Restoration challenges for urban rivers

2007 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
B.J. D'Arcy ◽  
T. Rosenqvist ◽  
G. Mitchell ◽  
R. Kellagher ◽  
S. Billett
Keyword(s):  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Urban Infrastructure ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Research Needs ◽  
Best Management ◽  
Persistent Pollutants ◽  
Receiving Waters ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Pollution Loads

Urban sources account for significant quantities of important diffuse pollutants, and urban watercourses are typically badly polluted. As well as toxic metals, hydrocarbons including PAHs, and suspended matter, priority urban pollutants include faecal pathogens and nutrients. Can urban watercourses be restored by sufficient reductions in pollution loads? Case studies in the UK and Sweden provide insights and some grounds for optimism. A major trans-Atlantic review of the performance of best management practices (BMPs) is informing BMP planning. New approaches such as the maximisation of self-purification capacity in the receiving waters may also need to be developed, alongside BMPs at source. Other initiatives in Europe, USA and China, including collaborative projects, are trying to address the intractable issues such as persistent pollutants from transport and urban infrastructure. The challenge is daunting, but there are clear ways forward and future research needs are evident.

Reductive characteristics of washed-off pollution loads by best management practices

2008 ◽  
Vol 58 (12) ◽  
pp. 2339-2346 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sung Ryong Ha ◽  
Seung Chul Lee
Keyword(s):  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Water Bodies ◽  
First Flush ◽  
Best Management ◽  
Korean Ministry ◽  
Pollutant Reduction ◽  
Treat All ◽  
Total Maximum ◽  
Pollution Loads

Best management practices (BMPs) were used to reduce the NPS in various fields. The Korean Ministry of Environment has developed a total maximum daily load (TMDL) and adapted it to prevent water resources from pollutants in four major rivers. However, many water bodies in Korea are still polluted. It is anticipated that the NPS pollution flows into the water bodies without treatment. Nowadays, BMPs are enforced to reduce the NPS pollutant in Korean TMDL.This paper analyzes the characteristics of the reduced pollution loads by two different BMPs. We also calculate the reduced pollutant mass and the reduced pollutant loading rate to help make a plan for the pollution reduction in the Korean TMDL.The characteristics of the pollutant reduction in the BMPs were revealed through analysis of the EMC, first flush phenomenon and reduced pollution loads. Integrated facilities which combined two facilities were more effective to reduce the pollutant than the single and it was better to remove the beginning of the runoff as a first flush effectively than treat all runoff in the facilities.

Phosphorus dynamics in vegetated buffer strips in cold climates: a review

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 255-272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristen A. Kieta ◽  
Philip N. Owens ◽  
David A. Lobb ◽  
Jason A. Vanrobaeys ◽  
Don N. Flaten
Keyword(s):  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Careful Consideration ◽  
Point Sources ◽  
Cold Climate ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Winter Period ◽  
Buffer Strips ◽  
Cold Climates ◽  
Best Management

The movement of excess phosphorus (P) into streams, rivers, and lakes poses a significant threat to water quality and the health of aquatic ecosystems and thus, P has been targeted for reduction. In landscapes dominated by agriculture, P is primarily transported through non-point sources, which a number of best management practices aim to target. One such practice is vegetated buffer strips (VBS), which are designed to use dense vegetation above the surface and extensive root systems below the surface to reduce runoff velocity, trap sediments, increase infiltration, and increase plant uptake of nutrients. The effectiveness of VBS in reducing P concentrations has been studied and reviewed, but most studies have been undertaken in warm or temperate climates, where runoff is primarily driven through summer rainfall events and when vegetation is actively growing. In cold climates, the majority of runoff occurs during the snowmelt period, when soils are frozen and vegetation has been flattened by snow and ice over the winter period and is not actively taking up nutrients. These conditions hinder the ability of VBS to work as designed. Additionally, frozen vegetation can release P after undergoing freeze–thaw cycles (FTCs). Thus, this review aimed to (i) summarize research designed to determine the effectiveness of VBS in reducing P transport in cold climates, (ii) collate research on the potential for vegetation to release P after undergoing FTCs, and (iii) identify research gaps to be addressed in determining VBS effectiveness in cold climates. Cold-climate VBS implemented in Canada, the northern United States, and northern Europe have shown P removal efficiencies ranging from −36% to +89%, a range that identifies the uncertainty surrounding the use of VBS in these landscapes. However, there is consensus among researchers globally that vegetation does release P after undergoing FTCs, though P concentrations from different species vary across studies. The design and management of VBS in cold climates requires careful consideration, and VBS may not always be the best management strategy to reduce P transport. Future research should be undertaken at a larger scale in natural systems and focus on VBS design and management strategies.

scholarly journals Finite Difference Method to Design Sustainable Infiltration Based Stormwater Management System

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thewodros K. Geberemariam
Keyword(s):  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
New Paradigm ◽  
Surface Hydrology ◽  
Subsurface Hydrology ◽  
Best Management ◽  
Native Soil ◽  
Soil Constraints ◽  
Current Design ◽  
Receiving Waters

