Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Wildfire Impacts On Fluvial Hydrology From Watershed To National Scales, Paige G. Tunby

Civil Engineering ETDs

Wildfires alter the water quantity and quality in downstream river networks. Fires promote biodiversity, maintain habitat, and provide many ecosystem services in a fire-adapted landscape. However, changes in the natural fire regimes can alter ecosystem function and threaten the water security of impacted downstream communities. The magnitude, timing, and persistence of these impacts are difficult to predict due to the lack of high-resolution datasets with adequate coverage to evaluate spatiotemporal trends after a fire. This dissertation moves us beyond the status quo to evaluate post-fire fluvial responses across scales, from the event-scale impacts after the Hermit’s Peak-Calf Canyon wildfire in …

Development Of A Water Temperature Modeling Platform To Support Short- And Long-Term Water Temperature Management In Reservoir-River Systems, Michael Deas, Yung-Hsin Sun, John Degeorge, Benjamin T. Saenz, Thomas A. Evans, Scott Burdick-Yahya, Stephen Andrews, Jeff Schuyler, William Candy, Lin Zheng, Scott Wells, Multiple Additional Authors

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) supports water temperature management for fishery species protection in downstream river reaches below Central Valley Project (CVP) reservoirs in the Sacramento, American, and Stanislaus River systems. The Water Temperature Modeling Platform (WTMP) Project was initiated to modernize and enhance modeling capabilities to predict summer–fall water temperature through reservoir cold water pool management using temperature control facilities designed for temperature management. The WTMP supports forecasts, historical analyses, and long-term planning efforts and advances previous modeling approaches by using an integrated modeling platform. This platform includes a data management system that acquires …

Legacy Nutrient Transport By Overland Sheet Flow, John E. Gilley, Ryan P. Mcgehee, Kenneth M. Wacha

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

The transport of phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) from sites containing varying quantities of legacy nutrients was evaluated in this investigation. The data that were examined were collected during four previously reported field hydrologic studies performed in eastern Nebraska. Additional flow was introduced to the top of the rainfall simulation plots to replicate runoff conditions occurring along a hillslope. It was observed that both P and N delivery were influenced by runoff rate on sites where beef cattle manure or inorganic fertilizer had been applied. Legacy nutrient delivery appeared to have been influenced by the quantity of nutrients released at …

Irrigation Performance Connection To Water Quality In Big Creek, Sena Bildim

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Due to new technologies and improved water management strategies, sprinkler irrigation systems are becoming more common in Utah and nearby areas. These systems are generally thought to be more efficient, but their effects on water quality are not well understood. This study focuses on the Big Creek watershed, which flows into Bear Lake—an area where water quality concerns are increasing.

The purpose of this research was to explore how different irrigation systems—sprinkler and surface—affect both water use and water quality. Field tests were conducted to measure how evenly water was applied and how efficient each system was. Water and soil …

Tidal Flooding Contributes To Eutrophication: Constraining Nonpoint Source Inputs To An Urban Estuary Using A Data Driven Statistical Model, Alfonso Macías-Tapia, Margaret R. Mulholland, Corday R. Selden, Sophie Clayton, Peter W. Bernhardt, Thomas R. Allen

OES Faculty Publications

In coastal urban areas, tidal flooding brings water carrying nutrients and particles back from land to estuarine and coastal waters. A statistical model to predict nutrient loads during tidal flooding events can help estimate nutrient loading from previous and future flooding events and adapt nutrient reduction strategies. We measured concentrations of dissolved inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus in floodwater at seven sentinel sites during 15 tidal flooding events from January 2019 to September 2020. The study area was the Lafayette River watershed in Norfolk, VA, USA, which is prone to tidal flooding and is predicted to experience more frequent and intense …

Establishing Performance Criteria For Evaluating Watershed-Scale Sediment And Nutrient Models At Fine Temporal Scales, Aayush Pandit, Sarah Hogan, David Tyler Mahoney, William I. Ford, James F. Fox, Christopher Wellen, Admin Husic

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Watershed water quality models are mathematical tools used to simulate processes related to water, sediment, and nutrients. These models provide a framework that can be used to inform decision-making and the allocation of resources for watershed management. Therefore, it is critical to answer the question “when is a model good enough?” Established performance evaluation criteria, or thresholds for what is considered a ‘good’ model, provide common benchmarks against which model performance can be compared. Since the publication of prior meta-analyses on this topic, developments in the last decade necessitate further investigation, such as the advancement in high performance computing, the …

