for the runoff observation period 2006/07 to 2007/08. SnowModel, a state-of-the-art snow-evolution modeling system, was used to simulate winter accumulation and summer ablation processes, including runoff. Independent in situ end-of-winter snow depth and high-resolution runoff observations were used for validation of simulated accumulation and ablation processes. Runoff was modeled on both daily and hourly time steps, filling a data gap of runoff exiting part of the GrIS. Using hourly meteorological driving data instead of smoothed daily-averaged datamore » produced more realistic meteorological conditions in relation to snow and melt threshold surface processes, and produced 6-17% higher annual cumulative runoff. The simulated runoff series yielded useful insights into the present conditions of inter-seasonal and inter-annual variability of Kangerlussuaq runoff, and provided an acceptable degree of agreement between simulated and observed runoff. The simulated spatial runoff distributions, in some areas of the GrIS terminus, were as high as 2,750 mm w.eq. of runoff for 2006/07, while only 900 mm w.eq was simulated for 2007/08. The simulated total runoff from Kangerlussuaq was 1.9 km{sup 3} for 2006/07 and 1.2 km{sup 3} for 2007/08, indicating a reduction of 35-40% caused by the climate conditions and changes in the GrIS freshwater storage. The reduction in runoff from 2006/07 to 2007/08 occurred simultaneously with the reduction in the overall pattern of satellite-derived GrIS surface melt from 2007 to 2008.« less

Reducing insecticide and fungicide loads in runoff from plastic mulch with vegetative-covered furrows.

PubMed

Rice, Pamela J; Harman-Fetcho, Jennifer A; Sadeghi, Ali M; McConnell, Laura L; Coffman, C Benjamin; Teasdale, John R; Abdul-Baki, Aref; Starr, James L; McCarty, Gregory W; Herbert, Rachel R; Hapeman, Cathleen J

2007-02-21

A common management practice for the production of fresh-market vegetables utilizes polyethylene (plastic) mulch because it increases soil temperature, decreases weed pressure, maintains soil moisture, and minimizes soil contact with the product. However, rain events afford much more erosion and runoff because 50-75% of the field is covered with an impervious surface. A plot study was conducted to compare and to quantify the off-site movement of soil, insecticides, and fungicides associated with runoff from plots planted with Sunbeam tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill) using the conventional polyethylene mulch management practice vs an alternative management practice-polyethylene mulch-covered beds with cereal rye (Secale cereale) planted in the furrows between the beds. The use of cereal rye-covered furrows with the conventional polyethylene system decreased runoff volume by more than 40%, soil erosion by more than 80%, and pesticide loads by 48-74%. Results indicate that vegetative furrows are critical to minimizing the negative aspects of this management practice.

Understanding the factors influencing the removal of heavy metals in urban stormwater runoff.

PubMed

Maniquiz-Redillas, Marla C; Kim, Lee-Hyung

2016-01-01

In this research, an infiltration trench equipped with an extensive pretreatment and filter bed consisting of woodchip, sand and gravel was utilized as a low impact development technique to manage stormwater runoff from a highly impervious road with particular emphasis on heavy metal removal. Findings revealed that the major factors influencing the removal of heavy metals were the concentration of the particulate matters and heavy metals in runoff, runoff volume and flow rates. The reduction of heavy metals was enhanced by sedimentation of particulates through pretreatment. Fine particles (<2 mm) had the most significant amount of heavy metals, thus, enhanced adsorption and filtration using various filter media were important design considerations. Sediment was most highly attached on the surface area of woodchip than to other filter media like sand, gravel and geotextile. It is suggested that maintenance must be performed after the end of the winter season wherein high sediment rate was observed to maintain the efficiency of the treatment system.

Can green roof act as a sink for contaminants? A methodological study to evaluate runoff quality from green roofs.

PubMed

Vijayaraghavan, K; Joshi, Umid Man

2014-11-01

The present study examines whether green roofs act as a sink or source of contaminants based on various physico-chemical parameters (pH, conductivity and total dissolved solids) and metals (Na, K, Ca, Mg, Al, Fe, Cr, Cu, Ni, Zn, Cd and Pb). The performance of green roof substrate prepared using perlite, vermiculite, sand, crushed brick, and coco-peat, was compared with local garden soil based on improvement of runoff quality. Portulaca grandiflora was used as green roof vegetation. Four different green roof configurations, with vegetated and non-vegetated systems, were examined for several artificial rain events (un-spiked and metal-spiked). In general, the vegetated green roof assemblies generated better-quality runoff with less conductivity and total metal ion concentration compared to un-vegetated assemblies. Of the different green roof configurations examined, P. grandiflora planted on green roof substrate acted as sink for various metals and showed the potential to generate better runoff. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Subsurface application of poultry litter and its influence on nutrient losses in runoff water from permanent pastures.

