Proper stormwater management acknowledges both water quantity and water quality. Historically, stormwater quantity and quality have been separately considered; runoff was routed as quickly as possible into the nearest body of water. Although this alleviates potential flooding concerns, water quality is often compromised. Common stormwater quality problems include gross pollutants, sediment, nutrients, and heavy metals. The chronic elevated presence of these pollutants is detrimental to the environment. As a result, the government has passed legislature to protect waterways. The passage of the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit requires that municipalities implement stormwater treatment techniques, known as Best Management Practices (BMPs). Unfortunately, the NPDES document suggests treatment to the maximum extent possible, a vague description at best. This thesis reports a two-part study that endeavors to evaluate three of these proprietary treatment units manufactured by Stormceptor, BaySaver Separation Systems, and Continuous Deflective Separator (CDS) Technologies, Inc. to determine their performances. Each manufacturer produces a separator system that physically removes contaminants through the use of hydrodynamic flow principles. Phase I of the study focuses on monitoring two Stormceptor units and a CDS device in field conditions, while the second phase of the study evaluates each of the three treatment systems under laboratory conditions. The data analyses from the field study show the importance of proper maintenance. Storm events monitored after sump material removal showed great improvement over storm events occurring some time after the sump material removal. Furthermore, the treatment devices show a greater ability to remove pollutants from smaller storm events when compared with larger storm events. It is suggested that large storms cause scour of sediment previously trapped within the sump of the devices. An increase in the total suspended solid and nutrient concentrations, which were higher than the influent concentrations, was observed in both the field and laboratory studies. This could be explained by the fact that organics trapped by the treatment system decompose over time, therefore producing nutrient-rich water in the sump of the devices with higher concentration than the subsequent storm events. Some results are close to the minimum detection limit of the parameters being tested and small differences between influent and effluent load exaggerate the percent load differences. Consequently, there is little statistical significance between influent and effluent data, thus the data are summarized utilizing two methods. The methods include graphical representation of concentration and percent load difference, a method that normalized storms based on event size. In addition, a mass balance of gross litter was performed during the laboratory study.

This document includes three completed publications to represent Urban Agriculture as a ideal solution to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The first publication (Weaver, 2017a) provided in Chapter Two examines the stormwater Best Management Practices (BMP) modelling parameters for the current EPA Stormwater Management Model (SWMM) as the first step to developing Urban Agriculture BMPs. The second publication (Weaver, 2015) provided in Chapter Three highlights how many high-rated scholars have identified agriculture as a critical driver for the planetary systems impacts we find with community development. The third publication (Weaver, 2017b) provided in Chapter Four breaks down a completely new definition for Urban Agriculture, as the foundational works disagree on meaning, resulting in an ambiguous definition. Together, these publications encourage engineers to model Sustainable Development options with green infrastructure (Weaver, 2017a), distinct from the Planetary Systems impacts of other contemporary options (Weaver, 2015), with a greater understanding of the social capital to engage stakeholders in meeting the UN Sustainable Development Goals (Weaver, 2017b).

Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Eric A. Bernard / The sub-rural Kansas community of Winona stands at a critical crossroad. The dilemma of rural population decline, fueled largely by technological advances in communication, transportation, and agriculture is devastating rural economies and the centers of community social life – namely the local school(s) and main street(s). The physical infrastructure, spatial character and unique identity of rural places is slowly diminished in the process. While great potential exists for the landscape architecture and planning professions to address the patterns of rural decline, the limited market for such services and the lack of regulations requiring those services precludes their effective implementation within rural communities. Within Winona, a long-standing stormwater problem provides an opportunity to address both the stormwater problem and the larger dilemma in a holistic landscape architecture approach. How can contemporary landscape architecture engage rural communities in planning and design solutions aimed at mitigating stormwater issues while addressing community identity loss resulting from population and economic decline? The Place, Space, Community (PSC) Framework developed can determine distinctive qualities and characteristics and illuminate community identity which serves as the creative genesis for stormwater mitigation, and more importantly, the development of social capital critical to economic and population stability and growth. Successful development of social capital and enhanced community identity is dependent on design solutions anchored in the sense of place inherent in the residents of Winona. Landscape architects are uniquely qualified to provide solutions to the stormwater problem which respond to place in ways influencing the identity and social capital of Winona’s residents in dramatically positive ways. This initial focus on a holistic, place-based approach to increased social capital provides a strong foundation for future economic, social and environmental stability and growth into the future. Winona can indeed enjoy a bright and prosperous future with a Place, Space, Community approach.