scholarly journals Regulatory and Resource Management Practices for Urban Watersheds: The Florida Experience

2012 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 418-429 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard O. Carey ◽  
George J. Hochmuth ◽  
Christopher J. Martinez ◽  
Treavor H. Boyer ◽  
Vimala D. Nair ◽  
...  

Urban water quality management is becoming an increasingly complex and widespread problem. The long-term viability of aquatic ecosystems draining urban watersheds can be addressed through both regulatory and nutrient and water management initiatives. This review focuses on U.S. regulatory (federal, state, and local) and management (runoff, atmospheric deposition, and wastewater) impacts on urban water quality, specifically emphasizing programs in Florida. Because of rapid population growth in recent decades, and projected increases in the future, appropriate resource management in Florida is essential. Florida enacted stormwater regulations in 1979, before the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) amended the Clean Water Act (CWA) to regulate stormwater discharges. However, in the United States, more research has been conducted on larger structural best management practices (BMPs) (e.g., wet ponds, detention basins, etc.) compared with smaller onsite alternatives (e.g., green roofs, permeable pavements, etc.). For atmospheric deposition, research is needed to investigate processes contributing to enhanced deposition rates. Wastewater (from septic systems, treatment plants, and landfills) management is especially important in urban watersheds. Failing septic systems, elevated nutrient concentrations in discharged effluent, and landfill leachate can all potentially degrade water quality. Proposed numeric nutrient criteria from the USEPA and innovative technologies such as bioreactor landfills are emergent regulatory and management strategies for improved urban water quality.

2012 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 280-291 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard O. Carey ◽  
George J. Hochmuth ◽  
Christopher J. Martinez ◽  
Treavor H. Boyer ◽  
Vimala D. Nair ◽  
...  

Urban watersheds include extensive turfgrass plantings that are associated with anthropocentric attitudes toward landscapes. Native and construction-disturbed urban soils often cannot supply adequate amounts of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) for the growth and beauty of landscape plants. Hence, fertilization of landscape plants is practiced. Mismanaged fertilization and irrigation practices represent a potential source of nutrients that may contribute to water quality impairment. This review focuses on turfgrass fertilization practices and their impacts on urban water quality. Research results show that fertilization during active growth periods enhances turfgrass nutrient uptake efficiencies. The major concern regarding the fertilization of turfgrass and landscape plants in urban watersheds, therefore, is selecting the proper combination of fertilizer rate, timing, and placement that maximizes nutrient utilization efficiency and reduces the risk for nutrient loss to water bodies. Encouraging individuals to adopt best management practices (BMPs) is a priority for watershed managers. Research has found that educational programs are an important part of changing fertilization habits and that education needs to be thorough and comprehensive, which is beyond the scope of many seminars and fact sheets currently in use.


2010 ◽  
Vol 61 (9) ◽  
pp. 2381-2390 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriele Freni ◽  
Giorgio Mannina ◽  
Gaspare Viviani

The objective of this paper is the definition of a methodology to evaluate the impact of the temporal resolution of rainfall measurements in urban drainage modelling applications. More specifically the effect of the temporal resolution on urban water quality modelling is detected analysing the uncertainty of the response of rainfall–runoff modelling. Analyses have been carried out using historical rainfall–discharge data collected for the Fossolo catchment (Bologna, Italy). According to the methodology, the historical rainfall data are taken as a reference, and resampled data have been obtained through a rescaling procedure with variable temporal windows. The shape comparison between ‘true’ and rescaled rainfall data has been carried out using a non-dimensional accuracy index. Monte Carlo simulations have been carried out applying a parsimonious urban water quality model, using the recorded data and the resampled events. The results of the simulations were used to derive the cumulative probabilities of quantity and quality model outputs (peak discharges, flow volume, peak concentrations and pollutant mass) conditioned on the observation according to the GLUE (Generalized Likelihood Uncertainty Estimation) methodology. The results showed that when coarser rainfall information is available, the model calibration process is still efficient even if modelling uncertainty progressively increases especially with regards to water quality aspects.