PubMed

Watts, D B; Way, T R; Torbert, H A

2011-01-01

Environmental pressure to reduce nutrient losses from agricultural fields has increased in recent years. To abate this nutrient loss to the environment, better management practices and new technologies need to be developed. Thus, research was conducted to evaluate if subsurface banding poultry litter (PL) would reduce nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) loss in surface water runoff using a four-row prototype implement. Rainfall simulations were conducted to create a 40-min runoff event in an established bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon L.) pasture on soil types common to the Coastal Plain and Piedmont regions. The Coastal Plain soil type was a Marvyn loamy sand (fine-loamy, kaolinitic, thermic Typic Kanhapludults) and the Piedmont soil type was a Hard Labor loamy sand (fine, kaolinitic, thermic Oxyaquic Kanhapludults). Treatments consisted of surface- and subsurface-applied PL at a rate of 9 Mg ha(-1), surface broadcast-applied commercial fertilizer (CF; urea and triple superphosphate blend) at the equivalent N (330 kg N ha(-1)) and P (315 kg N ha(-1)) content of PL, and a nonfertilized control. The greatest loss for inorganic N, total N, dissolved reactive P (DRP), and total P occurred with the surface broadcast treatments, with CF contributing to the greatest loss. Nutrient losses from the subsurface banded treatment reduced N and P in surface water runoff to levels of the control. Subsurface banding of PL reduced concentrations of inorganic N 91%, total N 90%, DRP 86%, and total P 86% in runoff water compared with surface broadcasted PL. These results show that subsurface band-applied PL can greatly reduce the impact of N and P loss to the environment compared with conventional surface-applied PL and CF practices.

Evaluation method to floodwater amount of difficult control and utilization in flood season for hyperconcentration rivers and its application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, X.

2013-05-01

The severe soil erosion in the Chinese Loess Plateau has resulted in high sediment concentration in runoff, which can cause tremendous pressure to the development and utilization of regional floodwater resources as well as the regional flood control and disaster mitigation. The floodwater amount of difficult control and utilization in flood season (FADCUFS) is an important part of the available amount of surface water resources. It also has a critical role in the sustainable development of water resources, especially for those hyperconcentration rivers (HRs) in the Loess Plateau. The evaluation of FADCUFS for HRs is an important issue in the field of hydrology and water resources. However, the understandings of its connotation, evaluation method, and nature are limited. Combined engineering measures with non-engineering ones, the evaluation method of FADCUFS for HRs was presented based on the angles of water quantity and quality. The method divides the FADCUFS into two parts in terms of the flood control operation characteristics of reservoir in HR and the relationship between water resources utilization and sediment in runoff, respectively. One is the amount of difficult regulation-control floodwater (DRCF), and the other is the volume of difficult utilization floodwater (DUF). A case study of the Bajiazui Reservoir, located in the typical Jinghe River (the second tributary of the Chinese Yellow River with high sediment concentration) was performed. Three typical years, wet year (1988), average year (1986), and dry years (1995 and 2000), were employed. According to the daily optimal operation model of Bajiazui Reservoir, the DRCF occurs for only the wet year instead of the average and the dry years. There are four times of DRCF with the amount of 26.74 m3/s (July 14), 14.58 m3/s (August 5), 10.27 m3/s (August 9), and 1.23 m3/s (August 12) in 1988, respectively, with a total amount of 4.56 million m3. A certain close relationship exists between the amount of DRCF and the flood inflows to Bajiazui. When the events of DRCF occur, there must be big flood inflows several days ago. And the outflows from the daily optimal operation model exceed their permitted limits of discharges. In addition, they are close to the measured runoffs from the Bajiazui Hydrological Station downstream the dam. It indicates that the presented daily optimal operation model has a high accuracy and can achieve credible results. On the other hand, the maximum grade approach is used to achieve the coefficients of surplus floodwater in flood season in terms of the daily outflows from the daily optimal operation model and the corresponding sediment concentration in runoffs. When the water resources utilization limit of sediment concentration in runoff is set as 10%, the volume of DUF in flood season of 1988 is then calculated as 108.29 million m3. So the value of FADCUFS can be determined as 112.85 (=4.56+108.29) million m3, accounting for 78.06% of the total discharge of reservoir in flood season. The study deepens the understandings of the connotation and the evaluation method of FADCUFS. It offers a new and reliable approach to assess the FADCUFS for HRs. The results are beneficial to the sustainable development of regional water resources.

Generalised synthesis of space-time variability in flood response: Dynamics of flood event types

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Viglione, Alberto; Battista Chirico, Giovanni; Komma, Jürgen; Woods, Ross; Borga, Marco; Blöschl, Günter

2010-05-01

A analytical framework is used to characterise five flood events of different type in the Kamp area in Austria: one long-rain event, two short-rain events, one rain-on-snow event and one snowmelt event. Specifically, the framework quantifies the contributions of the space-time variability of rainfall/snowmelt, runoff coefficient, hillslope and channel routing to the flood runoff volume and the delay and spread of the resulting hydrograph. The results indicate that the components obtained by the framework clearly reflect the individual processes which characterise the event types. For the short-rain events, temporal, spatial and movement components can all be important in runoff generation and routing, which would be expected because of their local nature in time and, particularly, in space. For the long-rain event, the temporal components tend to be more important for runoff generation, because of the more uniform spatial coverage of rainfall, while for routing the spatial distribution of the produced runoff, which is not uniform, is also important. For the rain-on-snow and snowmelt events, the spatio-temporal variability terms typically do not play much role in runoff generation and the spread of the hydrograph is mainly due to the duration of the event. As an outcome of the framework, a dimensionless response number is proposed that represents the joint effect of runoff coefficient and hydrograph peakedness and captures the absolute magnitudes of the observed flood peaks.

