Civil Engineering Commons^™

Evaluation Of Dredged Sediments As A Partial Replacement For Fine Aggregate In Mortar And Concrete, Ashish Gautam

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

The feasibility of using dredged sediment from the Mobile River as a partial replacement for fine aggregate in mortar and concrete was investigated through a series of laboratory characterization and performance evaluation. Three dredged sediment samples (A, B and C) were initially examined, and Sample A was selected for further evaluation due to its closer resemblance to natural fine aggregate. This sample exhibited lower moisture content, higher sand equivalent values, higher specific gravity, and lower absorption. Mortar mixtures with 0, 10, 20, 30, 50, 75 and 100% dredged sediment replacement showed decreasing workability as the replacement level increased. The 20% …

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 …

A Machine Learning Approach For Water Quality Assessment In The Lower Rio Grande Valley Watershed, Saika Nowshin Nowrin, Chu-Lin Cheng, Jungseok Ho, Jinwoo An, Fatemeh Nazari

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Water quality analysis plays an essential role in maintaining the health and sustainability of river ecosystems, especially in semi-arid regions like the Arroyo Colorado Watershed in South Texas. Since the river is a vital source of water supply for local communities, agriculture, and wildlife, it faces significant challenges and pollution from land use changes, climate variation, and agricultural runoff. Continuous monitoring and assessment of water quality parameters and their temporal variability are essential to ensure the drinking water supply and aquatic ecosystem health. However, comprehensive laboratory-based water quality investigations are often constrained by higher costs, logistical complexity, and limited manpower. …

Optimization Of The Baffle Geometry Of A Circular Culvert Outlet Structure To Maximize Energy Dissipation, Kiarash Shirmahi

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

High-velocity flow at culvert outlets can lead to significant soil erosion and damage to downstream infrastructure, particularly in agricultural regions where land protection is critical. Circular culverts, commonly used in transportation systems, are especially susceptible to this issue due to flow acceleration caused by geometric constraints and installation angles. Despite extensive research on energy dissipation in rectangular culverts, limited attention has been given to circular configurations. This study addresses this gap by evaluating the hydraulic performance of baffle systems designed to reduce outlet energy in circular culverts.

A series of laboratory experiments was conducted using a scaled physical model of …

Assessing Dissolved Organic Matter Sources And Dynamics In Urban Stormwater: Implications For Greenhouse Gases, Harper W. Schmalz

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Stormwater management ponds (SWMPs) are important aspects of land-use planning and increasingly recognized as active sites of biogeochemical processing that influence carbon cycling; however, little research has investigated the controls on dissolved organic and dissolved inorganic carbon (DOC and DIC) within these systems. This thesis examined the processing and transformations of dissolved carbon between three compartments to support the development of a greenhouse gas (GHG) box-model for urban stormwater ponds, including SWMP sediment, surface water, and vegetation. The objective of this thesis was to assess the biogeochemical processes that govern the rate and transformation of DOC and DIC between these …

Rainfall-Runoff Modelling In An Indonesian Humid Tropical Area Using Satellite-Based Precipitation Products, Noordiah Helda

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

This dissertation explores three rainfall-runoff models in the humid tropical regions of Indonesia using satellite-based precipitation products (SBPPs) and develops integrated machine-learning modeling frameworks. Several ground-based observations from BMKG (Badan Meteorologi, Klimatologi, dan Geofisika (also known as the Indonesian Agency for Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics)) stations across Indonesia (133−165 stations) are compared and evaluated against satellite products, indicating that GPM performs well, with R-squared values ranging from 0.54 to 0.76 and correlation coefficients ranging from 0.45 to 0.69, respectively.

In the Martapura Watershed, South Kalimantan, due to a lack of observational discharge data, streamflow was generated using the FJ Mock …

Development Of A Handy Tool For The Selection Of Urban Stormwater Best Management Practices, Aaron T. Kenny

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The City of Norfolk, Virginia faces substantial stormwater management challenges due to shallow groundwater, tidal influence, dense urban development, and limited right-of-way. These constraints limit the applicability of many Best Management Practices (BMPs) and require the early identification of feasible practices before detailed hydrologic modeling. This thesis introduces a decision-support tool that quickly and systematically identifies and prioritizes BMPs that are both feasible and well-suited to Norfolk’s Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) program, streamlining early-stage selection and saving time and resources.

