Water Resource Management Commons^™

Municipal Wastewater Sludges: Solids Generation And Pathogen Reduction, C. Oligee, J. Keeling, Paul M. Mcginley

KWRRI Research Reports

The qualities of sludge generated and the variations in potential processing technologies for pathogen reduction pose a challenge to those evaluating sludge management. Some of the key factors that should be considered when evaluating sludge management options include:

• Land requirements
• Equipment requirements
• Availability of Required additives
• Desired product end use

The extent to which these factors influence the implementation of a particular processing technology will vary, but in all cases, they will influence the cost and application of any of the technologies.

Chloroform Contamination In The Louisville Aquifer: An Investigation Of Its Occurrence And Propagation, Sergio E. Serrano

KWRRI Research Reports

This report presents the main results of an investigation on the nature and propagation of an accidental spill of chloroform in the Louisville aquifer, Kentucky. Much of the effort is concentrated on the development of mathematical models to either reconstruct the history of evolution of the plume, or forecast its propagation in the future. Chloroform is a dense halogenated solvent which exhibits a special migration pattern in porous media: Because of this and the relative absence of a conceptual theory on its hydrodynamics in porous media, meaningful predictive models will have to deal with many unresolved theoretical aspects of contaminant …

Kentucky Ust Field Manual, Lyle V.A. Sendlein, Wesley J. Birge, G. Blomquist, James S. Dinger, Ralph R. Huffsey, Robert D. Guthrie, Sanford W. Horstman, M. D. Kercher, Paul M. Mcginley, David C. Short, T. W. Struttmann, Larry C. Taylor, Thomas Tobin, David Dunn, Burl Naugle

KWRRI Research Reports

This study was undertaken to address the removal and closure of defective petroleum underground storage tanks in Kentucky. Goals for the study included:

• To address standards for levels of contamination requiring corrective action consistent with accepted scientific and technical principles.
• To recommend a matrix or scoring system to be used for (a) ranking sites as to actual or potential harm to human health and the environment caused by release of petroleum from a petroleum storage tank, and (2) establishing standards and procedures for corrective action that shall adequately protect human health and the environment.
• To address all compounds individually and …

Status Report: Identification Of Appropriate Standards For Corrective Action For A Release From Petroleum Underground Storage Tanks, Volume 1, Lyle V.A. Sendlein, Wesley J. Birge, G. Blomquist, James S. Dinger, Ralph R. Huffsey, Robert Guthries, Sanford W. Horstman, M. D. Kercher, Paul M. Mcginley, David C. Short, T. W. Struttmann, Larry Taylor, Thomas Tobin, David Dunn, Burl Naugle

KWRRI Research Reports

This study was undertaken to address the removal and closure of defective petroleum underground storage tanks in Kentucky:

• To address standards for levels of contamination requiring corrective action consistent with accepted scientific and technical principles.
• To recommend a matrix or scoring system to be used for (a) ranking sites as to actual or potential harm to human health and the environment caused by a release of petroleum from a petroleum storage tank, and (b) establishing standards and procedures for corrective action that shall adequately protect human health and the environment.
• To address all compounds individually and collectively known as petroleum. …

Water Quality Impacts Of Natural Riparian Grasses Part 1: Empirical Studies, B. J. Barfield, R. L. Blevins, Alex W. Fogle, C. E. Madison, S. P. Inamdar, D. I. Carey, V. P. Evangelou

KWRRI Research Reports

Studies were conducted on the effectiveness of natural riparian grass buffer strips in removing sediment and ag chemicals from surface runoff. No till and conventional tillage erosion plots served as the sediment and chemical source area. Runoff from the plots was directed onto 15, 30, and 45 foot filter strips where the inflow and outflow concentrations and sediment size distributions. Trapping percentages for sediment and ag chemicals typically ranged near or above 90%. An evaluation was made of the distribution of trapped chemicals among infiltrated mass and mass stored in the surface layer and on plant surfaces. The analysis showed …

Water Quality Impacts Of Naturals Riparian Grasses Part 2: Modeling Effects Of Channelization On Sediment Trapping, S. P. Inamdar, B. J. Barfield, D. I. Carey, Alex W. Fogle

KWRRI Research Reports

A methodology is developed to determine expected sediment trapping in riparian vegetative filter strips considering channelization of flow. The framework consists of defining the channel network stochastically, with deposition/detachment in each channel being modeled deterministically. The two approaches were then combined to develop a model which could predict expected trapping efficiencies for vegetative filters under known field conditions. The model was then extended to include conditions such as rainfall on the filter so as to make it applicable to generic field situations.