Quantifying space-time dynamics of flood event types

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Viglione, Alberto; Chirico, Giovanni Battista; Komma, Jürgen; Woods, Ross; Borga, Marco; Blöschl, Günter

2010-11-01

SummaryA generalised framework of space-time variability in flood response is used to characterise five flood events of different type in the Kamp area in Austria: one long-rain event, two short-rain events, one rain-on-snow event and one snowmelt event. Specifically, the framework quantifies the contributions of the space-time variability of rainfall/snowmelt, runoff coefficient, hillslope and channel routing to the flood runoff volume and the delay and spread of the resulting hydrograph. The results indicate that the components obtained by the framework clearly reflect the individual processes which characterise the event types. For the short-rain events, temporal, spatial and movement components can all be important in runoff generation and routing, which would be expected because of their local nature in time and, particularly, in space. For the long-rain event, the temporal components tend to be more important for runoff generation, because of the more uniform spatial coverage of rainfall, while for routing the spatial distribution of the produced runoff, which is not uniform, is also important. For the rain-on-snow and snowmelt events, the spatio-temporal variability terms typically do not play much role in runoff generation and the spread of the hydrograph is mainly due to the duration of the event. As an outcome of the framework, a dimensionless response number is proposed that represents the joint effect of runoff coefficient and hydrograph peakedness and captures the absolute magnitudes of the observed flood peaks.

Precipitation-runoff modeling system; user's manual

USGS Publications Warehouse

Leavesley, G.H.; Lichty, R.W.; Troutman, B.M.; Saindon, L.G.

1983-01-01

The concepts, structure, theoretical development, and data requirements of the precipitation-runoff modeling system (PRMS) are described. The precipitation-runoff modeling system is a modular-design, deterministic, distributed-parameter modeling system developed to evaluate the impacts of various combinations of precipitation, climate, and land use on streamflow, sediment yields, and general basin hydrology. Basin response to normal and extreme rainfall and snowmelt can be simulated to evaluate changes in water balance relationships, flow regimes, flood peaks and volumes, soil-water relationships, sediment yields, and groundwater recharge. Parameter-optimization and sensitivity analysis capabilites are provided to fit selected model parameters and evaluate their individual and joint effects on model output. The modular design provides a flexible framework for continued model system enhancement and hydrologic modeling research and development. (Author 's abstract)

Water quality of streams tributary to Lakes Superior and Michigan

USGS Publications Warehouse

Zimmerman, Jerome W.

1968-01-01

Water quality of streams tributary to Lakes Superior and Michigan was analyzed for 142 stations on 99 streams tributary to Lake Superior and 83 stations on 56 streams tributary to Lake Michigan during 1962-65. Concentrations of aluminum, copper, and iron were not affected greatly by flow or season. Magnesium, calcium, chlorides, total alkalinity, total hardness, and conductivity varied with the flow, temperature, and season; the lowest values were during the spring runoff and heavy rains, and the highest were during low water in late summer and the colder periods of winter. Concentrations of nitrate, silica, and sulfates were lowest in the spring and summer. Concentrations of tanninlike and ligninlike compounds were highest during the spring runoff and other high-water periods, and were lowest during freezeup when surface runoff was minimal. The pH values were highest from June to September and lowest during the spring runoff. Phenolphthalein alkalinity was detected primarily in the summer and coincided occasionally with low flows just before the spring thaw. Total hardness usually was lower in streams tributary to Lake Superior than in streams tributary to Lake Michigan. The total hardness was higher in the streams in Wisconsin than in the streams in Michigan along the west shore of Lake Michigan. It was lowest in the northernmost streams. The water quality of the streams in an area was related to the geological characteristics of the land.

Agroforestry practices, runoff, and nutrient loss: a paired watershed comparison.

PubMed

Udawatta, Ranjith P; Krstansky, J John; Henderson, Gray S; Garrett, Harold E

2002-01-01

A paired watershed study consisting of agroforestry (trees plus grass buffer strips), contour strips (grass buffer strips), and control treatments with a corn (Zea mays L.)-soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] rotation was used to examine treatment effects on runoff, sediment, and nutrient losses. During the (1991-1997) calibration and subsequent three-year treatment periods, runoff was measured in 0.91- and 1.37-m H-flumes with bubbler flow meters. Composite samples were analyzed for sediment, total phosphorus (TP), total nitrogen (TN), nitrate, and ammonium. Calibration equations developed to predict runoff, sediment, and nutrients losses explained 66 to 97% of the variability between treatment watersheds. The contour strip and agroforestry treatments reduced runoff by 10 and 1% during the treatment period. In both treatments, most runoff reductions occurred in the second and third years after treatment establishment. The contour strip treatment reduced erosion by 19% in 1999, while erosion in the agroforestry treatment exceeded the predicted loss. Treatments reduced TP loss by 8 and 17% on contour strip and agroforestry watersheds. Treatments did not result in reductions in TN during the first two years of the treatment period. The contour strip and agroforestry treatments reduced TN loss by 21 and 20%, respectively, during a large precipitation event in the third year. During the third year of treatments, nitrate N loss was reduced 24 and 37% by contour strip and agroforestry treatments. Contour strip and agroforestry management practices effectively reduced nonpoint-source pollution in runoff from a corn-soybean rotation in the clay pan soils of northeastern Missouri.