The tool implements a two-stage methodology. First, feasibility gates are applied using catalog attributes derived from the Virginia …

Occurrence Of Per And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances In Rural Wastewater Treatment Plants And Comparison To Large Treatments Plants, Madeleine Rauhauser

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of compounds defined by their carbon – fluorine bonds, which are incredibly strong. The strength of this bond makes these compounds very useful industrially, they are used as waterproof and grease proof coatings, and as fire retardants. The same thing that makes them useful industrially makes them incredibly recalcitrant in the environment, it is difficult to destroy these compounds. PFAS are also suspected to cause health impacts in people, such as kidney cancer and low birth weights. Wastewater has been commonly identified as a contributor to the amount of PFAS in the …

Locations Of Outfalls In The Indian River Lagoon And Lake Worth Lagoon, Florida, Kelly M. Kibler, Melinda J. Donnelly, Vincent Encomio, Madison Giuntoli, Manisha Thenuwara, Brice Bennett, Laura Andrade Barron, Mariam Sonbol, Wynter Raine Seppala, Namritha Ramakrishnan, Jennifer Jordan Báez, Beth Orlando, Irene Arpayoglou, Melissa Meisenburg

Indian River Lagoon Shorelines

The spatial dataset: UCF_Outfalls_IRL_LWL.shp was created under grants from the Indian River Lagoon National Estuaries Program and Florida Sea Grant. These projects cumulatively led to creation of a living shoreline restoration prioritization model and hydrodynamic habitat suitability models for 1,550 km (963 miles) of estuarine shorelines in Indian River Lagoon (IRL) and Lake Worth Lagoon (LWL).

The dataset presented here includes the location of outfalls identified throughout the study region and general characteristics of the shoreline where they were identified.

Seagrass Persistence In The Indian River Lagoon And Lake Worth Lagoon, Florida, Kelly Kibler, Melinda Donnelly, Vincent Encomio, Madison Giuntoli, Manisha Thenuwara, Brice Bennett, Laura Andrade Barron, Mariam Sonbol, Wynter Raine Seppala, Namritha Ramakrishnan, Jennifer Jordan Báez, Beth Orlando, Irene Arpayoglou, Melissa Meisenburg

Indian River Lagoon Shorelines

The spatial dataset: UCF_seagrasspersistence_IRL_LWL.shp was created with support from the Indian River Lagoon National Estuaries Program and Florida Sea Grant. These projects cumulatively led to creation of a living shoreline restoration prioritization model and hydrodynamic habitat suitability models for 1,550 km (963 miles) of estuarine shorelines in Indian River Lagoon (IRL) and Lake Worth Lagoon (LWL). The dataset presented herein represents persistence of seagrass throughout waters of the IRL and LWL.

Living Shoreline Prioritization And Hydrodynamic Habitat Suitability Models For Restoration In The Indian River Lagoon And Lake Worth Lagoon, Florida, Kelly M. Kibler, Melinda J. Donnelly, Vincent Encomio, Madison Giuntoli, Manisha Thenuwara, Brice Bennett, Laura Andrade Barron, Mariam Sonbol, Wynter Raine Seppala, Namritha Ramakrishnan, Jennifer Jordan Báez, Beth Orlando, Irene Arpayoglou, Melissa Meisenburg

Indian River Lagoon Shorelines

The spatial dataset: UCF_shorelinemodel_IRL_LWL.shp, was created with support from the Indian River Lagoon National Estuaries Program and Florida Sea Grant. These projects cumulatively led to creation of a living shoreline restoration prioritization model and hydrodynamic habitat suitability models for 1,550 km (963 miles) of estuarine shorelines in Indian River Lagoon and Lake Worth Lagoon.

