No description available.

Diffuse water pollution in urban areas is growing due to polluted runoffs. Therefore, there is a need to treat this kind of pollution. Different structural treatment practices can be used for these purposes. However, little is known about their environmental, economic and social impacts. Therefore, the aim of this study has been to develop an integrated methodology for sustainability evaluation of structural treatment practices, considering environmental, economic and social aspects. Both environmental and economic evaluations have been carried out on a life cycle basis, using life cycle assessment and life cycle costing, respectively. For social evaluation, a number of social indicators, identified and developed in this research, have been used. The methodology has been applied to the case of the Magdalena river catchment in Mexico City. Three structural treatment practices have been analysed: bio-retention unit, infiltration trench and porous pavement. Based on the assumptions and the results from this work, the bio-retention unit appears to be environmentally the most sustainable option for treatment of diffuse water pollution. It is also the second-best option for social sustainability, slightly behind the porous pavement. However, if the costs of treatment are the priority, then the porous pavement would be the cheapest option. If all the sustainability aspects evaluated here are considered of equal importance, then the bio-retention unit is the most sustainable option. Therefore, trade-offs between the different sustainability aspects are important and should be considered carefully before any decisions are made on diffuse water pollution treatment. This also includes the trade-offs with the additional life cycle impacts generated by the treatment options compared to the impacts from the untreated runoff. The decisions can only be made by the appropriate stakeholders; however, some recommendations are given, based on the outcomes of this research.

No processo de urbanização da Região Metropolitana de São Paulo (RMSP) observa-se que a qualidade d\'água dos principais rios e córregos da cidade e seu comportamento hidrológico natural tem sido enormemente afetados trazendo impactos para a economia local e bem-estar e saúde da população. Conforme a cidade expande, os ecossistemas fluviais são transformados em parte do sistema de galerias pluviais que rapidamente afastam as águas em um esquema centralizado e hierarquizado. Ao mesmo tempo, esses sistemas de gerenciamento não contribuem para a biodiversidade nem permitem regular a qualidade d\'água, o que primitivamente se dava por intermediação de processos biológicos e físico-químicos fornecidos pelas florestas ripárias. Este estudo avalia a eficiência de modelos alternativos para a gestão das águas urbanas fundamentados no emprego de tecnologias da Infraestrutura Verde, sistemas vegetados que recuperam funções hidrológicas para o controle da contaminação e mitigação do efeito da impermeabilização, participando com essas propostas no Programa Piloto para Revitalização de Bacias Urbanas em São Paulo. Por um lado, um esquema de Drenagem Urbana Sustentável (SUDs) composto por bacias de biorretenção é projetado para o controle do escoamento na sub-bacia Água Podre, na periferia da cidade. Assim, é simulada sua eficiência para a remoção dos sedimentos iniciais acumulados nas superfícies construídas e, na sequência, o volume de armazenamento para 90% de remoção da carga de sedimento inicial. Por outro lado, um sistema de Alagado Construído de Fluxo Horizontal Sub-Superficial é proposto para a redução da concentração de matéria orgânica na vazão base do córrego. Sua eficiência é estimada utilizando o Modelo de Degradação de Primeira Ordem K-C*. Esses e outros sistemas da Infraestrutura Verde são visualizados em diversos contextos de ocupação das antigas paisagens das águas da cidade de São Paulo fortalecendo os resultados preliminarmente obtidos sobre seu desempenho benéfico para a melhoria qualitativa das águas e benefícios urbanos associados. / Urbanization in São Paulo Metropolitan Region (SPMR) causes the degradation of local waters and interferes in the natural hydrology of the place. This has a large impact in the local economy and well-being of its citizens. As the city expands, fluvial ecosystems are turned into channels and covered pipes that rapidly evacuate the rainwater. At the same time, these conventional systems have no contribution to biodiversity or water quality, which was originally regulated through biological, physical and chemical processes provided by the riparian forests. This work evaluates the efficiency of alternative water management models based on the use of Green Infrastructure typologies, vegetated systems that recover hydrological functions to control contamination and restore natural hydrology. This systems are explores within the Pilot Program for Watershed Restoration in São Paulo. On one site, a Sustainable Urban Drainage scheme (SUDs) composed by bioretention systems is proposed as a source control of runoff and its sediment removal efficiency is simulated on the Água Podre\'s sub-catchment, localized in the periphery of São Paulo. The results are obtained using the Sartor & Boyd exponential formula and the EPA-XPSWMM software for two isolated rainstorms with different precedent dry conditions, according to São Paulo rainfall-intensity patterns; then, the water quality volume is established according to 90% reduction of the initial sediment accumulated on the streets. On the other side, a Horizontal Sub-Surface Flow Constructed Wetland is proposed to reduce organic matter in-stream and its efficiency is estimated using the First-order Degradation Model K-C*. These and other Green Infrastructure solutions are visualized in different contexts of the city where original fluvial landscapes have been transformed to discuss about their performance to improve water quality and contribute to existing urban and social conditions within broader landscape projects.