Earthworms and tree roots: A model study of the effect of preferential flow paths on runoff generation and groundwater recharge in steep, saprolitic, tropical lowland catchments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Yanyan; Ogden, Fred L.; Zhu, Jianting

2017-07-01

Preferential flow paths (PFPs) affect the hydrological response of humid tropical catchments but have not received sufficient attention. We consider PFPs created by tree roots and earthworms in a near-surface soil layer in steep, humid, tropical lowland catchments and hypothesize that observed hydrological behaviors can be better captured by reasonably considering PFPs in this layer. We test this hypothesis by evaluating the performance of four different physically based distributed model structures without and with PFPs in different configurations. Model structures are tested both quantitatively and qualitatively using hydrological, geophysical, and geochemical data both from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Agua Salud Project experimental catchment(s) in Central Panama and other sources in the literature. The performance of different model structures is evaluated using runoff Volume Error and three Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency measures against observed total runoff, stormflows, and base flows along with visual comparison of simulated and observed hydrographs. Two of the four proposed model structures which include both lateral and vertical PFPs are plausible, but the one with explicit simulation of PFPs performs the best. A small number of vertical PFPs that fully extend below the root zone allow the model to reasonably simulate deep groundwater recharge, which plays a crucial role in base flow generation. Results also show that the shallow lateral PFPs are the main contributor to the observed high flow characteristics. Their number and size distribution are found to be more important than the depth distribution. Our model results are corroborated by geochemical and geophysical observations.

Evaluation of permeable pavement responses to urban surface runoff.

PubMed

Kamali, Meysam; Delkash, Madjid; Tajrishy, Massoud

2017-02-01

The construction of permeable pavement (PP) in sidewalks of urban areas is an alternative low impact development (LID) to control stormwater runoff volume and consequently decrease the discharge of pollutants in receiving water bodies. In this paper, some laboratory experiments were performed to evaluate the efficiency of a PP subjected to sediment loadings during its life span. Simple infiltration models were validated by the laboratory experiments to evaluate the trend and extend of PP infiltration capacity throughout the life of the pavement operation. In addition, performances of the PP in removing total suspended solids (TSS) and selective nutrient pollutants such as NO 3 - ,NH 4 + and PO 4 -3 from the surface runoff have been investigated. Experimental data showed that the PP was completely clogged after seven hydrological years. The model revealed that the ratio of horizontal to vertical hydraulic conductivity is 3.5 for this PP. Moreover, it was found that 20% reduction in hydraulic conductivity occurred after three hydrological years. The PP showed 100%, 23% and 59% efficiencies in sediment retention (TSS removal), (PO 4 -3 ), and N-NH 4 + removal during the entire study, respectively. However, the removal efficiency of (N-NO 3 - ) was -12% and we suspect the increase in effluent (N-NO 3 - ) is due to the nitrification process in subsurface layers. This study demonstrated that when PPs are annually cleaned, it is expected that PPs can function hydraulically and be able to remove particulate pollutants during their life span by a proper maintenance. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Rangeland Hydrology and Erosion Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nearing, M. A.

2016-12-01

The Rangeland Hydrology and Erosion Model (RHEM) is a process-based model that was designed to address rangelands conditions. RHEM is designed for government agencies, land managers and conservationists who need sound, science-based technology to model, assess, and predict runoff and erosion rates on rangelands and to assist in evaluating rangeland conservation practices effects. RHEM is an event-based model that estimates runoff, erosion, and sediment delivery rates and volumes at the spatial scale of the hillslope and the temporal scale of as single rainfall event. It represents erosion processes under normal and fire-impacted rangeland conditions. Moreover, it adopts a new splash erosion and thin sheet-flow transport equation developed from rangeland data, and it links the model hydrologic and erosion parameters with rangeland plant community by providing a new system of parameter estimation equations based on 204 plots at 49 rangeland sites distributed across 15 western U.S. states. A dynamic partial differential sediment continuity equation is used to model the total detachment rate of concentrated flow and rain splash and sheet flow. RHEM is also designed to be used as a calculator, or "engine", within other watershed scale models. From the research perspective RHEM acts as a vehicle for incorporating new scientific findings from rangeland infiltration, runoff, and erosion studies. Current applications of the model include: 1) a web site for general use (conservation planning, research, etc.), 2) National Resource Inventory reports to Congress, 3) as a computational engine within watershed scale models (e.g., KINEROS, HEC), 4) Ecological Site & State and Transition Descriptions, 5) proposed in 2015 to become part of the NRCS Desktop applications for field offices.

Controls on Water Storage, Mixing and Release in a Nested Catchment Set-up with Clean and Mixed Physiographic Characteristics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pfister, L.; McDonnell, J.; Hissler, C.; Martínez-Carreras, N.; Klaus, J.

2015-12-01

With catchment water storage being only rarely determined, storage dynamics remain largely unknown to date. However, storage bears considerable potential for catchment inter-comparison exercises, as well as it is likely to have an important role in regulating catchment functions. Catchment comparisons across a wide range of environments and scales will help to increase our understanding of relationships between storage dynamics and catchment processes. With respect to the potential of catchment storage for bringing new momentum to catchment classification and catchment processes understanding we currently investigate spatial and temporal variability of dynamic storage in a nested catchment set-up (16 catchments) of the Alzette River basin (Luxembourg, Europe), covering a wide range of geological settings, catchment areas, contrasted landuse, and hydro-meteorological and tracer series. We define catchment storage as the total amount of water stored in a control volume, delimited by the catchment's topographical boundaries and depth of saturated and unsaturated zones. Complementary storage assessments (via input-output dynamics of natural tracers, geographical sounding, groundwater level measurements, soil moisture measurements, hydrometry) are carried out for comparison purposes. In our nested catchment set-up we have (1) assessed dependencies between geology, catchment permeability and winter runoff coefficients, (2) calculated water balance derived catchment storage and mixing potential and quantified how dynamic storage differs between catchments and scales, and (3) examined how stream baseflow dD (as a proxy for baseflow transit time) and integrated flow measures (like the flow duration curve) relate to bedrock geology. Catchments with higher bedrock permeability exhibited larger storage capacities and eventually lower average winter runoff coefficients. Over a time-span of 11 years, all catchments re-produced the same winter runoff coefficients year after year, regardless of their bedrock geology, permeability and winter season storage filling ratios. Ultimately, catchment organisation in our area of interest (i.e. geology, permeability, flowpath length) appeared to have a strong control on winter runoff coefficients, catchment storage and subsequently baseflow dD.