The dataset presented herein includes:

1. shoreline data from >15,000 transects collected in the field,
2. shoreline wave climate data created through hydrodynamic modeling and frequency analysis of historic data,
3. categorization of potential risk for shoreline boat wake impact,
4. persistence of seagrass within 210 m of the shoreline, …

Enhancing Water Supply Resilience & Sustainability: Potential Solutions To Address Water Scarcity In Bogotá, Colombia, Sophia Alvarez Wong

Master's Projects and Capstones

Municipal water utilities are in urgent need of adapting to the intensifying impacts of climate change and population growth—key drivers of urban water scarcity worldwide. In rapidly expanding cities like Bogota, Colombia, these pressures have contributed to a severe water crisis driven by prolonged droughts, ecosystem degradation, increasing water demands, and overdependence on limited water sources. This study explores potential adaptation and management strategies that utilities can implement to sustainably strengthen supply system resilience and enhance water security, in the context of low- to middle-income regions. A series of comparative and case study analyses were conducted to assess the feasibility …

Towards Advancing Streamflow And Peak Flow Prediction With Machine Learning: Identifying Infrastructure At Risk, Sudan Pokharel

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Due to climate change and its impact, the need for adaptive strategies for natural disaster mitigation and resource management has never been more urgent. Central to this is water resource management, which is essential for sustainable human activities, ecological balance, and the mitigation of natural hazards like floods. Streamflow is a crucial element of water resource management and plays a vital role in planning and building water infrastructure, implementing emergency response plans, supporting flood mitigation initiatives, and regulating agricultural and industrial use. However, accurate prediction of streamflow still remains a challenge due to the complex non-linear and non-stationary interaction between …

Assessing Groundwater Availability And Land Subsidence Risk Associated With Anthropogenic Activities In A Complex Aquifer System, Aya Bakr Attya Mohamed

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The Southern Hills aquifer system (SHAS) is the primary source of water in the Capital area of Louisiana. However, the overexploitation of freshwater-bearing aquifers and the presence of two active faults, the BR fault and the DSS fault, have resulted in groundwater depletion, saltwater intrusion, and increased the risk of land surface subsidence. Such critical issues pose substantial threats to groundwater availability and exert detrimental effects on the environment and urban infrastructures. This dissertation presents a comprehensive investigation of the SHAS for recognizing the consequences of groundwater depletion and its potential long-term impacts on groundwater availability and land stability. A …

Modelled Flooding Impacts On Lower Fish River Watershed, Sebastian Loschner

Shelby Hall Graduate Research Forum Posters

This study investigates the impacts of compound flooding in the Lower Fish River watershed, Baldwin County, Alabama, with a focus on the potential effects of sea level rise due to climate change. Coastal flooding, particularly in smaller watersheds, is a growing concern as it results from the interaction of multiple factors, including rainfall, tidal changes, and extreme weather events. Compound flooding, which involves multiple flood drivers, is expected to worsen with climate change, as increased precipitation and rising sea levels create heightened flood risks. However, existing research on compound flooding predominantly focuses on large-scale watersheds, leaving a knowledge gap in …

Groundwater Pumping Impacts On Stream Depletion In Humboldt County, Ca: Integrating Analytical Models And Field Data, Andy Hans Heise

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This study addresses the significant concern of stream depletion from groundwater pumping in Humboldt County, CA. The objective of this study is to develop an analytical model for estimating stream depletion and integrating field data into model parameters.

The methodology involved conducting a field study near three operating wells by a stream, installing stream gages upstream and downstream of the wells, and recording pumping rates and schedules for two of the wells. The third well’s pumping data was synthetically generated, for privacy concerns of the well owner. The StreamDepletR package was used for estimating depletion rates in a stream in …

Simulating The Compound Impacts Of Climate Change And Sea-Level Rise On Coastal Shallow Groundwater Using An Integrated Surface-Subsurface Hydrologic Model, Zhaoyi Cai

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

As climate change intensifies and sea levels rise, coastal aquifers become increasingly vulnerable to interacting oceanic and terrestrial processes. This dissertation examines the combined impacts of climate change and sea-level rise (SLR) on coastal shallow groundwater using an integrated surface-subsurface hydrologic model, focusing on the low-lying Little Creek watershed (LCW) in Norfolk, Virginia. The SWAT-MODFLOW model, a coupled system, unifies land surface, streamflow, and groundwater processes, providing a comprehensive framework for watershed-aquifer analysis. Model parameters were derived from U.S. Geological Survey datasets, relevant literature, station records, and technical reports, followed by meticulous calibration. The validated model first simulated baseline groundwater …

Investigation Of Temperature, Solution Strength, And Applied Stress Effects On Cation Exchange Processes In Different Geosynthetic Clay Liner Products, Kendra Fuller