Evaluation Of Practical Methods To Determine If A Karst Creek Is Gaining Or Losing: Case Study Of Leith Creek, Elizabeth Jones

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Karst landscapes are abundant in Missouri, with features such as caves, springs, and sinkholes that form through the dissolution of limestone. Leith Creek is a small stream in Polk County, Missouri fed by two springs and the shallow unconfined Springfield Plateau aquifer, a highly karstified aquifer which is made up of limestone and minor interbedded shale-mudstone units. To determine if Leith Creek is gaining or losing, stream flow, water chemistry and temperature sensors were monitored. Stream flow results required multiple visits to take measurements while temperature sensors required two visits, one to install the dataloggers and another to remove the …

General Hydrogeochemical Characterization Of Groundwater In Coastal Aquifers Of Kilwa Kisiwani Oceanic Island, South East Tanzania, Simon R Melchioly

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

The main objective of this study was to determine the hydrogeochemical processes controlling the groundwater chemistry on the Island and assess its suitability for human consumption and irrigation. The methodology used in the study include hydrogeological assessment of the study area and laboratory analysis for general physico-chemical parameters of groundwater. Other parameters such as Soluble sodium percentage (SSP) or % Na+, Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR), Magnesium adsorption ratio (MAR), Residual sodium carbonate (RSC), hydrochemical facies classification, and Water Quality Index (WQI) were calculated using empirical formulae. The effects of salinization of groundwater were classified using the chloride-Bicarbonate (Cl/HCO3) and the …

Supplementary Data For Potential For Climate-Based Financing Of Watershed Management To Restore Streams And Improve Water Quality Following A Wildfire: A Case Study Of The Provo River Watershed, Braxton W. Porter, Robert B. Sowby

ScholarsArchive Data

Data presented in Thesis Dissertation "Potential for Climate-Based Financing of Watershed Management to Restore Streams and Improve Water Quality Following a Wildfire: A Case Study of the Provo River Watershed". Provides all inputs, results, and code used in the presented analysis.

A Validation Of Wepp Water Quality Routines In Uniform And Nonuniform Agricultural Hillslopes, Ryan P. Mcgehee, Dennis C. Flanagan, Bernard A. Engel, John E. Gilley

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Nutrients in agricultural runoff may cause offsite environmental impacts. The objective of this investigation was to examine nutrient transport by overland sheet flow on sites containing swine slurry. Data examined in this study was collected during field rainfall simulation tests conducted on cropland sites in southeast Nebraska, USA. Inflow was added to the top of experimental plots in four successive increments to simulate runoff rates occurring at greater downslope distances. Runoff rates on the experimental sites ranged from 2.3 to 21.2 L min 1 and maximum equivalent downslope distances varied from 5 to 108 m. Phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) …

Stream Water Quality Under Baseflow Conditions In A Livestock Production Area, Maryi Lorena Chavarro Chaux

Theses and Dissertations

This study evaluates the spatial and temporal impacts of implemented Best Management Practices (BMP) on stream water quality under baseflow conditions in a stream segment affected by livestock production. The BMPs includes 10-m fenced riparian zone and crossing paths along the reach segment. Grab water samples and water quality monitoring were collected biweekly from July 2019 to March 2022. Water quality parameters included temperature, dissolved oxygen, electric conductance, total dissolved solids, turbidity, and pH. Water samples were lab analyzed for sediments and nutrients. Results evidenced poor water quality before BMPs implementation, with nutrient concentrations exceeding the nation's and state's criteria. …

Assessing The Relationship Between Soil Health/Quality And Water Quality In The Mississippi Delta, Laura Andrea Sarmiento Rodriguez

Theses and Dissertations

Several studies have reported agronomic benefits by improving soil health/quality, but uncertain knowledge remains when determining specific impacts on water quality off-field. This study investigated the links between runoff water quality and soil health/quality in agricultural fields of the Mississippi delta under three land management scenarios: Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), vegetative buffer (VB), and row crops (RC). Using the Soil Management Assessment Framework (SMAF), a Soil Quality Index (SQI) was obtained based on ten soil health/quality indicators from 2008 and 2012 datasets. The SMAF identified significant differences in soil health/quality improvements among scenarios over a four-year period. Varied relationships between …

