Prediction of Nutrient Concentrations in Urban Storm Water
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 135, Issue 8
Abstract
Excessive quantities of nutrients in urban storm-water runoff can lead to problems such as eutrophication in receiving water bodies. Accurate process based models are difficult to construct due to the vast array of complex phenomena affecting nutrient concentrations. Furthermore, it is often impossible to successfully apply process based models to catchments with limited or no sampling. This has created the need for simple models capable of predicting nutrient concentrations at unmonitored catchments. In this study, simple statistical models were constructed to predict six different types of nutrients present in urban storm-water runoff: ammonia , nitrogen oxides , total Kjeldahl nitrogen, total nitrogen, dissolved phosphorus, and total phosphorus. Models were constructed using data from the United States, collected as a part of the Nationwide Urban Stormwater Program more than two decades ago. Comparison between the models revealed that regression models were generally more applicable than the simple estimates of mean concentration from homogeneous subsets, separated based upon land use or the metropolitan area. Regression models were generally more accurate and provided valuable insight into the most important processes influencing nutrient concentrations in urban storm-water runoff.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
The writers acknowledge the resources provided by Nancy Driver, U.S. Geological Survey, and the statistical support received from Dr. Pam Davy and Associate Professor Ken Russell, School of Mathematics and Applied Statistics, University of Wollongong.
References
Athayde, D. N., Shelley, P. E., Driscoll, E. D., Gaboury, D., and Boyd, G. (1983). Results of the nationwide urban runoff program, Vol. 1, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C.
Bastarache, D., El-Jabi, N., and Clair, T. A. (1997). “Predicting conductivity and acidity for small streams using neural networks.” Can. J. Civ. Eng., 24(6), 1030–1039.
Brezonik, P. L., and Stadelmann, T. H. (2002). “Analysis and predictive models of stormwater runoff volumes, loads, and pollutant concentrations from watersheds in the Twin Cities metropolitan area, Minnesota, USA.” Water Res., 36, 1743–1757.
Burian, S. J., Streit, G. E., McPherson, T. N., Brown, M. J., and Turin, H. J. (2001). “Modeling the atmospheric deposition and stormwater washoff of nitrogen compounds.” Environ. Modell. Software, 16, 467–479.
Cahaba/Warrier Student Chapter of the American Water Resources Association (University of Alabama). (1998). “NURP data.” ⟨http://www.eng.ua.edu/~awra/download.htm⟩ (March 16, 2001).
Draper, N. R., and Smith, H. (1998). Applied regression analysis, 3rd Ed., Wiley, New York.
Driver, N., and Tasker, G. (1990). “Techniques for estimation of storm-runoff loads, volumes, and selected consituent concentrations in urban watersheds in the United States.” U.S. Geol. Surv. Water Supply Paper No. 2363, United States Governemnt Printing Office, Washington, D.C.
Duncan, H. P. (1999). Urban stormwater quality: A statistical overview, Rep. No. 99/3, CRC for Catchment Hydrology, Clayton, Victoria,
Loke, E., Arnbjerg-Nielsen, K., and Harremoes, P. (1999). “Artificial neural networks and grey-box modelling: A comparison.” Proc., 8th Int. Conf.: Urban Storm Drainage, Vol. 1, The Institution of Engineers Australia, Sydney, Australia.
Maier, H. R., and Dandy, G. C. (1996). “The use of artificial neural networks for the prediction of water quality parameters.” Water Resour. Res., 32(4), 1013–1022.
May, D., Sivakumar, M. (2003). “Techniques for predicting total phosphorus in urban stormwater runoff at unmonitored catchments.” ANZIAM J., 45(E), C296–C309.
National Atmospheric Deposition Program. (1994). “National trends network.” ⟨http://nadp.sws.uiuc.edu⟩ (January 15, 2003).
Pandit, A., and Gopalakrishnan, G. (1997). “Estimation of annual pollutant loads under wet-weather conditions.” J. Hydrol. Eng., 2(4), 211–218.
Sliva, L., and Williams, D. D. (2001). “Buffer zone versus whole catchment approaches to studying land use impact on river water quality.” Water Res., 35(14), 3462–3472.
Thomann, R. V., and Mueller, J. A. (1987). Principles of surface water quality modelling and control, Harper Collins, New York.
Ward, A. D., and Elliot, W. J., eds. (1995). Environmental hydrology, Lewis, Boca Raton, Fla.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Copyright
© 2009 ASCE.
History
Received: Jul 4, 2008
Accepted: Nov 11, 2008
Published online: Jul 15, 2009
Published in print: Aug 2009
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.