Infiltration based stormwater best management practices bring considerable economic, social and ecological benefits. Controlling stormwater quantity and quality are primarily important to prevent urban flooding and minimizing loads of pollutants to the receiving waters. However, there have been growing concerns about how the traditional design approach contributes to the failure of infiltration based BMP’s that have caused flooding, ponding, prolonged movement of surface water, and frequent clogging, etc. Many of these problems were due to the fact that the current design approaches of stormwater BMP’s only focus on surface hydrology and give little or no attention to the underline subsoil permeability rate and other constraints during the design and sizing process. As a result, we are exhibiting many newly constructed infiltration based BMP’s are failing to function well. This paper presents and demonstrates a new paradigm shift in designing infiltration-based stormwater BMP’s by combining subsurface hydrology and undelaying native soil constraints to establish acceptable criteria for sizing infiltration based BMPs.

Performance of low-impact development best management practices: a critical review

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Hager ◽  
Guangji Hu ◽  
Kasun Hewage ◽  
Rehan Sadiq
Keyword(s):  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Low Impact Development ◽  
Stormwater Runoff ◽  
Cold Weather ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Knowledge Gaps ◽  
Best Management ◽  
Runoff Reduction ◽  
Conflicting Objectives

Low-impact development (LID), a land planning and engineering design approach for managing urban stormwater runoff, has been widely adopted across the globe. LID best management practices (BMPs) are man-made features that rely on natural processes to manage stormwater water quantity and quality. In this article, recent literature (published after the year 2008) related to nine BMPs was reviewed to highlight the ranges in treatment efficiencies for 21 of the most frequently investigated runoff parameters. The primary function, pros and cons, and factors affecting performance of each BMP were discussed. A frequency analysis of the reviewed parameters showed that total suspended solids, total phosphorous, total nitrogen, runoff reduction, and zinc concentrations were the most frequently investigated stormwater runoff parameters. Five recurring themes were observed with regards to knowledge gaps and conflicting objectives for research related to LID BMPs that include: (i) lack of consensus on which parameters to measure for effective LID adoption, (ii) BMP performance is highly variable, (iii) many BMPs are known exporters of nutrient pollutants, (iv) lack of cold weather performance-specific studies for individual BMPs, and (v) lack of human pathogen-related stormwater quality studies for individual BMPs. Suggestions for future research are discussed to address these knowledge gaps.

scholarly journals Identification of Critical Source Areas (CSAs) and Evaluation of Best Management Practices (BMPs) in Controlling Eutrophication in the Dez River Basin

Environments ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hadi Babaei ◽  
Mohammad Nazari-Sharabian ◽  
Moses Karakouzian ◽  
Sajjad Ahmad
Keyword(s):  
River Basin ◽  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Livestock Grazing ◽  
Critical Source Areas ◽  
Source Areas ◽  
Best Management ◽  
Combined Indices ◽  
Pollution Loads

Best Management Practices (BMPs) are commonly used to control pollution in the river basins. Prioritization of BMPs helps improve the efficiency and effectiveness of pollution reduction, especially in Critical Source Areas (CSAs) that produce the highest pollution loads. Recently, the Dez River in Khuzestan, Iran, has become highly eutrophic from the overuse of fertilizers and pesticides. In this basin, dry and irrigated farming produce 77.34% and 6.3% of the Total Nitrogen (TN) load, and 83.56% and 4.3% of the Total Phosphorus (TP) load, respectively. In addition, residential, pasture, and forest land uses together account for 16.36% of the TN and 12.14% of the TP load in this area. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was implemented to model the Dez River basin and evaluate the applicability of several BMPs, including point source elimination, filter strips, livestock grazing, and river channel management, in reducing the entry of pollution loads to the river. Sensitivity analysis and calibration/validation of the model was performed using the SUFI-2 algorithm in the SWAT Calibration Uncertainties Program (SWAT-CUP). The CSAs were identified using individual (sediment, TN, TP) and combined indices, based on the amount of pollution produced. Among the BMPs implemented, the 10 m filter strip was most effective in reducing TN load (42.61%), and TP load (39.57%).

scholarly journals Identification of Critical Source Areas (CSAs) and Evaluation of Best Management Practices (BMPs) in Controlling Eutrophication in Dez River Basin

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hadi Babaei ◽  
Mohammad Nazari-Sharabian ◽  
Moses Karakouzian ◽  
Sajjad Ahmad
Keyword(s):  
River Basin ◽  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
River Channel ◽  
Channel Management ◽  
Critical Source Areas ◽  
Filter Strips ◽  
Source Areas ◽  
Best Management ◽  
Pollution Loads

