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Following large rain events, extraneous freshwater contributions known as inflow and infiltration (I/I) bypass the storm sewer and enter the sanitary sewer system. In areas with a high water table, like Pinellas County and the surrounding Tampa Bay area, a majority of the wastewater infrastructure is submerged year round exacerbating the rate of groundwater infiltration. This excess flow overloads the existing wastewater infrastructure leading to sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs). These SSOs result in serious problems for municipalities and utilities across the country. This study was performed in order to assist Pinellas County Utilities in rehabilitating their southern sewer system. To do this, 59 sub-basins across 8 sewer zones were monitored through Pinellas County’s Phase 1 Flow Monitoring Program accounting for over 150 miles of gravity pipe. For each sub-basin, a flow meter was utilized to measure the flow from May to October, 2017. This data was analyzed to separately quantify the amount of infiltration and inflow in each sub-basin, respectively. Once quantified, a Severity Index (SI) was developed in order to give each sub-basin a score from 1-100 as it relates to the condition of the gravity mains in the sub-basin. The SI was a function of locational features available with the use of a Geographic Information System (GIS), such as the distance to water bodies and the soil hydrologic group (SHG), as well as intrinsic pipe properties including the type of pipe material and the age of pipe. Once validated with additional flow monitoring data, the developed SI framework can serve as an additional tool utilized by Pinellas County Utilities to identify areas in need of sanitary sewer rehabilitation. Being that the model only requires easily attainable information, this approach is less time consuming and is inexpensive as compared to traditional flow monitoring efforts. The study also examined the required monetary investment by Pinellas County Utilities in order to abate the 17 sub-basins observed in the study with an infiltration rate greater than the marginal threshold put forth by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The study indicated that gravity pipe rehabilitation does not make a significant impact on groundwater infiltration until at least 30% of the gravity pipes in the sub-basin are lined. This is due to the groundwater table submerging a majority of the wastewater infrastructure. Once this threshold is met, lining was observed to abate groundwater infiltration linearly. The results found that $4.4 million will be required to rehabilitate the affected sub-basins to a marginal rate of infiltration and reduce the flow to South Cross Bayou Water Reclamation Facility (SCBWRF) by an average of 0.72 mgd (million gallons per day). On an annual basis, this reduction in flow will result in approximately $650,000 in treatment costs savings.

Human watershed activities such as converting land cover to agriculture and livestock grazing have negatively impacted stream water quality worldwide. One such case is Utah’s Upper Sevier River where a loss of woody bank vegetation (reduced shading) and accelerated bank erosion (increased fine sediment inputs) has led to increased stream temperature and water turbidity. As a result, the state of Utah sought to improve water quality conditions using streambank restoration. While commonly recommended and performed, the effectiveness of this sort of restoration has rarely been quantified. Here, I evaluated a restored reach of the Upper Sevier River near Hatch, UT using continuous monitoring data and a historical photo analysis. As Utah wishes to continue performing this type of restoration in additional locations on the Upper Sevier River, I applied a simple sediment budget model to test its value in informing future streambank restoration decisions. Continuous monitoring data at the upstream and downstream extent of restoration showed that both stream temperature and turbidity increased downstream along the restored reach. In addition, I found that stream temperature violated Utah’s cold-water stream threshold at both sites but did not violate thresholds for rainbow trout. Turbidity violated state and biological thresholds at both sites. I was unable to conclude whether the streambank restoration directly altered water quality because I lacked monitoring data before restoration occurred. Results of the historical aerial photo analysis showed that restoration practitioners were successful in reducing cut bank erosion. My use of SIAM as a simple sediment budget model proved insufficient due to poor data quality and quantity. Overall, streambank restoration was successful at reducing cut bank erosion, and I recommended monitoring future restoration before and after project completion, identifying and monitoring upstream sources of fine sediment, and pursuing more comprehensive sediment models to inform future streambank restoration.

