Comparison of Stormwater Solids Analytical Methods for Performance Evaluation of Manufactured Treatment Devices
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 134, Issue 4
Abstract
As more manufactured stormwater treatment devices enter the market, stormwater managers are searching for effective and rapid methods for evaluating device performance. Many agencies require vendors to test full-scale versions of their devices under controlled conditions. The most common parameter used to document performance is suspended solids for several reasons: (1) many pollutants attach to solids; (2) a solids simulant is relatively easy to generate; and (3) solids are comparatively easy and inexpensive to quantify. However, a controversy still exists in the profession and some regulatory agencies as to whether total suspended solids (TSS) or suspended sediment concentration (SSC), or both, should be measured. This paper focuses on the comparability of the two methods/protocols used for sample solids analysis, including lessons learned during recent evaluations of two manufactured treatment devices. Analysis of 215 sample pairs (where both TSS and SSC were measured on aliquots of the same sample) showed that statistically the TSS measured using the wide-bore pipet method and SSC results were indistinguishable from one another and from the original simulant mixture.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
The writers would like to express their sincere appreciation to all the current and former graduate and undergraduate research assistants who contributed to this research. James Elligson, Brad Mikula, Christine Siu, Christopher Roenning, and Julia Hafera of Penn State Harrisburg, and Uday Khambhammettu, Renee Morquecho, Yukio Nara, and Alex Maestre of the University of Alabama are some of the students who have spent countless hours helping to develop and then to evaluate these methods to ensure high quality research results.
References
American Public Health Association (APHA). (1995). Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater, 19th Ed., American Water Works Association and the Water Environment Federation, Washington, D.C.
ASTM. (1997). Method D3977-97(B): Standard methods for determining sediment concentration in water, West Conshohocken, Pa.
City of Portland. (2004). “Appendix B: Vendor submission guidance for evaluating stormwater treatment technology.” Bureau of Environmental Services Stormwater management manual, Portland, Ore.
Clark, S. E., and Siu, C. Y. S. (2008). “Measuring solids concentration in stormwater runoff: Comparison of analytical methods.” Environ. Sci. Technol., 42, 511–516.
Gray, J. R., Glysson, G. D., Turcios, L. M., and Schwarz, G. E. (2000). “Comparability of suspended-sediment concentration and total suspended solids data.” U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigation Rep. No. 00-4191, U.S. Geological Survey, Denver.
Guo, Q. (2005). “Development of adjustment and scaling factors for measured suspended solids removal performance of stormwater hydrodynamic treatment devices.” Proc., World Water Environmental Resources Congress (CD-ROM), Anchorage, Alaska, American Society of Civil Engineers, Reston, Va.
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP). (2003). “The technology assistance reciprocity partnership (TARP) protocol for stormwater best management practice demonstrations.” adopted by California, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, http://www.state.nj.us/dep/dsr/bscit/Documents.htm .
NSF International, Inc. (2006). “Environmental technology verification statement and report: Terre Hill Concrete Products Terre Kleen™09.” Rep. No. 06/29/WQPC-WWF, Ann Arbor, Mich., ⟨http://www.nsf.org/business/water_quality/_protection_center/pdf/Terre_Kleen_Statement%20final.pdf⟩.
USEPA. (1999). Method 160.2: Total suspended solids (TSS) (gravimetric, dried at ), Revised Ed., Washington, D.C.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 134 • Issue 4 • April 2008
Pages: 259 - 264
Copyright
© 2008 ASCE.
History
Received: Feb 20, 2007
Accepted: Jul 13, 2007
Published online: Apr 1, 2008
Published in print: Apr 2008
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.