2013 ◽  
Vol 21 (8) ◽  
pp. 5297-5310 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masoud Fallah Shorshani ◽  
Céline Bonhomme ◽  
Guido Petrucci ◽  
Michel André ◽  
Christian Seigneur

2017 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 839-848 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin E. Scott ◽  
Mansoor D. K. Leh ◽  
Brian E. Haggard

Abstract Pathogens are a major cause of water quality impairment and public health concern world-wide. In the United States, each state is tasked with developing water quality standards (WQS) to protect the designated use(s) of waterbodies. Several streams in the Illinois River Watershed in northwest Arkansas are currently listed as impaired due to elevated levels of pathogens. Our objective was to evaluate Escherichia coli (E. coli) numbers at 29 stream sites, compare these numbers to the applicable WQS, and investigate the relationship between E. coli numbers and land cover variables. E. coli numbers in samples collected at most sites were within allowable limits, although there were several instances of violations of the WQS. Violations were variable from year to year at some sites, and elevated levels of E. coli were spatially localized during baseflow. Violations also were positively related to pasture land cover in the drainage area, and particularly within the riparian buffer area. This relationship was non-linear, or threshold based, where there was a significant increase in the mean E. coli exceedances when riparian pasture land cover was greater than approximately 50%. These results can be used to identify specific stream reaches where E. coli numbers might be elevated and the implementation of best management practices can be geographically targeted.


2011 ◽  
Vol 64 (7) ◽  
pp. 1519-1526 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. S. Beenen ◽  
J. G. Langeveld ◽  
H. J. Liefting ◽  
R. H. Aalderink ◽  
H. Velthorst

This paper introduces an integrated approach for the assessment of receiving water quality and the relative contribution of the urban drainage system to perceived receiving water quality problems. The approach combines mass balances with relatively simple receiving water impact models. The research project has learned that the urban drainage system is only one of the determining factors with respect to receiving urban water quality problems. The morphology of the receiving waters and the non-sewer sources of pollution, such as waterbirds, dogs, or inflow of external surface water might be equally important. This conclusion underlines the necessity to changes today's emission based approach and adopt an integral and immission based approach. The integrated approach is illustrated on a case study in Arnhem, where the receiving water quality remained unsatisfactory even after retrofitting a combined sewer system into a separated sewer system.


2017 ◽  
Vol 08 (08) ◽  
pp. 513-530
Author(s):  
Dhiraj Shrestha ◽  
Jianxun He

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarin Raj Pokhrel ◽  
Gyan Chhipi-Shrestha ◽  
Kasun Hewage ◽  
Rehan Sadiq

An urban water system (UWS) has three main service components: 1) drinking water, 2) wastewater, and 3) stormwater. Historically, each component in urban water development evolved over time with different objectives for “different” types of water. Even today, the trend continues, as different urban water services are managed in silos. This trend is less sustainable, resilient, and reliable mainly because of significant pressures on freshwater supplies exerted by increasing population, demand for high living standards, rapid urbanization, and climate change. To cope with these challenges, the conventional thinking necessitates a change. This paper identifies a number of significant research gaps related to inter-relationships among various UWS service components. An innovative paradigm - One Water Approach (OWA), which considers “urban water” as a single entity, is investigated. Currently, Australia, the United States, and Singapore are leading the pack to implement OWA, whereas only a few Canadian municipalities have embraced OWA at a very basic level. In the European Union nations, Amsterdam (Netherlands) emphasized the need for integrated water resource management in an urban environment. This review highlights the challenges in adopting OWA and also proposes guiding principles in ongoing water management practices. Institutional complexities involving an intricate regulatory structure for different UWS service components, a wider fragmentation in decision making at government levels, and insufficient stakeholder engagement within and between water utilities and other institutions present serious challenges. Various strategies such as, data sharing between water utilities, use of novel technologies (e.g., artificial intelligence, sensor technologies), and visionary leadership at different government levels have been identified as key drivers for the adoption and implementation of OWA. The authors believe that a paradigm shift from ‘conventional’ approach to OWA is needed to increase resiliency and reliability of water services and assist decision-makers of UWSs.


Author(s):  
Azwin Zailti Abd Razad ◽  
Siti Humaira Haron ◽  
Amirah Hanim Mohd Puad ◽  
Zalilah Selamat ◽  
Nurshahira Mohd Noh ◽  
...  

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