EVALUATING POLLUTANT CONCENTRATIONS IN URBAN STREAMS BASED ON PRECIPITATION, NETWORK OF STORMWATER BMPs, AND IMPERVIOUS COVER

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Venugopal, M. (2019). EVALUATING POLLUTANT CONCENTRATIONS IN URBAN STREAMS BASED ON PRECIPITATION, NETWORK OF STORMWATER BMPs, AND IMPERVIOUS COVER. Unc Charlotte Electronic Theses And Dissertations.
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Abstract

The increase in impervious surfaces accompanying urban development in the recent decade has caused an increase in the volume of stormwater runoff and pollutant loads flowing downstream to receiving waters. In response to increased volumes of impaired stormwater runoff, there is a growing use of stormwater best management practices (BMPs) in urban areas. As such, there is a need to monitor the concentration of pollutants that enter receiving streams. This monitoring aids in decision-making to improve the efficiency of the BMPs. In addition, monitoring may provide a case for increasing the number of BMPs to reduce the pollutants entering downstream and improving the efficiency of the existing BMPs. The purpose of this study is to evaluate stormwater runoff quality in various creeks in the City of Charlotte and show the associated needs for BMPs. Pollutant concentration data is collected from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Stormwater Services, and rainfall data is gathered from the United States Geological Survey. The water quality data is collected for all the creeks in Mecklenburg County. However, the data and analysis of Mallard Creek, Reedy Creek, and Sugar Creek is used to show the results. Rainfall data is collected from the rain gauge set-up at Fire Station 30 near the Charlotte Douglas Airport. Temporal and spatial relationships are explored with variables including time, precipitation, pollutant loading, and concentration and urbanization-as measured by the rate of increase of impervious surfaces within watersheds. These relationships will help in understanding the variations in the pollutant concentration, and will also aid in recommendations for the allocation of BMPs throughout watersheds. Overall, this work will contribute to the literature about the need for improving efficiencies in location, design and maintenance of stormwater systems.

Details
Author

Venugopal, Manish

Title

EVALUATING POLLUTANT CONCENTRATIONS IN URBAN STREAMS BASED ON PRECIPITATION, NETWORK OF STORMWATER BMPs, AND IMPERVIOUS COVER

Physical Description

1 online resource (138 pages) : PDF

Date

2019

Degree Granting Institution

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Abstract

The increase in impervious surfaces accompanying urban development in the recent decade has caused an increase in the volume of stormwater runoff and pollutant loads flowing downstream to receiving waters. In response to increased volumes of impaired stormwater runoff, there is a growing use of stormwater best management practices (BMPs) in urban areas. As such, there is a need to monitor the concentration of pollutants that enter receiving streams. This monitoring aids in decision-making to improve the efficiency of the BMPs. In addition, monitoring may provide a case for increasing the number of BMPs to reduce the pollutants entering downstream and improving the efficiency of the existing BMPs. The purpose of this study is to evaluate stormwater runoff quality in various creeks in the City of Charlotte and show the associated needs for BMPs. Pollutant concentration data is collected from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Stormwater Services, and rainfall data is gathered from the United States Geological Survey. The water quality data is collected for all the creeks in Mecklenburg County. However, the data and analysis of Mallard Creek, Reedy Creek, and Sugar Creek is used to show the results. Rainfall data is collected from the rain gauge set-up at Fire Station 30 near the Charlotte Douglas Airport. Temporal and spatial relationships are explored with variables including time, precipitation, pollutant loading, and concentration and urbanization-as measured by the rate of increase of impervious surfaces within watersheds. These relationships will help in understanding the variations in the pollutant concentration, and will also aid in recommendations for the allocation of BMPs throughout watersheds. Overall, this work will contribute to the literature about the need for improving efficiencies in location, design and maintenance of stormwater systems.

Genre

masters theses

Subjects--Topics

City planning
Environmental engineering
Water resources development--Management

Degree

M.S.

Keywords

ArcGIS
Best Management Practices
Impervious Cover
Urban Infrastructure Development
Water Quality
Watershed Management

Subject Area

Construction & Facilities Mgmt

Advisor(s)

Barclay, Nicole

Committee Members

Allan, Craig
Chen, Don

Degree Note

Thesis (M.S.)--University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 2019.

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Rights Holder Information

Copyright is held by the author unless otherwise indicated.

Identifier

Venugopal_uncc_0694N_12291

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.13093/etd:2086