Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Optimizing Wetland Restoration To Improve Water Quality At A Regional Scale, Nitin K. Singh, Jesse D. Gourevitch, Beverley C. Wemple, Keri B. Watson, Donna M. Rizzo, Stephen Polasky, Taylor H. Ricketts

College of Arts and Sciences Faculty Publications

Published by IOP Publishing Ltd. Excessive phosphorus (P) export to aquatic ecosystems can lead to impaired water quality. There is a growing interest among watershed managers in using restored wetlands to retain P from agricultural landscapes and improve water quality. We develop a novel framework for prioritizing wetland restoration at a regional scale. The framework uses an ecosystem service model and an optimization algorithm that maximizes P reduction for given levels of restoration cost. Applying our framework in the Lake Champlain Basin, we find that wetland restoration can reduce P export by 2.6% for a budget of $50 M and …

Optimizing Wetland Restoration To Improve Water Quality At A Regional Scale, Nitin K. Singh, Jesse D. Gourevitch, Beverley C. Wemple, Keri B. Watson, Donna M. Rizzo, Stephen Polasky, Taylor H. Ricketts

Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

Excessive phosphorus (P) export to aquatic ecosystems can lead to impaired water quality. There is a growing interest among watershed managers in using restored wetlands to retain P from agricultural landscapes and improve water quality. We develop a novel framework for prioritizing wetland restoration at a regional scale. The framework uses an ecosystem service model and an optimization algorithm that maximizes P reduction for given levels of restoration cost. Applying our framework in the Lake Champlain Basin, we find that wetland restoration can reduce P export by 2.6% for a budget of $50 M and 5.1% for a budget of …

Associated Dataset: The Competing Impacts Of Climate Change And Nutrient Reductions On Dissolved Oxygen In Chesapeake Bay, Isaac D. Irby, Marjorie A.M. Friedrichs

Data

This research uses an estuarine-watershed hydrodynamic–biogeochemical modeling system along with projected mid-21st-century changes in temperature, freshwater flow, and sea level rise to explore the impact climate change may have on future Chesapeake Bay dissolved-oxygen (DO) concentrations and the potential success of nutrient reductions in attaining mandated estuarine water quality improvements.

Bacteria Tmdl Development For Lower Chickahominy River Watershed Located In Charles City, James City, And New Kent Counties, Va, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science

Reports

Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act (CWA) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (USEPA’s) Water Quality Planning and Management Regulations (40 CFR Part 130) require states to develop total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) for waterbodies that are exceeding water quality standards (WQSs). TMDLs represent the total pollutant loading that a waterbody can receive without violating WQSs. The TMDL process establishes the allowable loadings of pollutants for a waterbody based on the relationship between pollution sources and in-stream water quality conditions. By following the TMDL process, states can establish controls based on water quality conditions to reduce pollution from …

Estimating Streambank Erosion Using Gps-Based Watershed-Scale Video Mapping And Usepa Bancs For The Development Of Sediment Tmdls, Kelsey Jo Hensley

Masters Theses

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), sediment is one of the most common water pollutants in the nation’s rivers. Consequently, the identification of streambank locations with high erosion potential is important in reducing sediment input via management and monitoring practices. Furthermore, the estimation of erosion rates and sediment loads can assist in the development of Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs). The objective of this study was to integrate two USEPA-recommended approaches with the Streambank Video Mapping System (SVMS) in order to predict site-specific Total Daily Sediment Loads (TDSLs) and calculate sediment TMDLs for streambank erosion over several …

Evaluation Of The Development And Effectiveness Of Copper Total Maximum Daily Loads (Tmdls) To Achieve Marine Water Quality Criteria, Joanna Florer

Master's Projects and Capstones

Elevated concentrations of certain chemicals in surface water are known to be toxic to aquatic organisms (e.g., barnacles, algae, and fish). For a number of these chemicals (e.g., tributyltin [TBT], copper) federal and state water quality standards exist to protect aquatic organisms. As a means to comply with water quality standards, regulatory agencies establish Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) to reduce concentrations of toxic chemicals from entering waterways. A TMDL determines the maximum amount of pollutant loading a water body can sustain and still achieve water quality standards; they are developed to ensure that surface water concentrations meet applicable criteria. …

Evaluating Alternatives For Augmented Water Quality Improvement Utilizing Oyster Restoration As Best Management Practice (Bmp), Stephanie Roberts Long

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Due to several anthropogenic influences, the Chesapeake Bay has experienced a marked decrease in water quality since the colonists arrived at the Jamestown settlement in Virginia during the 1600s. Higher concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus have enriched the estuaries and coastal waters via point sources (sewage treatment plants and industrial wastes), nonpoint sources (agricultural run-off and septic tank discharges) and the atmosphere (Newell et al., 2005). Restoring oyster beds is considered a Best Management Practice (BMP) to improve water quality as well as provide physical habitat for aquatic species and a healthier estuarine system (USACE Native Oyster Restoration Master …

Water Quality Trading Markets For The Kentucky River Basin: A Point Source Profile, Ronald Childress Jr.