Evaluation of a non-point source pollution model, AnnAGNPS, in a tropical watershed

USGS Publications Warehouse

Polyakov, V.; Fares, A.; Kubo, D.; Jacobi, J.; Smith, C.

2007-01-01

Impaired water quality caused by human activity and the spread of invasive plant and animal species has been identified as a major factor of degradation of coastal ecosystems in the tropics. The main goal of this study was to evaluate the performance of AnnAGNPS (Annualized Non-Point Source Pollution Model), in simulating runoff and soil erosion in a 48 km2 watershed located on the Island of Kauai, Hawaii. The model was calibrated and validated using 2 years of observed stream flow and sediment load data. Alternative scenarios of spatial rainfall distribution and canopy interception were evaluated. Monthly runoff volumes predicted by AnnAGNPS compared well with the measured data (R2 = 0.90, P < 0.05); however, up to 60% difference between the actual and simulated runoff were observed during the driest months (May and July). Prediction of daily runoff was less accurate (R2 = 0.55, P < 0.05). Predicted and observed sediment yield on a daily basis was poorly correlated (R2 = 0.5, P < 0.05). For the events of small magnitude, the model generally overestimated sediment yield, while the opposite was true for larger events. Total monthly sediment yield varied within 50% of the observed values, except for May 2004. Among the input parameters the model was most sensitive to the values of ground residue cover and canopy cover. It was found that approximately one third of the watershed area had low sediment yield (0-1 t ha-1 y-1), and presented limited erosion threat. However, 5% of the area had sediment yields in excess of 5 t ha-1 y-1. Overall, the model performed reasonably well, and it can be used as a management tool on tropical watersheds to estimate and compare sediment loads, and identify "hot spots" on the landscape. ?? 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Utilising monitoring and modelling of estuarine environments to investigate catchment conditions responsible for stratification events in a typically well-mixed urbanised estuary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Serena B.; Birch, Gavin F.

2012-10-01

Estuarine health is affected by contamination from stormwater, particularly in highly-urbanised environments. For systems where catchment monitoring is insufficient, novel techniques must be employed to determine the impact of urban runoff on receiving water bodies. In the present work, estuarine monitoring and modelling were successfully employed to determine stormwater runoff volumes and establish an appropriate rainfall/runoff relationship capable of replicating fresh-water discharge due to the full range of precipitation conditions in the Sydney Estuary, Australia. Using estuary response to determine relationships between catchment rainfall and runoff is a widely applicable method and may be of assistance in the study of waterways where monitoring fluvial discharges is not practical or is beyond the capacity of management authorities. For the Sydney Estuary, the SCS-CN method replicated rainfall/runoff and was applied in numerical modelling experiments investigating the hydrodynamic characteristics affecting stratification and estuary recovery following high precipitation. Numerical modelling showed stratification in the Sydney Estuary was dominated by fresh-water discharge. Spring tides and up-estuary winds contributed to mixing and neap tides and down-estuary winds enhanced stratification.

River runoff influences on the Central Mediterranean overturning circulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verri, Giorgia; Pinardi, N.; Oddo, P.; Ciliberti, S. A.; Coppini, G.

2018-03-01

The role of riverine freshwater inflow on the Central Mediterranean Overturning Circulation (CMOC) was studied using a high-resolution ocean model with a complete distribution of rivers in the Adriatic and Ionian catchment areas. The impact of river runoff on the Adriatic and Ionian Sea basins was assessed by a twin experiment, with and without runoff, from 1999 to 2012. This study tries to show the connection between the Adriatic as a marginal sea containing the downwelling branch of the anti-estuarine CMOC and the large runoff occurring there. It is found that the multiannual CMOC is a persistent anti-estuarine structure with secondary estuarine cells that strengthen in years of large realistic river runoff. The CMOC is demonstrated to be controlled by wind forcing at least as much as by buoyancy fluxes. It is found that river runoff affects the CMOC strength, enhancing the amplitude of the secondary estuarine cells and reducing the intensity of the dominant anti-estuarine cell. A large river runoff can produce a positive buoyancy flux without switching off the antiestuarine CMOC cell, but a particularly low heat flux and wind work with normal river runoff can reverse it. Overall by comparing experiments with, without and with unrealistically augmented runoff we demonstrate that rivers affect the CMOC strength but they can never represent its dominant forcing mechanism and the potential role of river runoff has to be considered jointly with wind work and heat flux, as they largely contribute to the energy budget of the basin. Looking at the downwelling branch of the CMOC in the Adriatic basin, rivers are demonstrated to locally reduce the volume of Adriatic dense water formed in the Southern Adriatic Sea as a result of increased water stratification. The spreading of the Adriatic dense water into the Ionian abyss is affected as well: dense waters overflowing the Otranto Strait are less dense in a realistic runoff regime, with respect to no runoff experiment, and confined to a narrower band against the Italian shelf with less lateral spreading toward the Ionian Sea center.

Simulation of rainfall-runoff response in mined and unmined watersheds in coal areas of West Virginia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Puente, Celso; Atkins, John T.