Master's Theses

An extensive laboratory test program was conducted to analyze and compare the cation exchange processes in three different varieties of sodium bentonite (Na-B) geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) over increased conditioning durations up to 32 days and investigate the effects of temperature, solution strength, and applied stress. The goal of this test program was to establish whether the variables of temperature, solution strength, and applied stress improved or degraded the engineering properties of GCLs in laboratory testing and municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill applications. The GCLs were conditioned in liquids of increasing ionic strength, using deionized water and 2, 50, and …

A Step By Step Shoreline Attribute Analysis For Selected Waterbodies In The Gulf Of Mexico To Promote The Use Of Living Shorelines, Christoper Boyd, Xutong Niu, Taylor R. Horn

Journal of Extension

Living Shorelines are being promoted by coastal extension professionals as a more resilient nature-based solution to control shoreline erosion. The Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences Living Shorelines Suitability Model was run in selected waterbodies within the Gulf of Mexico.

The locations of the selected water bodies, coastal data sets used, and shoreline protection recommendations generated by the Model are presented. A step-by-step statistical analysis conducted through ArcGIS Pro from these selected coastal shorelines will illustrate how extension professionals with novice GIS experience can use the model output to promote living shorelines to coastal property owners, city managers, and developers.

Cost Modeling Of Provision C.3 Green Stormwater Infrastructure Requirements For Residential Development In Concord, California, James Henry Mizutani

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

To assist the city of Concord in achieving its housing goals as presented in its general plan, while still meeting the stormwater discharge requirements laid out in the city’s municipal discharge permit, I worked with local developers and consultants to create a spreadsheet modeling tool that allows housing developers to estimate the total cost of green stormwater infrastructure needed to comply with local regulations.

This report contains a summary of the conditions leading to the necessity of this tool, the steps the tool takes that go beyond existing models, a description of how the model operates, instructions on how to …

Time-Scale Of Groundwater Recharge In Coastal Plain Soils, Qing Du

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Understanding and modeling the timing and magnitude of groundwater recharge fromrainfall infiltration through vadose zone percolation is important for many reasons but especially because the flux is being acted on by root zone evapotranspiration (ET) and very little of rainfall infiltration ever becomes water table recharge. This study elaborates on the considerable time of the wetting front arrival and ultimate bulk recharge of rainfall infiltration in shallow water table fine-sandy soils typical of coastal plain environments such as Florida. Calibrated Hydrus-1D modeling of Florida (Myakka) soil was evaluated at varying depths of water table and hydraulic conductivities to bracket the …

Advancing Depth-Storage-Discharge Modeling In Regional Hydrology, Fahad Alshehri

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents the development of an innovative approach to populating rating characteristics and supporting hydrologic modeling, designed to simplify complex real-world hydrological systems and accurately estimate their responses to rainfall, runoff, baseflow and evaporation stresses. The core of this research addresses the challenges inherent in characterizing hydrography elements in hydrologic modeling, particularly in regions lacking comprehensive stream reach survey data, flow and stage. This issue is pronounced in areas with extensive wetland hydrography, where traditional modeling requires intensive manual calibration, and course rating data that are often unavailable. To overcome these challenges, this study introduces a novel procedure that …

Dissolved Nitrogen Removal In Biochar Amended, High Permeability Media For Urban Stormwater Treatment, Mark Vicciardo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Nutrient pollution in stormwater drives the eutrophication of inland and costal waterbodies which leads to sea grass retreat and the proliferation of harmful algal blooms (HAB). These anthropogenic effects destabilize ecosystems, and some HABs can pose direct human health risk. Bioretention, or the storage and controlled discharge of stormwater run-off in an ecologically engineered setting, is a potential solution to this problem. However, it relies heavily on the settling of particles as a nutrient removal mechanism, and thus struggles with pollutants, such as dissolved nitrogen, which is a particular problem in Florida where the geological prominence of phosphorus leaves nitrogen …

Investigating A Passive Treatment System For The Removal Of Nutrients From Urban Runoff, Jasminn Gray

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Environmental Protection Agency recognizes urban runoff as a major contributor of surface water pollution with nutrients as the second largest cause of surface water impairment in the United States. While a water quality standard of 100 lbs/day total phosphorus load allocation for all nonpoint sources is permitted for the Las Vegas Valley (LVV) under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, currently there is not a counterpart standard for nitrogen. With the continued development of the LVV and the depletion of the quantity of water in Lake Mead due to the ongoing drought, the concentrations of phosphorus and nitrogen species …

The Tidal Prism, Viable Eelgrass Habitat, And The Effects Of Sea Level Rise In Morro Bay, Kaden A. Caliendo

Master's Theses

The tidal prism, or the volume of water exchanged from the sea to an estuary from mean low to mean high tide, influences system hydrodynamics and ecological functioning. Since 1884, the tidal prism in Morro Bay, California has been estimated to be decreasing over time due to sedimentation from upstream practices. What is the current tidal prism in Morro Bay and how will that change with sea level rise? How will eelgrass respond to rising sea levels?