Study Of Surface And Groundwater Quality And Quantity At Watershed Scale In Mississippi, Dipesh Nepal

Theses and Dissertations

Hydrology and water quality are affected by land use and climate changes. Mississippi’s diverse agro–ecosystem comprises of a range of land use land cover (LULC) including agriculture, forest, wetlands, urban, and grasslands. The objectives of this study were to investigate the impacts of various factors such as Best Management Practices (BMPs), wetlands, LULC, and climate changes on water quality and quantity. The hydrologic and water quality responses to dynamic LULC input in Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) were evaluated. Results showed that agricultural and forest expansion were major drivers of hydrologic and water quality changes in Big Sunflower River …

Post-Wildfire Export Regimes Of Solutes Along The Gallinas-Pecos River-Santa Rosa Fluvial Network, Asmita Kaphle

Civil Engineering ETDs

Wildfires significantly contribute to water pollution when ash and sediments, including nutrients and metals, are released into fluvial systems, impacting aquatic ecosystems and surrounding communities. This study focuses on the impacts of the Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon Fire on the Gallinas and Pecos watersheds. It employs five monitoring stations along a 190km fluvial network to assess solute export regimes post-fire, where grab samples were collected for nutrient and metal analyses for a period of more than a year. The metrics used for characterizing mobilization, chemostatic, or dilution patterns indicated mobilization for most solutes at all sites upstream of Santa Rosa Lake. …

Assessing The Treatment Efficiency Of Expanded Shale As A Filter Medium In A Bioswale, Ashish Bhurtyal

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

This thesis presents a laboratory investigation focusing on the use of expanded shale as a filter media in bioswales. Bioswales are known for their effectiveness in improving water quality by removing pollutants such as total suspended solids (TSS) and turbidity. While conventional filter media with rocks, sand, and mulches have been utilized in bioswales to enhance infiltration capacity, the potential of expanded shale as an engineered media has not been thoroughly assessed and documented. The study conducted a series of thirty experiments involving three different flow conditions to mimic typical Best Management Practices (BMP) applications. The primary focus was on …

Experimental Investigation Of Water Quality Impact On The Compressive Strength Of Concrete, Shayan Sharifzad

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Water is an indispensable component in concrete, as it enables crucial chemical reactions. Therefore, the quality of water used in concrete plays a vital role in its performance. Contaminated water, sewage, or high-salt water can disrupt the cement's setting process and overall performance. As a result, it is crucial to prioritize the use of drinking water or water of equivalent quality in concrete production. While the ideal water-to-cement ratio for concrete is typically around 0.20, practical considerations often require a higher water content ranging from 0.30 to 0.70. This increased water consumption is necessary to ensure workability and achieve optimal …

The Efficacy Of Conservation Practices In Reducing Floods And Improving Water Quality, Shivendra Srivastava, Andrea D. Basche, Elbert Traylor, Tirthankar Roy

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

Conservation practices such as crop rotation, filter strips, and constructed wetlands are nature-based approaches intended to safeguard natural resources in agricultural landscapes. In this study, we reviewed the literature on how conservation practices, both at watershed and field scales, have been proven to subdue flood peaks, surface runoff, soil erosion, sediment transport, and nutrient loss. We classified different conservation practices based on the mode of their application (i.e., in-field, edge-of-field, and structural practices) and described what prior research efforts have concluded about the efficacy of different practices. At the field scale, practices such as reduced or no-till farming, grassed waterways, …

Downstream Hydrochemistry And Irrigation Water Quality Of The Syr Darya, Aral Sea Basin, South Kazakhstan, Bagdat Satybaldiyev, Baimurat Ismailov, Nurbek Nurpeisov, Kairat Kenges, Daniel D. Snow, Arindam Malakar, Omirzhan Taukebayev, Bolat Uralbekov

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

New hydrochemical measurements from the Syr Darya provide insights into factors affecting the composition and quality of a major freshwater source replenishing the Aral Sea. This river is heavily used for power and irrigation and crosses territories of four Central Asia republics. It is intensely managed, draining several major tributaries, many reservoirs, and numerous irrigation distribution systems and canals. Analysis of seasonal changes in dissolved ion concentrations using geochemical diagrams, elemental ratios, statistical correlation, and equilibrium modeling allowed the characterization of mineral formation processes that control the dissolved chemical composition. Measured water hydrochemistry and composition type differs substantially from previous …