1989-01-01

Meteorologic and hydrologic data from five small watersheds in the coal areas of West Virginia were used to calibrate and test the U.S. Geological Survey Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System for simulating streamflow under various climatic and land-use conditions. Three of the basins--Horsecamp Run, Gilmer Run, and Collison Creek--are primarily forested and relatively undisturbed. The remaining basins--Drawdy Creek and Brier Creek-are extensively mined, both surface and underground above stream drainage level. Low-flow measurements at numerous synoptic sites in the mined basins indicate that coal mining has substantially altered the hydrologic system of each basin. The effects of mining on streamflow that were identified are (1) reduced base flow in stream segments underlain by underground mines, (2) increased base flow in streams that are downdip and stratigraphically below the elevation of the mined coal beds, and (3) interbasin transfer of ground water through underground mines. These changes probably reflect increased permeability of surface rocks caused by subsidence fractures associated with collapsed underground mines in the basin. Such fractures would increase downward percolation of precipitation, surface and subsurface flow, and ground-water flow to deeper rocks or to underground mine workings. Model simulations of the water budgets for the unmined basins during the 1972-73 water years indicate that total annual runoff averaged 60 percent of average annual precipitation; annual evapotranspiration losses averaged 40 percent of average annual precipitation. Of the total annual runoff, approximately 91 percent was surface and subsurface runoff and 9 percent was groundwater discharge. Changes in storage in the soil zone and in the subsurface and ground-water reservoirs in the basins were negligible. In contrast, water-budget simulations for the mined basins indicate significant differences in annual recharge and in total annual runoff. Model simulations of the water budget for Drawdy Creek basin indicate that total annual runoff during 1972-73 averaged only 43 percent of average annual precipitation--the lowest of all study basins; annual evapotranspiration losses averaged 49 percent, and interbasin transfer of ground-water losses averaged about 8 percent. Of the total annual runoff, approximately 74 percent was surface and subsurface flow and 26 percent was ground-water discharge. The low total annual runoff at Drawdy Creek probably reflects increased recharge of precipitation and surface and subsurface flow losses to ground water. Most of the increase in ground-water storage is, in turn, lost to a ground-water sink--namely, interbasin transfer of ground water by gravity drainage and (or) mine pumpage from underground mines that extend to adjacent basins. Hypothetical mining situations were posed for model analysis to determine the effects of increased mining on streamflow in the mined basins. Results of model simulations indicate that streamflow characteristics, the water budget, and the seasonal distribution of streamflow would be significantly modified in response to an increase in mining in the basins. Simulations indicate that (1) total annual runoff in the basins would decrease because of increased surface- and subsurface-flow losses and increased recharge of precipitation to ground water (these losses would tend to reduce medium to high flows mainly during winter and spring when losses would be greatest), (2) extreme high flows in response to intense rainstorms would be negligibly affected, regardless of the magnitude of mining in the basins, (3) ground-water discharge also would decrease during winter and spring, but the amount and duration of low flows during summer and fall would substantially increase in response to increased ground-water storage in rocks and in underground mines, and (4) the increase in ground-water storage in the basins would be depleted, mostly by increased losses to a grou

Analysis of water level variation of lakes and reservoirs in Xinjiang, China using ICESat laser altimetry data (2003–2009)

PubMed Central

Liu, Hongxing; Chen, Yaning; Shu, Song; Wu, Qiusheng; Wang, Shujie

2017-01-01

This study utilizes ICESat Release 33 GLA14 data to analyse water level variation of Xinjiang’s lakes and reservoirs from 2003 to 2009. By using Landsat images, lakes and reservoirs with area larger than 1 km2 are numerically delineated with a software tool. Based on ICESat observations, we analyse the characteristics of water level variation in different geographic environments, as well as investigate the reasons for the variation. Results indicate that climatic warming contributes to rising water levels in lakes in mountainous areas, especially for lakes that are recharged by snow and glacial melting. For lakes in oases, the water levels are affected jointly by human activity and climate change, while the water levels of reservoirs are mainly affected by human activity. Comparing the annual average rates of water levels, those of lakes are higher than those of reservoirs in oasis areas. The main reasons for the decreasing water levels in desert regions are the reduction of recharged runoff and high evaporation. By analysing the variation of water levels and water volume in different geologic environments, it is found that water level and volume increased in mountainous regions, and decreased in oasis regions and desert regions. Finding also demonstrate that decreasing volume is greater than increasing volume, which results in decreasing total volume of Xinjiang lakes and reservoirs. PMID:28873094

Modeling runoff and erosion risk in a~small steep cultivated watershed using different data sources: from on-site measurements to farmers' perceptions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Auvet, B.; Lidon, B.; Kartiwa, B.; Le Bissonnais, Y.; Poussin, J.-C.