For this study, inexpensive tidal gauges were deployed at four locations in Morro Bay from March to August 2023 to measure spatially varying …

Design Of Stormwater Bmps For Surface And Groundwater Protection Based On Site-Scale Soil Properties: Phase I, Kelly Kibler, Lisa Chambers, Melanie Beazley

Florida DOT

Much of Earth’s nutrient cycling takes place in soils. Characteristics of soils control physical, chemical, and biological processes that determine rates of nutrient fluxes, storage, or transformation. As remediation of excess nutrients in stormwater runoff is one function of stormwater Best Management Practices (BMPs), the soil profile constitutes one of the most important factors of BMP design. Variation observed in BMP effectiveness (e.g., why one BMP design works effectively in one place and not another) can often be explained by variations in the soil profile, either through direct means or by a soil’s influence on hydraulics of stormwater flow through …

Evaluating Direct Filtration As An Alternative To Conventional Carbon-Based Advanced Treatment For Indirect Potable Reuse, Savannah M. Flemmer

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Hampton Roads Sanitation District (HRSD) is recharging purified wastewater into the Potomac Aquifer via the Sustainable Water Initiative for Tomorrow (SWIFT) project. Conventional SWIFT treatment applies coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation, ozonation, biofiltration, granular activated carbon (GAC) adsorption, and ultraviolet disinfection to secondary effluent to produce water that meets drinking water standards for managed aquifer recharge. HRSD is considering implementing direct filtration as an alternative to conventional treatment for two additional SWIFT facilities. Direct filtration presents an opportunity for significant cost savings by eliminating sedimentation, shortening flocculation detention time, and reducing coagulant usage. Without upstream removal of solids and organics, however, biofilters …

Performance Evaluation Of A Coupled Photovoltaic-Thermal Solar Powered Desalination Pilot System, Martin Chavarin

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

A pilot scale coupled photovoltaic-thermal solar powered desalination system was evaluated at the Brackish Groundwater National Desalination Research Facility (BGNDRF). The pilot system consisted of a 3-kW photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) solar panel array and a 2.3 kW photovoltaic (PV) array coupled with a 4 gal/min single-stage 4 membrane reverse osmosis (RO) desalination system. A heat exchange system was in place to provide simultaneous cooling for the PVT system and heating to the RO system feed water. This system was evaluated with three objectives in mind. The first objective was to identify whether cooling of the PVT panels resulted in a significant …

Characteristics And Hydraulic Behavior Of Adsorptive Media For Use In Permeable Reactive Barriers, Shelby Rocha

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Cargill ditch is located on the property of Se7en Wetlands, a 1600-ac treatment wetland system in Lakeland, Polk County, Florida. The Se7en Wetlands property was previously utilized for phosphate mining prior to the construction of the system. Nonpoint nutrient sources derived from remnants of abandoned phosphate mines – known as “legacy phosphorus” – become mobilized by stormwater runoff and impair surface water bodies by promoting harmful algal blooms (HABs). Thus, the Cargill ditch likely conveys nutrient rich flow resulting from legacy phosphorus and is thought to be one contributing factor in the occurrence of HABs within the treatment wetland …

Design, Collaborate, Thrive: The Broad Ripple Avenue Project, Jessica Hawley, Emily Nelson, Ericka Miller

Purdue Road School

Broad Ripple Avenue (College Avenue to Winthrop Avenue) needed large-scale stormwater improvements. With the help of the Lochmueller Group and the Broad Ripple Village Association, Indianapolis DPW perceptively took this opportunity to also improve pedestrian facilities and regional multi-modal connectivity by combining multiple regional projects into one construction contract. This consolidation allowed for a cohesive public message through proactive public involvement. Presenters will share how consensus was built between invested parties through a successful public and private partnership.