Characterization Of Lower Rio Grande Valley Watershed, Abdulkabir O. Aduragba

Theses and Dissertations

The Lower Laguna Madre (LLM) is considered impaired because of the high concentration of bacteria and low level of dissolved oxygen (DO). LLM receives freshwater from the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) watershed. In other to understand the impairment, LRGV watershed is being studied by relying on water quality data of the contributing drainages and State resource geographic data to identify watershed boundary and pollutant sources.

The study on the North and Central LRGV watershed shows some correlation between the concentration of E. coli/Bacteria, Ammonia, Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen, Total Phosphorus, Nitrate and Nitrite, Chlorophyll-a and the sources of pollutant in …

Water Quality Engineering And Wastewater Treatment Ii, Yung-Tse Hung, Rehab Abdel Rahman, Hamidi Abdul Aziz, Issam A. Al-Khatib, Tsuyoshi Imai

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

In this respect, the modeling of the organic matter removal kinetics from municipal sewerage in horizontal subsurface flow CWs was carried out using a conventional first-order model and sigmoidal k-n model [[12]]. Water is an essential natural compound on earth; all life forms on our planet need water to function properly. The presented water management research in this Special Issue aimed to assess natural water quality in different areas, i.e., Brazil, Palestine, and China. [Extracted from the article]

Winter Dynamics Of Storm Water Management Ponds And Winter Tolerance In Three Aquatic Plant Species, Patrick Strzalkowski

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The vast majority of the research into the performance of stormwater management ponds (SWMPs) has been performed in warm regions or during the warmer seasons in temperate regions. It is presumed that SWMPs are inactive in the winter as any potential stormwater is trapped in snow and ice. The main goal of this thesis was to test this presumption and to study the dynamics and performance of three SWMPs during the winter. Remote water level loggers were installed into the three SWMPs and daily grab samples from the influents and effluents were taken and analyzed for total phosphorus (TP), chloride, …

Floating Treatment Wetlands For Brackish Waters: Plant Selection And Nutrient Uptake Potential., Andrea Landaverde

All Theses

Brackish water bodies in coastal regions provide critical ecosystem services that support human and environmental health. Anthropogenic activities such as agricultural and industrial activities, construction, urban settlements, and tourism contribute to increased inputs of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in brackish coastal ecosystems. Excess nutrients can lead to impaired water quality and affect marine organisms. Floating treatment wetlands (FTWs) are a vegetated-base technology used to remove contaminants from water column, that has been mainly studied and applied in freshwater systems. Application of FTWs in brackish systems requires further investigation, as high salinity in brackish waters could result in toxicity to …

Applications Of Nano-Zeolite In Wastewater Treatment: An Overview, Rehab O, Abdel Rahman, Ahmed M. El-Kamash, Yung-Tse Hung

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Nano-zeolite is an innovative class of materials that received recognition for its potential use in water and tertiary wastewater treatment. These applications include ion-exchange/sorption, photo-degradation, and membrane separation. The aim of this work is to summarize and analyze the current knowledge about the utilization of nano-zeolite in these applications, identify the gaps in this field, and highlight the challenges that face the wide scale applications of these materials. Within this context, an introduction to water quality, water and wastewater treatment, utilization of zeolite in contaminant removal from water was addressed and linked to its structure and the advances in zeolite …

Using Stream Restoration To Mitigate Stormwater Runoff In An Urban Watershed: A Case Study, Jonathan M. Brantley

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

The goal of this case study was to evaluate the effectiveness a 275 m regenerative stream restoration design to mitigate stormwater runoff in a highly urbanized watershed. The restoration resulted in a wide, wetland-like floodplain, comprised of a rock base that was overtopped with a filtration media (approximately 30% woodchips and 70% topsoil). The creation of the floodplain-wetland complex in tandem with filtration media lead to increased storage capacity and an increase in hyporheic exchange within the system. Significant reductions were found for the storm hydrograph parameters volume, peak discharge, and time to peak. Reductions in baseflows were also noted …