Purpose: The aim of this research is firstly to find out whether or not companies have strategies to address future scenarios of water scarcity. It is of importance to find out what they are doing to mitigate the issues they already have or will encounter in the future. Secondly, motivational drivers who have affected their decision-making are discussed in order to fully understand the process of working with water scarcity. Method: The qualitative research paper is based on five in-depth interviews with open-ended questions. The interviewee was able to explain the processes and strategic decision-making of the company. Follow-up questions were sent via email to complement these. Findings: The study declares that the majority of the companies had vague strategies to minimize water consumption and mitigate the issues they would encounter in a situation of water scarcity. They were more like visions or intentions. The motivational drivers and pressures companies have encountered and which have initiated the process and developing strategies were primarily the four following: (1) economic, (2) environmental, (3) social, and (4) impact from authorities.

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Water is essential element for human survival but unstainable development practices and short term economic benefits are responsible for water scarcity in many areas around the world. Climate change is aggravating the risk with distribution and water availability. Agriculture is a sector highly dependent on water. The livelihood of a vast population in the world depends on not only agriculture, but also forestry, wetlands and fisheries and land use which, in turn, are strongly influenced by water based ecosystems that depend on monsoon rains. India is a global agricultural powerhouse. It is the world’s largest producer of milk, pulses, and spices as well as the largest area under wheat, rice and cotton. But increasing water scarcity in India is affecting agricultural sector, hence affecting socio- economic conditions of poor Indian farmers. In some pockets of the country, attempts have been made during the last few decades to manage the scarce water resources more efficiently and govern them more wisely, so that agriculture as the main economic backbone of the local communities can be sustainably supported. Ralegan Siddhi is one such outstanding case where the rainwater harvested through local interventions has enabled sustainable development of the entire community. The village stands out as an oasis in the desert. The aim of the study is to understand how water has been governed in Ralegan Siddhi to enable sustainable agriculture and hence sustainable development of the community. Ultimately, the study is foreseen to help improve the farmers’ situation in water scarce areas in India and elsewhere by sharing this study report based on Ralegan Siddhi’s water governance practices with other researchers as well as concerned agencies and actors.

Wetlands are considered a last line of defence against poor water quality. Despite the natural capabilities of wetlands to remove a variety of contaminants from surface water, the track record for wetland conservation leaves much to be desired. In the northern parts of the City of Tshwane, 84% of wetlands have been degraded. When viewed against the poor bacteriological quality of river water in the study area, the lack of wetland conservation efforts is of particular concern. Given the large number of wetlands in the Tshwane area in need of rehabilitation, this study aimed to devise a methodology to prioritise these wetlands for rehabilitation. No blueprint for such a prioritisation process exists, as studies are adapted to take into account the availability of data and the unique requirements of the study area. The methodology for this study is based on the prioritisation of a specific river basin, based on expected maximum faecal bacterial load originating from various sources of pollution. Four river basins were compared with each other in a series of screening processes. Screening was done on a landscape level using a Geographic Information System (GIS) to generate various composite layers as part of the screening process. The screening processes relied on the application of several weighted criteria. Weights for criteria are based on scientific literature. Weights are also allocated in line with the “worst case scenario”, as the study is in essence an assessment of the various pollution sources and their maximum possible contribution to deteriorating surface water quality. A Simple Additive Weighting technique was used to assess the total pollution loads and total numbers of users at risk from contaminated surface water in each of the river basins. It is important to note that the objective is to only rate the pollution sources, whilst exact pollution loads were not calculated. Diffuse, areal and point sources of pollution were rated using the estimated contributions to faecal coliform loads. The river basin with the highest score was selected for the selection of candidate wetlands for rehabilitation purposes. The Apies River Basin scored highest for most of the criteria, with the exception of the number of households at risk from contaminated surface water. Despite the 0.60 weight allocated to households at risk, the extent of pollution sources in this river basin allowed it to be singled out as the basin in which a wetland for rehabilitation is most urgent in order to attenuate bacterial load. Two wetlands were short listed, based on their high need for rehabilitation, their hydrogeomorphic location (valley bottom with a channel), and given that they are larger than 1ha in size and within a minimum distance from the households at risk. Site level assessments are required for a final selection between the two, taking into account the nature of the current disturbances, the possibility of risk due to back-flooding, the projected costs associated with rehabilitation, the nature of the vegetation associated with the wetlands and the general conservation value of each of the wetlands.

