First Flush Concepts for Suspended and Dissolved Solids in Small Impervious Watersheds
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 130, Issue 11
Abstract
Eight rainfall-runoff events were examined from each of two small paved urban transportation land use watersheds ( and ) in an attempt to distill multiple definitions of the first flush phenomenon into a consistent framework and examine common volumetric capture requirements. Results indicated that two separate criteria must be employed to describe the delivery of suspended sediment concentration (SSC) and total dissolved solids (TDS) as aggregate indices of entrained particulate and dissolved matter. The concentration-based first flush criterion is defined by high initial SSC or TDS concentration in the early portion of a rainfall-runoff event with a subsequent rapid concentration decline. In contrast, the mass-based first flush (MBFF) has several published forms, shown to be equivalent herein. The MBFF is defined generally as a disproportionately high mass delivery in relation to corresponding flow volume. For mass-limited events, mass delivery was skewed towards the initial portion of the event while the mass delivery in flow limited events tended to follow the hydrograph. This study also investigated published estimates of the water quality volume (WQV); assuming that an in-situ Control Strategy or Best Management Practice (BMP) captures and treats only this WQV, while flows in excess of this volume bypass the BMP. For the two watersheds, results indicate that a relatively large runoff volume must be captured to effect meaningful reductions in mass and concentrations (as event mean concentrations) despite a disproportionately high mass delivery early in the event. Results suggest the potential for misinterpretation of overall BMP effectiveness may be significant based on use of a number of these common published estimates based on a WQV.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
References
1.
American Public Health Assosication (APHA). (1992). Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater, 18th Ed., A. Greenburg, L. Clesceri, and L. Eaton, eds., American Water Works Association and Water Environmental Federation, Washington, D.C.
2.
Appel, P. L., and Hudak, P. F. (2001). “Automated sampling of stormwater runoff in an urban watershed, north-central Texas.” J. Envir. Sci. Health., A36(6), 897–907.
3.
Barbosa, A.E., and Hvitved-Jacobsen, T. ( 1999). “Highway runoff and potential for removal of heavy metals in an infiltration pond in Portugal.” The science of the total environment, Vol. 235, 151–159.
4.
Barrett, M.E. ( 1999). “Complying with the Edwards aquifer rules: Technical guidance on best management practices.” 〈http://www.tnrcc.state.tx.us/admin/topdoc/rg/348.pdf〉
5.
Barrett, M. E., Irish, L. B., Malina, J. F., and Charbeneau, R. J. (1997). “Characterization of highway runoff in Austin, Texas, area.” J. Environ. Eng., 124(2), 131–137.
6.
Bertrand-Krajewski, J., Chebbo, G., and Saget, A. (1998). “Distribution of pollutant mass verses volume in stormwater discharges and the first flush phenomenon.” Water Res., 32(8), 2341–2356.
7.
City of Boise. (1998). Boise storm water management design manual, 〈http://www.cityofboise.org/publiworks/services/water/storwater/manual.pdf〉.
8.
Cordery, I. (1977). “Quality characteristics of urban storm water in Sydney, Australia.” Water Resour. Res., 13(1), 197–202.
9.
Cristina, C. M., and Sansalone, J. J. (2003). “‘First flush,’ power law and particle separation diagrams for urban storm-water suspended particulates.” J. Environ. Eng., 129(4), 298–307.
10.
Deletic, A. (1998). “The first flush load of urban surface runoff.” Water Res., 32(8), 2462–2470.
11.
Drapper, D., Tomlimson, R., and Williams, P. (2000). “Pollutant concentrations in road runoff: Southeast Queensland case study.” J. Environ. Eng., 126(4), 313–320.
12.
Farm, C. (2002). “Evaluation of the accumulation of sediment and heavy metals in a storm-water detention pond.” Water Sci. Technol., 45(7), 105–112.
13.
Forster, J. (1996). “Patterns of roof runoff contamination and their potential implications on practice and regulation of treatment and local infiltration.” Water Sci. Technol., 33(6), 39–48.
14.
Grisham, D. M. (1995). “Designing for the first flush.” Civ. Eng. (N.Y.), 65(11), 67–69.
15.
Gupta, K., and Saul, A. J. (1996). “Specific relationships for the first flush load in combined sewer flows.” Water Resour., 30(5), 1244–1252.
16.