No processo de urbanização da Região Metropolitana de São Paulo (RMSP) observa-se que a qualidade d\'água dos principais rios e córregos da cidade e seu comportamento hidrológico natural tem sido enormemente afetados trazendo impactos para a economia local e bem-estar e saúde da população. Conforme a cidade expande, os ecossistemas fluviais são transformados em parte do sistema de galerias pluviais que rapidamente afastam as águas em um esquema centralizado e hierarquizado. Ao mesmo tempo, esses sistemas de gerenciamento não contribuem para a biodiversidade nem permitem regular a qualidade d\'água, o que primitivamente se dava por intermediação de processos biológicos e físico-químicos fornecidos pelas florestas ripárias. Este estudo avalia a eficiência de modelos alternativos para a gestão das águas urbanas fundamentados no emprego de tecnologias da Infraestrutura Verde, sistemas vegetados que recuperam funções hidrológicas para o controle da contaminação e mitigação do efeito da impermeabilização, participando com essas propostas no Programa Piloto para Revitalização de Bacias Urbanas em São Paulo. Por um lado, um esquema de Drenagem Urbana Sustentável (SUDs) composto por bacias de biorretenção é projetado para o controle do escoamento na sub-bacia Água Podre, na periferia da cidade. Assim, é simulada sua eficiência para a remoção dos sedimentos iniciais acumulados nas superfícies construídas e, na sequência, o volume de armazenamento para 90% de remoção da carga de sedimento inicial. Por outro lado, um sistema de Alagado Construído de Fluxo Horizontal Sub-Superficial é proposto para a redução da concentração de matéria orgânica na vazão base do córrego. Sua eficiência é estimada utilizando o Modelo de Degradação de Primeira Ordem K-C*. Esses e outros sistemas da Infraestrutura Verde são visualizados em diversos contextos de ocupação das antigas paisagens das águas da cidade de São Paulo fortalecendo os resultados preliminarmente obtidos sobre seu desempenho benéfico para a melhoria qualitativa das águas e benefícios urbanos associados. / Urbanization in São Paulo Metropolitan Region (SPMR) causes the degradation of local waters and interferes in the natural hydrology of the place. This has a large impact in the local economy and well-being of its citizens. As the city expands, fluvial ecosystems are turned into channels and covered pipes that rapidly evacuate the rainwater. At the same time, these conventional systems have no contribution to biodiversity or water quality, which was originally regulated through biological, physical and chemical processes provided by the riparian forests. This work evaluates the efficiency of alternative water management models based on the use of Green Infrastructure typologies, vegetated systems that recover hydrological functions to control contamination and restore natural hydrology. This systems are explores within the Pilot Program for Watershed Restoration in São Paulo. On one site, a Sustainable Urban Drainage scheme (SUDs) composed by bioretention systems is proposed as a source control of runoff and its sediment removal efficiency is simulated on the Água Podre\'s sub-catchment, localized in the periphery of São Paulo. The results are obtained using the Sartor & Boyd exponential formula and the EPA-XPSWMM software for two isolated rainstorms with different precedent dry conditions, according to São Paulo rainfall-intensity patterns; then, the water quality volume is established according to 90% reduction of the initial sediment accumulated on the streets. On the other side, a Horizontal Sub-Surface Flow Constructed Wetland is proposed to reduce organic matter in-stream and its efficiency is estimated using the First-order Degradation Model K-C*. These and other Green Infrastructure solutions are visualized in different contexts of the city where original fluvial landscapes have been transformed to discuss about their performance to improve water quality and contribute to existing urban and social conditions within broader landscape projects.

Stormwater runoff from highways is a source of pollution to surface water bodies and groundwater. This project develops a bio-detention treatment and harvesting system that is incorporated into roadside swales. The bio-detention system uses Bold & Gold™, a type of biosorption activated media (BAM), to remove nutrients from simulated highway runoff and then store the water in underground vaults for infiltration, controlled discharge, and/or irrigation and other non-potable applications. In order to design a bio-detention system, media characteristics and media/water quality relationships are required. Media characteristics determined through testing include: specific gravity, permeability, infiltration, maximum dry density, moisture content of maximum dry density, and particle-size distribution. One of the goals of this experiment is to compare the nitrogen and phosphorous species concentrations in the effluent of BAM to sandy soil for simulated highway runoff. Field scale experiments are done on an elevated test bed that simulates a typical roadway with a swale. The swale portion of the test bed is split into halves using BAM and sandy soil. The simulated stormwater flows over a concrete section, which simulates a roadway, and then over either sod covered sandy soil or BAM. One, one and a half, and three inch storms are each simulated three times with a duration of 30 minutes each. During the simulated storm event, initial samples of the runoff (influent) are taken. The test bed is allowed to drain for two hours after the rainfall event and then samples of each of the net effluents are taken. In addition to the field scale water quality testing, column tests are also preformed on the sandy soil and Bold & Gold™ without sod present. Sod farms typically use fertilizer to increase production, thus it is reasonable to assume that the sod will leach nutrients into the soils on the iv test bed, especially during the initial test runs. The purpose of the column tests is to obtain a general idea of what percentage removals of total phosphorus and total nitrogen are obtained by the sandy soil and Bold & Gold™. It is shown that the Bold & Gold™ media effluent has significantly lower concentrations of total nitrogen and total phosphorus compared to the effluent of the sandy soil based on an 80% confidence level. The Bold & Gold™ has a 41% lower average effluent concentration of total nitrogen than the sandy soil. The Bold & Gold™ media has a 78% lower average effluent concentration of total phosphorus than the sandy soil. Using both the column test data in combination with the field scale data, it is determined that the Bold & Gold™ BAM system has a total phosphorus removal efficiency of 71%. The removal efficiency is increased when stormwater harvesting is considered. A total phosphorus reduction of 94% is achieved in the bio-detention & harvesting swale system sample design problem