Modeling Water Quantity And Quality Nonlinearities For Watershed Adaptability To Hydroclimate Extremes In Agricultural Landscapes, Juan Carlos Jaimes-Correa, Francisco Muñoz-Arriola, Shannon Bartelt-Hunt

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Changing water supplies and demands, inherent to climate fluctuations and human activities, are pushing for a paradigm shift in water management worldwide. The occurrence of extreme hydrometeorological and climate events such as extended wet periods and droughts, compounded with contaminants, impair the access to water resources, demanding novel designs, construction, and management across multiple hydrologic scales and biogeochemical processes. A constraint to studying hydrologic and biogeochemical disturbances and improving best management practices for water quantity and quality at the watershed scale resides in the suitable monitoring, data availability, and the creation of frameworks. We hypothesize that streamflow and contaminants, simulated …

Development Of A Cyberinfrastructure For Assessment Of The Lower Rio Grande Valley North And Central Watersheds Characteristics, Linda Navarro, Ahmed Mahmoud, Andrew Ernest, Abdoul Oubeidillah, Jessica Johnstone, Ivan Rene Santos Chavez, Christopher Fuller

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Lower Laguna Madre (LLM) is designated as an impaired waterway for high concentrations of bacteria and low dissolved oxygen. The main freshwater sources to the LLM flow from the North and Central waterways which are composed of three main waterways: Hidalgo/Willacy Main Drain (HWMD), Raymondville Drain (RVD), and International Boundary & Water Commission North Floodway (IBWCNF) that are not fully characterized. The objective of this study is to perform a watershed characterization to determine the potential pollution sources of each watershed. The watershed characterization was achieved by developing a cyberinfrastructure, and it collects a wide inventory of data to identify …

Integrated Water Quality Monitoring Of Skaneateles Lake Tributaries, Mengyi Zhang

Theses - ALL

Skaneateles Lake is the drinking water source for the City of Syracuse and surrounding areas. Harmful algal blooms (HABs) have been occurring in Skaneateles Lake every year since 2017 and posing a great threat to water quality and drinking water safety. Although the exact cause of the HABs is still unclear, sunlight, quiescent conditions, warm temperature, and elevated concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus seem to favor the development of such blooms. In this study, a custom-built, low-cost, multi-parameter sensor unit was designed, built, and deployed on a third-order tributary. The unit collected high-frequency data for stage, temperature, pH, and dissolved …

The Correlation Between Poverty, Water Quality, Community Health, And Education In Guatemala And Tanzania, Jessica R. Besnier

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

This paper explores the relationship between poverty, water quality, community health, and education in Tanzania and Guatemala. These metrics will allow for a thorough analysis of the relationships between the countries and will determine their impact on the other aspects in these two countries. While Guatemala and Tanzania are very different countries, they share many things in common such as inequalities among different groups, having many different groups of indigenous people, having most people living in rural areas, and are located on a coast. Also, they share similarities regarding poverty, water quality, community health, and education. By looking into these …

Development Of A Cyberinfrastructure For Assessment Of The Lower Rio Grande Valley North And Central Watersheds Characteristics, Linda Isabel Navarro Navarro

Theses and Dissertations

Due to an increase in urbanization in the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV), there have been substantial modifications to hydrology causing a decline in water quality to the Laguna Madre watershed. The major concern is the inflow of freshwater from the North and Central waterways released to the Lower Laguna Madre which is designated as an impaired watershed for high concentrations of bacteria and low dissolved oxygen. The objective of this study is to perform a watershed characterization to determine potential pollution sources of each watershed by developing a cyberinfrastructure and collect a wide inventory of data. The objective will …

Assessing Change In Runoff Water Parameters Through Road Shoulder Vegetated Filter Strips: Experimental Comparison Of Soils And Engineered Infiltration Media, Andrew Corrado, Mohammad Shokri

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

Placement of Vegetated Filter Strips (VFS) along roadways may facilitate removal of nutrients from stormwater runoff. The objective of this research is to compare water quality performance of a VFS containing engineered media to that of typical Florida sandy soil. Storms of variable intensity were simulated over two 1:1 scale physical models of typical one- and two-lane roadway shoulders, one with engineered media (treatment), and one without (control). Simulated roadway runoff was introduced as sheet flow from the roadway and precipitation was applied with a rainfall simulator. Samples of runoff and infiltrate were tested for Dissolved Oxygen (DO) concentration and …