Updating the U.S. Nationwide Urban runoff quality data base

Smullen, James T.; Shallcross, Amy L.; Cave, Kelly A.

doi:10.2166/wst.1999.0523

Cited by 54 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…Urban stormwater runoff mobilizes a variety of contaminants to coastal oceans and inland waterways, affecting their water quality [1][2][3]. These contaminants come from different residential, commercial, and industrial land uses within a watershed [4,5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Rainfall Intensity and Duration on the First Flush from Parking Lots

Schiff

Tiefenthaler

Bay

et al. 2016

Water

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Urban stormwater with large impervious (paved) areas often produces runoff with a variety of contaminants. Although southern California is among the most urbanized coastal areas in the United States, the effect of rainfall variations on washoff efficiency of contaminants from pervious and impervious surfaces is largely unknown. The goal of this study was to investigate the effect of varying rainfall intensities and duration on runoff composition from highly impervious parking lots. In order to control the tremendous natural variability in precipitation of the arid climate in southern California, rainfall simulators were used to generate and quantify pollutant washoff at changing intensities and durations. Washoff of suspended solids, total and dissolved trace metals, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons was strongly inversely correlated with rainfall duration. Rainfall intensity only affected washoff at the smallest measured duration; higher intensities produced decreased concentrations. The effect of rainfall duration was a reflection of the first flush observed in pollutographs for every duration and intensity sampled. Peak concentrations, up to an order of magnitude higher than concentrations later in the event, occurred during the first 10 min after the onset of rainfall. Longer simulated storms effectively diluted the first flush.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Rainfall Intensity and Duration on the First Flush from Parking Lots

Schiff

Tiefenthaler

Bay

et al. 2016

Water

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“…Numerous studies across a wide range of geographic locations and climates show that urbanization can alter catchment hydrologic responses and negatively impact surface and downstream waters (for example: Athayde et al, 1983;EPA, 1997;Maestre and Pitt, 2006;Shuster et al, 2005;Smullen et al, 1999;Walsh et al, 2005a;Wenger et al, 2009;Zampella et al, 2007). Early urban runoff monitoring efforts such as Nation Wide Urban Runoff Program (NURP, Smullen et al, 1999), the National Water Quality Assessment Program (NAWQA, Brown et al, 2009) and the National Stormwater Quality database (NSQD, Maestre and Pitt, 2006;Pitt et al, 2008) aimed to identify urban runoff responses from distinct urban land uses.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Early urban runoff monitoring efforts such as Nation Wide Urban Runoff Program (NURP, Smullen et al, 1999), the National Water Quality Assessment Program (NAWQA, Brown et al, 2009) and the National Stormwater Quality database (NSQD, Maestre and Pitt, 2006;Pitt et al, 2008) aimed to identify urban runoff responses from distinct urban land uses. However, the data showed mixed responses to land use, indicating more complex controls on urban runoff responses.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Land cover controls on summer discharge and runoff solution chemistry of semi-arid urban catchments

Gallo

Brooks

Lohse

et al. 2013

Journal of Hydrology

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cover controls on summer discharge and runoff solution chemistry of semi-arid urban catchments" (2013 Recharge of urban runoff to groundwater as a stormwater management practice has gained importance in semi-arid regions where water resources are scarce and urban centers are growing. Despite this trend, the importance of land cover in controlling semi-arid catchment runoff quantity and quality remains unclear. Here we address the question: How do land cover characteristics control the amount and quality of storm runoff in semi-arid urban catchments? We monitored summertime runoff quantity and quality from five catchments dominated by distinct urban land uses: low, medium, and high density residential, mixed use, and commercial. Increasing urban land cover increased runoff duration and the likelihood that a rainfall event would result in runoff, but did not increase the time to peak discharge of episodic runoff. The effect of urban land cover on hydrologic responses was tightly coupled to the magnitude of rainfall. At distinct rainfall thresholds, roads, percent impervious cover and the stormwater drainage network controlled runoff frequency, runoff depth and runoff ratios. Contrary to initial expectations, runoff quality did not vary in repose to impervious cover or land use. We identified four major mechanisms controlling runoff quality: (1) variable solute sourcing due to land use heterogeneity and above ground catchment connectivity; (2) the spatial extent of pervious and biogeochemically active areas; (3) the efficiency of overland flow and runoff mobilization; and (4) solute flushing and dilution. Our study highlights the importance of the stormwater drainage systems characteristics in controlling urban runoff quantity and quality; and suggests that enhanced wetting and in-stream processes may control solute sourcing and retention. Finally, we suggest that the characteristics of the stormwater drainage system should be integrated into stormwater management approaches.

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“…72 The data from the three sources (NURP, USGS, and NPDES) were used to compute new estimates of EMC population means and medians for the 10 pollutants with many more degrees of freedom than were available to the NURP investigators. 79 A "pooled" mean was calculated representing the mean of the total population of sample data. The NURP and pooled mean EMCs for the 10 pollutants or constituents are listed in Table 22.…”

Section: Water Quality Effects-event Mean Concentration To Calculate mentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing urban forest effects and values: Douglas County, Kansas

Nowak¹,

Bodine²,

Hoehn³

et al. 2014

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An analysis of trees in Douglas County, Kansas, reveals that this area has about 14,164,000 trees with tree and shrub canopy that covers 25.2 percent of the county. The most common tree species are American elm, northern hackberry, eastern redcedar, Osage-orange, and honeylocust. Trees in Douglas County currently store about 1.7 million tons of carbon (6.4 million tons CO 2 ) valued at $124 million. In addition, these trees remove about 82,000 tons of carbon per year (300,000 tons CO 2 per year valued at $5.8 million per year) and about 3,870 tons of air pollution per year ($17.7 million per year). Douglas County's trees are estimated to reduce annual residential energy costs by $2.9 million per year. The compensatory value of the trees is estimated at $6.2 billion. Loss of the current tree cover in the Wakarusa River watershed in Douglas County would increase annual flow by an average of 2.6 percent (88.9 million ft 3 ). Information on the structure and functions of the regional forest can be used to inform forest management programs and to integrate regional forests within plans to improve environmental quality in Douglas County. Cover PhotoThe City of Lawrence took over the ownership of a Union Pacific Depot, turning it into a Visitor's Center in the northern part of the city. Photo by Kim Bomberger, Kansas Forest Service, used with permission.

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Updating the U.S. Nationwide Urban runoff quality data base

Cited by 54 publications

References 2 publications

Effects of Rainfall Intensity and Duration on the First Flush from Parking Lots

Effects of Rainfall Intensity and Duration on the First Flush from Parking Lots

Land cover controls on summer discharge and runoff solution chemistry of semi-arid urban catchments

Assessing urban forest effects and values: Douglas County, Kansas

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