Best management practices (BMPs) are a way to control pollution in river basins. Prioritization of BMPs helps improve efficiency and effectiveness of pollution reduction, especially in critical source areas (CSAs) that produce the highest pollution loads. Recently, the Dez River, Khuzestan, Iran, has become highly eutrophic from overuse of fertilizers and pesticides. Dry and irrigated farming produce 77.34% and 6.3% of the total nitrogen (TN) load, and 83.56% and 4.3% of the total phosphorus (TP) load in this basin, respectively. Residential, pasture, and forest land uses account for 16.36% of the TN and 12.14% of the TP load cumulatively. In this study, the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was implemented to model the Dez River basin, and evaluate the applicability of several BMPs including point source elimination, filter strips, livestock grazing, and river channel management, in reducing the entry of pollution loads to the river. Sensitivity analysis and calibration/validation of the model was performed using the SUFI-2 algorithm in the SWAT Calibration Uncertainties Program (SWAT-CUP). CSAs were identified using individual (sediment, TN, TP) and combined indices, based on the amount of pollution produced. Among the BMPs implemented, filter strips were most effective in reducing TN loads (59%), and, increasing the D50 of particles for river channel management was most effective in reducing TP loads (49%).

scholarly journals Water bodies pollution due to stormwater runoff in highways: measures and legislative framework

2013 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-92 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Road Network ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Stormwater Runoff ◽  
Water Bodies ◽  
Best Management ◽  
Quality Of Water ◽  
Legislative Framework ◽  
Receiving Waters

Nowadays, it is a common ascertainment that stormwater runoff in the urban and interurban road network consist non-point source pollution which contributes to the degrading of the quality of water of ground and surface water bodies. Taking into account the fact that water pollution has impacts to people and also to flora and fauna, the need to take measures in order to confront this environmental problem becomes inevitable. The adverse impacts of the stormwater runoff can be minimized with structural and non-structural Best Management Practices (BMPs) or with a combination of them. Within the content of the present paper the following are included: a) the investigation and presentation of the receiving waters pollution issues from the highway road network stormwater runoff together with the European transport policy concerning the development of an integrated highway road network, b) the examination of the respective pollutant generation and characteristics, c) the presentation of their impacts, d) the examination of the measures (structural and nonstructural BMPs), e) the presentation of the “first flush” phenomenon, f) The presentation of the existing legislation in the EU with emphasis in the E.U. Directive 2000/60/EC as well as the presentation of the relevant existing environmental legislation in Greece, including also the presentation of the way the Highway Guidelines actually deal with the specific problem.

scholarly journals The Effectiveness of Forestry Best Management Practices for Sediment Control in the Southeastern United States: A Literature Review

2011 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 170-177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher J. Anderson ◽  
B. Graeme Lockaby
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Southeastern United States ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Sediment Retention ◽  
Sediment Control ◽  
Best Management ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Bmp Effectiveness

Abstract Water quality from forested watersheds (both managed and unmanaged) is normally very good and better than most other human-dominated land uses. Water degradation is possible during forestry operations; however, the use of best management practices (BMP) has been shown to substantially reduce the risk. In the southeastern United States, forests are managed under a wide range of conditions reflective of physiographic region, soil erodibility, climate, and site wetness. Although it is clear that BMP reduce sediment and pollutant loading into streams, there is less information regarding how effective these practices are (i.e., how much sediment did BMP retain? What was the mechanism for sediment retention?). A review of the scientific literature was conducted to evaluate forestry BMP effectiveness to control sediment in the southeastern United States. Our reviewly quantified BMP effectiveness to reduce sediment. In the Coastal Plain, research has focused on forest roads and site wetness, whereas in the Piedmont and regions with steeper terrain, the focus has been on streamside management zones. These studies provide an initial indication of how much sediment is reduced by BMP; however, more information is needed for managers to make reasonable estimations. Future research should focus on quantifying BMP effects on sediment yield and identifying the specific mechanisms involved.

scholarly journals Identification of Critical Source Areas (CSAs) and Evaluation of Best Management Practices (BMPs) in Controlling Eutrophication in the Dez River Basin

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hadi Babaei ◽  
Mohammad Nazari-Sharabian ◽  
Moses Karakouzian ◽  
Sajjad Ahmad
Keyword(s):  
River Basin ◽  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Livestock Grazing ◽  
Critical Source Areas ◽  
Source Areas ◽  
Best Management ◽  
Combined Indices ◽  
Pollution Loads

Best Management Practices (BMPs) are commonly used to control pollution in the river basins. Prioritization of BMPs helps improve the efficiency and effectiveness of pollution reduction, especially in Critical Source Areas (CSAs) that produce the highest pollution loads. Recently, the Dez River in Khuzestan, Iran, has become highly eutrophic from the overuse of fertilizers and pesticides. In this basin, dry and irrigated farming produce 77.34% and 6.3% of the Total Nitrogen (TN) load, and 83.56% and 4.3% of the Total Phosphorus (TP) load, respectively. In addition, residential, pasture, and forest land uses together account for 16.36% of the TN and 12.14% of the TP load in this area. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was implemented to model the Dez River basin and evaluate the applicability of several BMPs, including point source elimination, filter strips, livestock grazing, and river channel management, in reducing the entry of pollution loads to the river. Sensitivity analysis and calibration/validation of the model was performed using the SUFI-2 algorithm in the SWAT Calibration Uncertainties Program (SWAT-CUP). The CSAs were identified using individual (sediment, TN, TP) and combined indices, based on the amount of pollution produced. Among the BMPs implemented, the 10 m filter strip was most effective in reducing TN load (42.61%), and TP load (39.57%).

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