Field and laboratory studies were conducted to collect and estimate data to develop and evaluate the model. sediment …

Development Of A Decision Support System For Drought Characterization And Management: Application To Lexington, Kentucky, Lindell E. Ormsbee, Ashu Jain

KWRRI Research Reports

This report presents the results of an investigation into the potential use of expert system technology as an effective tool for drought forecasting and management. Historical data derived from the Kentucky River Basin was used to test the resulting decision support system. This study has demonstrated that expert system technology can serve as an effective platform for use in assisting the decision maker in both characterizing the nature of an existing drought and in selecting and implementing the required management policy.

The success of any decision making process will of course be dependent upon the quality of the data upon …

Kinetics And Mechanisms Of Atrazine Adsorption And Desorption In Soils Under No-Till And Conventional Management, V. P. Evangelou, W. W. Witt, E. Portig, Mike Barrett

KWRRI Research Reports

Both soils (Maury silt loam and Sadler) exhibited three apparent mechanisms of atrazine adsorption. The first two mechanisms were very rapid (10 minutes) and were assigned to soil-clay surface adsorption reactions via hydrogen bonding. The quantity of atrazine involved in these two reactions for the 0.5 mg/1 solution atrazine varied, depending on the soil, from 67 μg/100 g clay to 219 μg/100 g clay. The reason there were two possible atrazine sinks in this range of atrazine adsorption was believed to be the presence of two types of reactive surfaces, the clay inorganic phase and the organic carbon phase. The …

Modeling Mass Transport In Aquifers: The Distributed Source Problem, Sergio E. Serrano

KWRRI Research Reports

This report presents a new methodology to model the time and space evolution of groundwater variables in a system of aquifers when certain components of the model, such as the geohydrologic information, the boundary conditions, the magnitude and variability of the sources or physical parameters are uncertain and defined in stochastic terms. This facilitates a more realistic statistical representation of groundwater flow and groundwater pollution forecasting for either the saturated or the unsaturated zone. The method is based on applications of modern mathematics to the solution of the resulting stochastic transport equations. This procedure exhibits considerable advantages over the existing …

Effects Of Aromatic Concentration On Methane Fermentation, Yi-Tin Wang, Pin-Chieh Pai, H. David Gabbard

KWRRI Research Reports

The anaerobic biodegradability and toxicity of fourteen aromatic compounds were evaluated over a wide range of concentrations using a serum bottle technique. Benzene, toluene, and all three isomers of xylene were not significantly degraded to methane in a phenol-enriched culture. Complete degradation of 1000 mg/L phenol, 800 mg/L catechol, 100 mg/L 2-NP, 100 mg/L 3- NP, and 100 mg/L 4-NP was observed within two months while depletion of 100 mg/L resorcinol and 1000 mg/L hydroquinone required more than six and eight months incubation, respectively. None of the three isomers of chlorophenol were degraded in the phenol-enriched culture. Batch toxicity assay …

Predicting Potential Aluminum Contamination Of Surface And Ground Waters From Acid Sulfate Enriched Drainages Emanating From Low Neutralization Capacity Watersheds, Anastasios D. Karathanasis, Vasilios P. Evangelou, Y. L. Thompson

KWRRI Research Reports

The composition of soil solutions and surface waters emanating from unreclaimed, or partially reclaimed, strip-mined watersheds with low buffering capacity in Kentucky were compared with soil solution compositions of unaffected strata in the watershed. The data suggest that almost 20 years after mining, most soil solutions and surface waters of the disturbed areas still contain high levels of dissolved Al, controlled primarily by the solubilities of a jurbanite-like mineral (upper limit) and alunite (lower limit). Soluble Al in solutions of undisturbed areas was consistent with the solubility of kaolinite or gibbsite. The absence of jurbanite x-ray diffraction peaks suggested the …

Predicting Potential Aluminum Contamination Of Surface And Ground Waters From Acid Sulfate Enriched Drainages Emanating From Low Neutralization Capacity Watersheds, Anastasios D. Karathanasis, Vasilios P. Evangelou, Y. L. Thompson

KWRRI Research Reports

The composition of soil solutions and surface waters emanating from unreclaimed, or partially reclaimed, strip-mined watersheds with low buffering capacity in Kentucky were compared with soil solution compositions of unaffected strata in the watershed. The data suggests that almost 20 years after mining, most soil solutions and surface waters of the disturbed areas still contain high levels of undissolved Al, controlled primarily by the solubilities of a jurbanite-like material (upper limit) and alunite (lower limit).