This thesis identifies impacts of behaviors and technology on residential indoor water use and conservation efforts. We use pre-existing detailed end-use data collected before and after toilets, faucets, showerheads, and clothes washers were retrofitted in 96 owner-occupied, single-family households in Oakland, California; Seattle, Washington; and Tampa, Florida between 2000 and 2003. Water volume, duration of use, and time of use were recorded and disaggregated by appliance for two weeks before and four weeks after appliances were retrofitted. For each appliance, we compare observed differences in water use before and after retrofits to water savings predicted by analytical engineering, semi-analytical engineering, and econometric regression methods. Results show that observed and predicted distributions of water savings are skewed with a small number of households showing potential to save more water. Results also show the relative and significant influence on water saved of both technological (flow rates of appliances) and behavioral (length of use, frequency of use) factors. Additionally, the number of residents, and the performance and the frequency of use of the appliance are the key factors that distinguish households that save the most water from households that save less. Study results help improve engineering methods to estimate water savings from retrofits and allow water utilities to better target subcategories of households that have potential to save more water.

Species distribution models are frequently used in ecology to predict the spatial and temporal occurrence of organisms. Direct interpretation of these models assumes that the relationships between the organisms and their environment are manifestations of causal mechanisms. However, in general, the mechanisms producing these associations have not been experimentally validated, which questions our confidence in their interpretation and application. Temperature is one of the most important factors influencing the fitness and distribution of aquatic organisms, and studying the thermal physiology of aquatic invertebrates could provide a useful approach for validating predictions of the species distribution models. Experimental thermal tolerance studies, which assess the physiological limits to temperature, should be useful in interpreting the causal basis for species distribution model predictions. Critical Thermal Maxima experiments are frequently used to measure the thermal tolerance of ectothermic organisms. They represent the temperature at which organisms exhibit disorganized locomotor activity to the point that they lose their ability to escape conditions that will promptly lead to death. Critical Thermal Maxima experiments could, therefore, provide a useful test of the inferred mechanisms of species distribution models. The objective of my study was to determine if Critical Thermal Maxima experiments are associated with the thermal limits inferred from species distribution models. If the models accurately describe causal relationships between predicted distributions of organisms and environmental temperatures, and if the thermal maxima are associated with the limits to organism fitness, I expected to see a strong correspondence between model-derived and experimentally-derived thermal limits. A strong correspondence between model predictions and experimentally obtained thermal maxima would both validate a physiological interpretation of the species distribution models and justify the use of Critical Thermal Maxima experiments alone in predicting species distributions and responses to climate change.

A piano key (PK) weir is a type of nonlinear (labyrinth-type) weir developed specifically for free-surface flow control structures with relatively small spillway footprints. Currently, no generally accepted standard PK weir design procedure is available. This is due, in part, to the large number of geometric parameters and a limited understanding of their effects on discharge efficiency (discharge efficiency is quantified by the discharge coefficient of the standard weir equation). However, Hydrocoop, a non-profit French dam spillways association, has recommended a PK weir design and a head-discharge relationship specific to that geometry. To develop a better understanding of the effects of PK weir geometry on discharge efficiency, 13 laboratory-scale, 4-cycle PK and rectangular labyrinth weir configurations were tested. As a result, the influence of the following PK weir geometries and/or modifications on discharge efficiency were partially isolated: the inlet-to-outlet key width ratio, upstream, and downstream apex overhangs; sloped floors; raising the crest elevation via a parapet wall; fillets underneath the upstream overhangs; and the crest type. The physical model test matrix also included a PK weir configuration consistent with the Hydrocoop-recommended design. From the experimental results, the appropriateness of the Hydrocoop-recommended head-discharge relationship was evaluated, along with the discharge coefficient behavior associated with the standard weir equation. Finally, trapezoidal labyrinth weirs were compared to PK weirs to make a relative comparison of nonlinear weir discharge efficiency; comparisons were made considering crest length and structure footprint.