He, W., Wallinder, I. O., and Leygraf, C. (2001). “A laboratory study of copper and zinc runoff during first flush and steady-state conditions.” Corros. Sci., 43, 127–146.
17.
Kobriger, N.P., and Geinopolos, A. ( 1984). “Sources and migration of highway runoff pollutants—research Report.” Rep. No. FHWA/RD-84/059, Vol. III, U.S. Department of Transportation, FHWA, Washington, D.C.
18.
Larsen, T., Broch, K., and Andersen, M. R. (1998). “First flush effects in an urban catchment area in Aalborg.” Water Sci. Technol., 37(1), 251–257.
19.
Lee, J. H., and Bang, K. W. (2000). “Characterization of urban stormwater runoff.” Water Res., 34(6), 1773–1780.
20.
Lee, J.H., Bang, K.W., Ketchum, L.H., Choe, J.S., and Yu, M.J. ( 2001). “First flush analysis of urban storm runoff.” The science of the total environment, Vol. 293, 163–175.
21.
Li, Y., Buchberger, S., and Sansalone, J. (1999). “Variably saturated flow in storm-water partial exfiltration trench.” J. Environ. Eng., 125(6), 556–565.
22.
Maidment, D.R. ( 1993). Handbook of hydrology, McGraw-Hill, New York.
23.
Metcalf, L., and Eddy, H. ( 1916). American sewerage practice, Disposal of sewage, Vol. III, McGraw-Hill, New York.
24.
Novotny, V., and Olem, H. ( 1994). Water quality prevention, identification, and management of diffuse pollution, Wiley, New York.
25.
Saget, A., Chebbo, C., and Bertrand-Krajewski, J. L. (1996). “The first flush in sewer systems.” Water Sci. Technol., 33(9), 101–108.
26.
Sansalone, J. J., and Buchberger, S. G. (1997). “Partitioning and first flush of metals in urban roadway storm water.” J. Environ. Eng., 123(2), 134–143.
27.
Sansalone, J. J., Koran, J. M., Smithson, J. A., and Buchberger, S. G. (1998). “Physical characteristics of urban roadway solids transported during rain events.” J. Environ. Eng., 124(5), 427–440.
28.
Sartor, J. D., and Boyd, G. B. ( 1972). “Water pollution aspects of street surface contaminants.” Order No. EPA-R2-72-081, Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C.
29.
Schueler, T.R. ( 1987). Controlling urban runoff: A practical manual for planning and designing urban BMPs, Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.
30.
Stahre, P., and Urbonas, B. ( 1990). Stormwater detention for drainage, water quality and CSO management, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, N.J.
31.
State of California. ( 2001). “Waste discharge requirements for municipal storm water and urban runoff discharges within the county of Los Angeles and the incorporated cities therein, except the city of Long Beach.” Order No. 01-182, California Regional Water Quality Control Board, Los Angeles.
32.
State of Idaho. (2001). Catalog of stormwater best management practices for Idaho cities and counties, 〈http://www.deq.state.id.us/water/stormwatecatalog/dobmp50.asp〉
33.
Stenstrom, M. K., Silverman, G. S., and Buraztynsky, T. A. (1984). “Oil and grease in urban stormwaters.” J. Environ. Eng., 110(1), 58–72.
34.
Wanielista, M.P., and Yousef, Y.A. ( 1993). Stormwater management, Wiley, New York.
35.
Wanielista, M. P., Yousef, Y. A., and McLellon, W. M. (1977). “Nonpoint source effects on water quality.” J. Water Pollut. Control Fed., 49(3), 441–451.
36.
Wu, J. S., Allan, C. J., Saunders, W. L., and Evett, J. B. (1998). “Characterization and pollutant loading estimation for highway runoff.” J. Environ. Eng., 124(7), 584–592.
37.
Yu, S. L., Earles, T. A., and Fitch, G. M. ( 1998). “Aspects of functional analysis of mitigated wetlands receiving highway runoff: Environmental and social effects of transportation.” Transportation Research Record 1626, Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C., 21–30.
38.
Yu, S. L., Kuo, J. T., Fassman, E. A., and Pan, H. (2001). “Field test of grassed-swale performance in removing runoff pollution.” J. Water Resour. Plan. Manage., 127(3), 168–171.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 130 • Issue 11 • November 2004
Pages: 1301 - 1314
Copyright
Copyright © 2004 ASCE.
History
Published online: Nov 1, 2004
Published in print: Nov 2004
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.