Development Of Dynamic Non-Hortonian Watershed Models For Steeply Sloping Forested Watersheds: Application To Eastern Kentucky, Lindell E. Ormsbee, Abdul Q. Khan

KWRRI Research Reports

A comprehensive conceptual watershed model is developed to simulate the hydrologic response of steeply sloping forested watersheds. Two non-Hortonian and two Hortonian models were first tested with data from selected watersheds in West Virginia and eastern Kentucky in order to understand the different mechanisms of flow responsible for storm hydrograph generation in this type of watersheds. The two non-Hortonian models tested were the kinematic storage model (Sloan et al. 1983) and the saturation deficit model (Beven and Wood, 1983). Both models were unable to adequately reproduce the observed hydrographs in the four forested watersheds considered in this research. The two …

Hydraulic Design Algorithms For Upgrading And Enhancing Water Distribution Systems, Don J. Wood, William T. Gilbert

KWRRI Research Reports

The primary objective of this work was to develop algorithms for directly determining design characteristics for effectively enhancing, modifying or adding to existing water distribution systems. This is accomplished by modifying the basic hydraulic network equations to explicitly determine required design parameters to just meet specified conditions. Initially work was completed on directly determining pipeline diameters and directly determining pipeline and network resistance characteristics. This work was published in technical journals and established the feasibility of the approach but did not demonstrate the scope and versitility of the proposed approach. In this report a general approach is developed and tested …

A Model For Assessing The Visual Resources Of River Basins As An Aid To Making Landuse Planning Decisions, Thomas J. Nieman, Diane S. Meshako, David Walters, Molly M. Davis, Cindy C. Elliot

KWRRI Research Reports

The visual quality of a river basin and its associated properties can be identified, evaluated and integrated into the landscape planning process. The model developed provides a quantitative methodology for determining visual quality on the basis of available Geographic Information System factors. These factors are utilized to develop the preference attributes, COLOR, FORM, TEXTURE and LINE, which are associated with the assessment of visual quality. The preference attributes are then combined through a decision making process into a continuum of DISTINCTIVE, GOOD, AVERAGE and MINIMAL visual quality and is expressed digitally in map format. By providing visual quality information in …

Modeling Of Overland Flow By The Diffusion Wave Approach, Rao S. Govindaraju, S. E. Jones, M. L. Kavvas

KWRRI Research Reports

One of the major issues of present times, i.e. water quality degradation and a need for precise answers to transport of pollutants by overland flow, is addressed with special reference to the evaporator pits located adjacent to streams in the oil-producing regions of Eastern Kentucky. The practical shortcomings of the state-of-the-art kinematic wave are discussed and a new mathematical modeling-approach for overland flows using the more comprehensive diffusion wave is attempted as the first step in solving this problem. A Fourier series representation of the solution to the diffusion wave is adopted and found to perform well. The physically justified …

Development Of General Guidelines For The Planning Of Stormwater Management Facilities: Application To Urban Watersheds In Kentucky, Lindell E. Ormsbee, Vincent T. Reinert

KWRRI Research Reports

This report provides a planning methodology and a design tool to help determine the appropriate location and volume of detention basins required to control critical storm events. The technique involves using watershed characteristics including the SCS curve number, time of concentration, peak outflow rate, watershed area and the storage recurrence interval to help predict these detention volumes.

Historical rainfall records are used in a revised continuous simulation program (SYNOP, Hydroscience, Inc,) to determine the rainfall excess from which runoff hydrographs are produced. Various combinations of the watershed characteristics were input and computer analyses done to obtain the required data base. …

Investigation Of Pollution In A Karst Aquifer Utilizing Optical Brightener, John Thrailkill, Ralph F. Wiseman, Bridget R. Scanlon

KWRRI Research Reports

Optical brightener is an additive to laundry detergents and is found contaminating groundwater. Its concentration may rapidly and inexpensively be determined by fluorescence techniques, and because its source is human wastewater, its presence in groundwater serves as a direct indication of pollution from septic tanks, sewer leaks, and landfills.