2015-09-01

This paper presents an approach to model runoff and erosion risk in a context of data scarcity, whereas the majority of available models require large quantities of physical data that are frequently not accessible. To overcome this problem, our approach uses different sources of data, particularly on agricultural practices (tillage and land cover) and farmers' perceptions of runoff and erosion. The model was developed on a small (5 ha) cultivated watershed characterized by extreme conditions (slopes of up to 55 %, extreme rainfall events) on the Merapi volcano in Indonesia. Runoff was modelled using two versions of STREAM. First, a lumped version was used to determine the global parameters of the watershed. Second, a distributed version used three parameters for the production of runoff (slope, land cover and roughness), a precise DEM, and the position of waterways for runoff distribution. This information was derived from field observations and interviews with farmers. Both surface runoff models accurately reproduced runoff at the outlet. However, the distributed model (Nash-Sutcliffe = 0.94) was more accurate than the adjusted lumped model (N-S = 0.85), especially for the smallest and biggest runoff events, and produced accurate spatial distribution of runoff production and concentration. Different types of erosion processes (landslides, linear inter-ridge erosion, linear erosion in main waterways) were modelled as a combination of a hazard map (the spatial distribution of runoff/infiltration volume provided by the distributed model), and a susceptibility map combining slope, land cover and tillage, derived from in situ observations and interviews with farmers. Each erosion risk map gives a spatial representation of the different erosion processes including risk intensities and frequencies that were validated by the farmers and by in situ observations. Maps of erosion risk confirmed the impact of the concentration of runoff, the high susceptibility of long steep slopes, and revealed the critical role of tillage direction. Calibrating and validating models using in situ measurements, observations and farmers' perceptions made it possible to represent runoff and erosion risk despite the initial scarcity of hydrological data. Even if the models mainly provided orders of magnitude and qualitative information, they significantly improved our understanding of the watershed dynamics. In addition, the information produced by such models is easy for farmers to use to manage runoff and erosion by using appropriate agricultural practices.

Nutrient loss with runoff from fairway turf: an evaluation of core cultivation practices and their environmental impact.

PubMed

Rice, Pamela J; Horgan, Brian P

2011-11-01

The presence of excess nutrients in surface waters can result in undesirable environmental and economic consequences, including nuisance algal blooms and eutrophication. Fertilizer use in highly managed turf systems has raised questions concerning the contribution of nutrients to surrounding surface waters. Experiments were designed to quantify phosphorus and nitrogen transport with runoff from turf plots maintained as a golf course fairway to identify which cultural practice, solid tine (ST) or hollow tine (HT) core cultivation, maximized phosphorus and nitrogen retention at the site of fertilizer application. Simulated precipitation and collection of resulting runoff were completed 26 ± 13 h following granular fertilizer application (18-3-18: N-P₂O₅-K₂O) and 63 d and 2 d following core cultivation. Runoff volumes were reduced in fairway turf plots aerated with HT relative to ST (63 d: 10%, 2 d: 55% reduction). Analysis of the runoff revealed a reduction in soluble phosphorus, ammonium nitrogen, and nitrate nitrogen losses with runoff from plots managed with HT; a 5 to 27% reduction after 63 d; and a 39 to 77% reduction at 2 d. Golf course runoff-to-surface water scenarios were used to calculate estimated environmental concentrations (EECs) of nitrogen and phosphorus in surface water receiving runoff from turf managed with ST or HT core cultivation. Surface water concentrations of phosphorus remained above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's water quality criteria to limit eutrophication, with the exception of concentrations associated with HT core cultivation at 2 d. Regardless of management practice (ST or HT) and time between core cultivation and runoff (63 d or 2 d), all EECs of nitrogen were below levels associated with increased algal growth. Understanding nutrient transport with runoff and identifying strategies that reduce off-site transport will increase their effectiveness at intended sites of application and minimize undesirable effects to surrounding surface water resources. Copyright © 2011 SETAC.

Review of wastewater problems and wastewater-management planning in the San Francisco Bay region, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hines, Walter G.

1973-01-01

The San Francisco Bay region has suffered adverse environmental effects related to the discharge of municipal-, industrial-, and agricultural- wastewater and storm-water runoff. Specific pollutional properties of theses discharges are not well understood in all cases although the toxic materials and aquatic-plant nutrients (biostimulants) found in municipal and industrial waterwater are considered to be a major cause of regional water-quality problems. Other water-quality problems in the region are commonly attributed to pesticides found in agricultural wastewater and potentially pathogenic bacteria in municipal-wastewater discharges and in storm-water runoff. The geographical distribution and magnitude of wastewater discharges in the bay region, particularly those from municipalities and industries, is largely a function of population, economic growth, and urban development. As might be expected, the total volume of wastewater has increased in a trend paralleling this growth and development. More significant, perhaps, is the fact that the total volume parameters such as BOD (biochemical oxygen demand), biostimulant concentrations, and toxicity, has increased despite large expenditures on new and improved municipal- and industrial-wastewater-treatment plants. Also, pollutant loadings from other major source, such as agriculture and storm-water runoff, have increased. At the time of writing (1972), many Federal, State, regional, and local agencies are engaged in a comprehensive wastewater-management-planning effort for the entire bay region. Initial objectives of this planning effort are: (1) the consolidation and coordination of loosely integrated wastewater-management facilities and (2) the elimination of wastewater discharges to ecologically sensitive areas, such as fresh-water streams and shallow extremities of San Francisco Bay. There has been some investigation of potential long-range wastewater-management alternatives based upon disposal in deep water in the bay, in the Pacific Ocean, or on land. Also, wastewater-reclamation and water-reuse concepts seem to be growing in favor with the public and should become and important part of future wastewater-management plans. Because most wastewater-reclamation and water-reuse systems would involve the use of land (that is agricultural irrigation, ground-water recharge, recreational reservoirs) local and regional lang-use planners can ass much to wastewater-management planning by identifying local and subregional waterwater-reclamation and water-reuse possibilities within their jurisdictions and integrating them with future land-use plans. The timely participation of planner is essential because Federal and State planning and funding deadlines for a regional wastewater-management system become effective in July 1973 and 1974, respectively.