Theses and Dissertations--Agricultural Economics

This study assessed the feasibility and suitability of a Water Quality Trading (WQT) program within the Kentucky River Basin (KRB). The study’s focal point was based on five success factors of a WQT program: environmental suitability, geospatial orientation, participant availability, regulatory incentive, and economic incentive. The study utilized these five success factors, geographical characteristics, and Discharge Monitoring Reports (DMR) to assess the feasibility of a WQT program.

The assessment divided the KRB into five eight digit Hydrologic Unit Codes (HUC), North, Middle, and South Fork, Middle Basin, and Lower Basin, to determine regional impacts caused by the nutrient PSs. Individual …

Spatial And Temporal Dynamics Of Stream Water Chemistry In A Headwater Catchment Of Central Louisiana, April Bryantmason

LSU Master's Theses

One of the dominant themes of stream water quality research has been the effect of nutrients and organic materials on eutrophication of coastal waters. Despite this prevalence in water quality research, few studies have been conducted on water quality changes in low-gradient watersheds under a humid, warm subtropical climate, such as those in the coastal plains of the Northern Gulf of Mexico. This study addresses: (1) the nutrient conditions in headwater streams of a low-gradient, subtropical watershed, especially as it relates to the suggested criteria by the Environtmental Protection Agency (EPA), (2) organic and inorganic carbon dynamics in the headwaters …

Partitioning Of E. Coli And Enterococci Between Planktonic And Sorbed Phases In Runoff From Pasturelands, Michelle L. Soupir, H. E. Saied Mostaghimi, Elizabeth F. Alphin

Michelle L. Soupir

Pathogens are the leading cause of surface water impairments in Virginia. Currently, Nonpoint Source (NPS) pollution models are most frequently used to determine the maximum allowable loading rates of bacteria from identified sources and they typically simulate bacterial transport to surface waters as a planktonic or free pollutant. Very few models attempt to partition between the planktonic and attached phases primarily because data on bacteria partitioning during overland flow events are currently not available. A field study was conducted to evaluate the partitioning of E. coli and enterococci between the planktonic and attached phases in runoff from pasturelands and to …

Impacts Of A Manure Composting Program On Stream Water Quality, A. Bekele, A. M.S. Mcfarland, A. J. Whisenant

Faculty Publications

In February 2001, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) adopted a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) along the North Bosque River. Within this TMDL, dairy waste application fields were identified as the major nonpoint-source contribution of nutrients. In September 2000, a manure composting program was initiated that resulted in about 500,000 metric tons of dairy manure being hauled to composting facilities and exported from the watershed through December 2004. To evaluate the impact of the manure composting program on stream water quality, storm event mean concentrations of nutrients and total suspended solids were compared …

Modeling Bacteria Fate And Transport In Watersheds To Support Tmdls, Brian L. Benham, Claire Baffaut, Rebecca W. Zeckoski, Kyle R. Mankin, Yakov A. Pachepsky, Ali M. Sadeghi, Kevin M. Brannan, Michelle L. Soupir, Matthew J. Habersack

Michelle L. Soupir

Fecal contamination of surface waters is a critical water-quality issue, leading to human illnesses and deaths. Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs), which set pollutant limits, are being developed to address fecal bacteria impairments. Watershed models are widely used to support TMDLs, although their use for simulating in-stream fecal bacteria concentrations is somewhat rudimentary. This article provides an overview of fecal microorganism fate and transport within watersheds, describes current watershed models used to simulate microbial transport, and presents case studies demonstrating model use. Bacterial modeling capabilities and limitations for setting TMDL limits are described for two widely used watershed models (HSPF …

The Use Of Selected Water Quality Parameters To Identify Fecal Coliform Sources In Support Of The Sinking Creek Total Maximum Daily Load., Susana Maria Floresguerra

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sinking Creek, located in upper east Tennessee, is on the 303(d) list for not meeting minimum water quality standards for recreation. A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for fecal coliforms was developed. The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of water quality parameters to identify areas that contribute to the fecal coliform loading. Concentrations of nitrate-N, orthophosphates, BOD, alkalinity, hardness, and optical brighteners (OB) were monitored at fourteen stations monthly for one year. Site 3 (agricultural region) exhibited the highest average nitrate-N loadings (627.34 mg/sec) and orthophosphate (as PO₄^3-) loadings (84.83 mg/sec). Alkalinity loadings …

Investigation Of Optimum Sample Number And Timing For Determining Pollution Loads, T. S. Soerens, Marc A. Nelson

Technical Reports

In order to determine the impacts of non point source (NPS) pollution and to develop Total Maximum Daily Loads (Tr\tfDLs), accurate measurements of pollution loads in streams are critical. The objectives of this study were to accurately detemline pollutant loads at two sites by intensive storm sampling, to develop sub-sampling and other data analysis techniques, to detemline the effect of sample interval on load calculation accuracy, and to find the minimum sample interval required to determine storm loads at a required accuracy. The two stream sites used were a 1st order and a 3rd order stream in the Illinois River …