A total of 105 wells and springs in an area within the Inner Bluegrass Karst Region near Lexington, Kentucky, were described and sampled. Analyses were made for optical brightener (430 samples), total coliform (91), fecal coliform (93), and fecal streptococci (90). As many as 20 optical brightener and 4 bacterial samples …

Identification Of Soil-Water Chemical Parameters For The Prediction And Treatment Of Suspended Solids In Surface Water Reservoirs Of Coal Mine Lands, V. P. Evangelou, J. H. Grove, R. I. Barnhisel

KWRRI Research Reports

High concentrations of suspended solids in coal mine sedimentation ponds are a factor in lowering water quality. Colloidal particle settling simulations were carried out in the laboratory to test the influence pH and dissolved solids have on concentration and settling rates of suspended solids. The results of the study reveal that the pH range of colloidal coflocculation for the samples tested is between 3.5 and 4.5. Furthermore, liming simulation of acidic sediments, as expected increased colloid dispersion. This increase was dependent on the magnitude of the sodium adsorption ratio (SAR). The greater SAR systems maintained a greater concentration of colloidal …

Finite Element Simulation Of Saturated-Unsaturated Subsurface Flow, George E. Blandford

KWRRI Research Reports

A two-dimensional transient model for flow through saturated-unsaturated porous media is developed, The model numerically solves the pressure head dependent or moisture content dependent form of Richard's equation. The model code uses isoparametric quadratic triangular and/or quadrilateral finite elements for the geometric representation and for the weak Galerkin spacial integrations. An implicit, unconditionally stable single-step numerical time integration scheme with an oscilliatory noise reduction option is utilized for the temporal discretization. The highly efficient symmetric skyline (profile) solution scheme is used to solve the resulting simultaneous equations. The nonlinear subsurface flow parameters are approximated using cubic spline interpolation. The element …

Discharge And Travel Time Determinations In The Royal Spring Groundwater Basin, Kentucky, John Thrailkill, Douglas R. Gouzie

KWRRI Research Reports

Groundwater flow in many karst regions, including the Inner Bluegrass Karst Region of central Kentucky in which the study area was located, is unlike groundwater flow in granular aquifers. At least the major flows are turbulent and often with a free surface in large conduits, and applying concepts based on Darcy's Law to describe and model these flows is inappropriate. Parameters such as linear velocity, channel geometry, and conveyance used to describe surface streamflows are more applicable, and the primary objective of the project was to estimate these in a groundwater basin using the travel time of dye slugs and …

Impact Assessment Of Coal Slurry Pipelines On Water Resources Utilization And Allocation, Muhammad Najmus Saquib, M. Levent Kavvas, David T. Kao, Lindell E. Ormsbee

KWRRI Research Reports

Pike county, the largest coal producing and exporting county from the state of Kentucky was studied to assess the impact of a possible coal slurry pipeline project on the water resources allocation and utilization in the region. Potential coal slurry pipelines from the region were identified and water requirement for operating several hypothetical pipelines were computed by using a recently developed computer program. Climatological data for the county were collected and analyzed for a 29-year period of record with a view to determining the monthly net consumptive use in the region. Available groundwater data for the region was also collected …

Identification Of Soil-Water Chemical Parameters For The Prediction And Treatment Of Suspended Solids In Surface Water Reservoirs Of Coal Mine Lands, V. P. Evangelou, J. H. Grove, R. I. Barnhisel

KWRRI Research Reports

High concentrations of suspended solids in coal mine sedimentation ponds are a factor in lowering water quality. This study focuses on the influence dissolved solids have on concentration and settling of suspended solids. Water samples from sedimentation ponds in Eastern and Western Kentucky were used to evaluate water composition in such ponds. Spoil samples from surface mine sites in both parts of the state were used to evaluate water composition released from the spoils upon introducing water.