Evaluation of Surface Runoff Generation Processes Using a Rainfall Simulator: A Small Scale Laboratory Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Danáčová, Michaela; Valent, Peter; Výleta, Roman

2017-12-01

Nowadays, rainfall simulators are being used by many researchers in field or laboratory experiments. The main objective of most of these experiments is to better understand the underlying runoff generation processes, and to use the results in the process of calibration and validation of hydrological models. Many research groups have assembled their own rainfall simulators, which comply with their understanding of rainfall processes, and the requirements of their experiments. Most often, the existing rainfall simulators differ mainly in the size of the irrigated area, and the way they generate rain drops. They can be characterized by the accuracy, with which they produce a rainfall of a given intensity, the size of the irrigated area, and the rain drop generating mechanism. Rainfall simulation experiments can provide valuable information about the genesis of surface runoff, infiltration of water into soil and rainfall erodibility. Apart from the impact of physical properties of soil, its moisture and compaction on the generation of surface runoff and the amount of eroded particles, some studies also investigate the impact of vegetation cover of the whole area of interest. In this study, the rainfall simulator was used to simulate the impact of the slope gradient of the irrigated area on the amount of generated runoff and sediment yield. In order to eliminate the impact of external factors and to improve the reproducibility of the initial conditions, the experiments were conducted in laboratory conditions. The laboratory experiments were carried out using a commercial rainfall simulator, which was connected to an external peristaltic pump. The pump maintained a constant and adjustable inflow of water, which enabled to overcome the maximum volume of simulated precipitation of 2.3 l, given by the construction of the rainfall simulator, while maintaining constant characteristics of the simulated precipitation. In this study a 12-minute rainfall with a constant intensity of 5 mm/min was used to irrigate a corrupted soil sample. The experiment was undertaken for several different slopes, under the condition of no vegetation cover. The results of the rainfall simulation experiment complied with the expectations of a strong relationship between the slope gradient, and the amount of surface runoff generated. The experiments with higher slope gradients were characterised by larger volumes of surface runoff generated, and by shorter times after which it occurred. The experiments with rainfall simulators in both laboratory and field conditions play an important role in better understanding of runoff generation processes. The results of such small scale experiments could be used to estimate some of the parameters of complex hydrological models, which are used to model rainfall-runoff and erosion processes at catchment scale.

Assessing Variability and Errors in Historical Runoff Forecasting with Physical Models and Alternative Data Sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Penn, C. A.; Clow, D. W.; Sexstone, G. A.

2017-12-01

Water supply forecasts are an important tool for water resource managers in areas where surface water is relied on for irrigating agricultural lands and for municipal water supplies. Forecast errors, which correspond to inaccurate predictions of total surface water volume, can lead to mis-allocated water and productivity loss, thus costing stakeholders millions of dollars. The objective of this investigation is to provide water resource managers with an improved understanding of factors contributing to forecast error, and to help increase the accuracy of future forecasts. In many watersheds of the western United States, snowmelt contributes 50-75% of annual surface water flow and controls both the timing and volume of peak flow. Water supply forecasts from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), National Weather Service, and similar cooperators use precipitation and snowpack measurements to provide water resource managers with an estimate of seasonal runoff volume. The accuracy of these forecasts can be limited by available snowpack and meteorological data. In the headwaters of the Rio Grande, NRCS produces January through June monthly Water Supply Outlook Reports. This study evaluates the accuracy of these forecasts since 1990, and examines what factors may contribute to forecast error. The Rio Grande headwaters has experienced recent changes in land cover from bark beetle infestation and a large wildfire, which can affect hydrological processes within the watershed. To investigate trends and possible contributing factors in forecast error, a semi-distributed hydrological model was calibrated and run to simulate daily streamflow for the period 1990-2015. Annual and seasonal watershed and sub-watershed water balance properties were compared with seasonal water supply forecasts. Gridded meteorological datasets were used to assess changes in the timing and volume of spring precipitation events that may contribute to forecast error. Additionally, a spatially-distributed physics-based snow model was used to assess possible effects of land cover change on snowpack properties. Trends in forecasted error are variable while baseline model results show a consistent under-prediction in the recent decade, highlighting possible compounding effects of climate and land cover changes.

Identification of soil P fractions that are associated with P loss from surface runoff under various cropping systems and fertilizer rates on sloped farmland

PubMed Central

Li, Xinghua; Wang, Baona; Yang, Tewu; Zhu, Duanwei; Nie, Zhongnan; Xu, Junchi

2017-01-01

Soil phosphorus (P) fractions and runoff P concentration were measured to understand the fate of soil P entering surface runoff water during summer cropping season of different double cropping systems under two fertilizer regimes. The dominant form of runoff P was particulate P (PP). Runoff total P (TP) was higher at the vegetative growth stage and lower at the crop reproductive stage. TP and PP were derived mainly from soil Olsen-P, Al-P and Fe-P and amounts increased with sediment content in runoff water. Runoff P discharge was closely related to the changes in soil P forms. Soil Olsen-P, mainly consisting of some Ca2-P and Al-P, was increased by elevating fertilizer rate. Along with crop growth, there were active interconversions among Olsen-P, Org-P, Fe-P and O-Al-P in the soil, and some available P converted into Ca10-P, with O-Fe-P possibly being a transitional form for this conversion. The oilseed rape/corn system had less runoff TP at the early stage, and wheat/sweet potato system had a lower runoff P at the late stage. Intercropping corn with sweet potato in the field with oilseed rape as a previous crop may be helpful for alleviating runoff P load during the summer in this region. PMID:28650990