The results demonstrate that water quality emanating from coal spoils of Eastern and Western coal mines is dependent on the type of spoil …

A Membrane-Organic Phase Oxidation Process For The Destruction Of Toxic Organics In Hazardous Wastewaters, Charles E. Hamrin Jr., Dibakar Bhattacharyya, William K. Glynn

KWRRI Research Reports

The examination of the extraction/oxidation of organic solutes in a two phase oxidation process was undertaken to discern the important parameters and the process mechanism of this system. Several parameter were adjusted to measure their effect on the disappearance rate of each organic from the water phase. The water to PFD volume ratio proved to be the most sensitive parameter affecting the disappearance rate, although temperature was also significant. Comparison with one phase oxidation systems demonstrated that the water/PFD system improved on the reduction of organics from the water phase. B-napthol oxidation increased over 50% in a 2/6 water/PFD volume …

Water Quality Evaluation Yatesville Lake Project: Volume 1, Stephen B. Sullivan, Edward G. Foree, John S. Tapp

KWRRI Research Reports

Point sources of pollution identified in the Blaine Creek watershed area consisted of oil and gas facility sources and mine related sources. A total of 493 point sources of pollution were inventoried which included 167 oil and gas related sources, 321 mine sediment structures, and 5 hollow fill groundwater seeps. The highest concentration of these point sources of pollution occurred in the south to southwest portion of the watershed in the area proximate to the Martha Field.

Adverse impacts to surface and groundwaters resulting from the 326 mine and groundwater point sources of pollution identified did not appear significant as …

Water Requirement For Coal Slurry Transportation, David T. Kao, Sandra L. Rusher

KWRRI Research Reports

The amount of water required for coal slurry transportation is a function of the coal properties and the magnitude of coal movement. The pipeline system characteristics and the method of slurry preparation also affects the overall water requirement of the system. In the present study methodologies are developed based on reported and modified coal slurry flow correlation equations to determine the quantity of water needed under various coal transport and flow conditions. Auxiliary water requirements including start-up and flushing water storage; related evaporation and seepage losses are also included. A computer program and several monographs are presented to provide a …

Predicting Infiltration And Surface Runoff From Reconstructed Spoils And Soils, Larry G. Wells, Andrew D. Ward, Ronald E. Phillips

KWRRI Research Reports

A laboratory system was fabricated to measure infiltration and runoff from spoil and soil profiles constructed in rectangular bins. Construction, calibration and operation of a rainfall simulator is discussed and instrumentation used to measure transient infiltration and transmittance of water through experimental profiles is described.

Spoil and soil materials from surface mines in Eastern and Western Kentucky were transported to the laboratory and used in constructing experimental profiles in rectangular bins (0.91 x 1.83 x 1.07 m). An extensive series of infiltration experiments were conducted utilizing a rainfall simulator and soil moisture monitoring instrumentation. A dual probe gamma density gauge …

Studies In Dye-Tracing Technologies In Karst Hydrogeology, John Thrailkill, Phillip E. Byrd, Stephen B. Sullivan, Lawrence E. Spangler, Charles J. Taylor, Greta K. Nelson, Kevin R. Pogue

KWRRI Research Reports

Information on fluorescent dyes used for water tracing and the results of six studies are reported. Optical brightener, direct yellow, fluorescein, rhodamine (WT), and other dyes are described and the procedures employed in their use ·in the field and in equilibration experiments are discussed. Three of the six studies consisted of investigations of the equilibration with passive detectors of three of the dyes. The absorption of optical brightener on fabric detectors was apparently linear with concentration and with immersion time, while detectors became rapidly saturated with direct yellow. Equilibrium of fluorescein on charcoal detectors with an elutriating solution was not …

Movement Of Bacteria Through Macropores To Ground Water, M. Scott Smith, Grant W. Thomas, Robert E. White

KWRRI Research Reports

Effects of soil type, flow rate, antecedent soil moisture and other factors on transport of E. coli through soils was measured on disturbed and intact columns 20 cm in diameter by 25 to 30 cm in depth. Added E. coli were distinguished from indigenous microbes using an antibiotic resistance marker. Transport of Cl^- and ³H₂O was also measured. Up to 96 percent of the bacteria irrigated onto the surface of intact columns were recovered in the effluent. Soil structure appeared to be related to the extent of transport. Columns prepared from mixed, repacked soil were much …

Hydraulic Analysis Of Surcharged Storm Sewer Systems, Don J. Wood, Gregory C. Heitzman

KWRRI Research Reports

Surcharge in a storm sewer system is the condition in which an entire sewer section is submerged and the pipe is flowing full under pressure. Flow in a surcharged storm sewer is essentially slowly varying unsteady pipe flow and methods for analyzing this type of flow are investigated. In this report the governing equations for unsteady fluid flow in pressurized storm sewers are presented. From these governing equations three numerical models are developed using various assumptions and simplifications. These flow models are applied to several example storm sewer systems under surcharge conditions. Plots of hydraulic grade and flow throughout the …