When developing a Watershed Protection Plan (WPP) or a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL), it is often difficult to accurately assess the pollutant load for a watershed because not enough water quality monitoring data are available. According to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), there are 274 bacteria impairments in Texas water bodies out of 386 impaired water bodies. Bacteria water quality data are often more sparse than other types of water quality data, which hinders the development of WPPs or TMDLs. The Spatially Explicit Load Enrichment Calculation Tool (SELECT) was used to develop watershed protection plans for four rural watersheds in Texas that are impaired due to E. coli bacteria. SELECT is an automated Geographical Information System (GIS) tool that can assess pathogen loads in watersheds using spatial factors such as land use, population density, and soil type. WPPs were developed for four rural Texas watersheds: Buck Creek, Lampasas River, five sub watersheds of the Little Brazos River, and Geronimo Creek. A spatial watershed model was developed to simulate bacteria concentrations in streams resulting from non point sources using SELECT combined with a simple rainfall-runoff model and applied to the Geronimo Creek watershed. The watershed model applies a rainfall-driven loading function to the potential E. coli loads calculated by the output of SELECT. The simulated runoff volumes and E. coli concentrations from the model were compared to actual monthly E. coli data collected at two sampling sites near the outlet of a subwatershed. The results show how SELECT methodology was applied to each watershed and adapted based on stakeholder concerns and data availability. The highest potential contributors were identified and areas of concern were highlighted to more effectively apply best management practices (BMPs). The runoff volumes were predicted with very good agreement (E = 0.95, RSR = 0.21 to 0.22) for both sampling sites. The predicted E. coli concentrations did not agree with measured concentrations for both sites using eight different methods. The results indicate that the model does not include significant factors contributing to the transport of E. coli bacteria but can be modified to include these factors.

Stormwater is the component of runoff that is generated by human activities, and has gradually become a key issue in achieving sustainability in urban environments. When vegetation and soils are replaced with roads and buildings, less rainwater infiltrates into the ground or is taken up by vegetation, and more becomes surface runoff. A greater area of impervious surfaces leads to increased stormwater runoff volume and velocity, and consequently increases the risk off looding and erosion. Being able to reduce stream flows and pollution of surface flows, green roofs are one technology that may help in alleviating this storm water crisis. This thesis developed a different and effective methodology for quantifying the effects of green roofs on stormwater runoff and calculating the runoff volume and rate for residential housing communities before and after applying green roofs. The method utilizes local climate data like rainfall and evapotranspiration rate, the water use properties of vegetation like crop coefficients of plants, and the areas of impervious surfaces; and then compares the different effects of green roofs in different locations having disparate climatic conditions. It was found that the best way to achieve zero runoff was to green a portion of the total rooftop area and disconnect all impervious surfaces. Implications of this methodology on city planning and site design and for future research are then discussed.

Water management is a critical issue around the world. In South Australia, and throughout Australia, demand for water has increased beyond the capacity of existing water supply systems. For this reason there is great interest in optimal management of water resources at both a national and local level. / In this thesis I discuss the capture and treatment of urban stormwater and suggest practical strategies for water storage in a sequence of dams. My primary motivation was a proposal for the capture, treatment and storage of all stormwater and wastewater on a new suburban housing estate at Mawson Lakes in South Australia, while minimising overflow. / A discrete state mathematical model for the management of water in a system of two connected dams is described in detail, through the use of stochastic matrices. I assume random inputs and regular demand. The system is controlled by pumping water from the first to the second dam. Only practical policies are considered. My initial analysis was restricted to a class of policies that depends only on the content of the first dam. The steady state of the system can be determined for each particular control policy. To determine the steady state I have used Gaussian elimination to reduce the problem of solving a large set of linear equations to a much smaller set. The steady state is an invariant measure that determines the long-term expected overflow. The systematic state reduction procedure subsequently allowed me to consider more complex policies that depend on the content of both dams. One such policy that I analyse in detail is to pump to fill the second dam. Though it is not yet proven this policy is possibly the optimal policy from among the classes considered. I also extend the discrete state model to a system of two connected dams with continuous input into the first dam. The stochastic matrices are replaced by integral operators on a space of bounded probability measures. / An alternative general analysis is described for the policy of pumping to fill the second dam. By using the characteristic pattern of the steady state equations I can define new variables and equations to reduce the problem to a much smaller system of equations. This method was also applied to policies in which I overfill or underfill the second dam. All three solutions are closely related. Yet another method uses a set of superstates. Each superstate is a set of states for which the particular control policy defines a common outcome. Once again the invariant measure is found by solving a reduced order matrix equation. I have also illustrated this method in a particular example. It is entirely possible that my various solution methodologies can be directly related. Although no analysis has yet been done further research into general reduction procedures would be certainly worthwhile. / For each class of controls a computer simulation was used to confirm the theoretical results. The simulation of the two dam system was extended to a system with many dams that is similar to the one proposed at Mawson Lakes. Future investigations include the development of mathematical models and theoretical solutions for the recently revised stormwater storage system at Mawson Lakes. / Thesis (PhDMathematics)--University of South Australia, 2004.

Thesis (Master of Engineering)--University of South Australia, 1991

This thesis describes two studies of the chemistry of freshwater streams in the Sydney basin. The first was a survey of 86 waterways, sampled under low conditions. Samples were generally low in salinity, soft, of poor buffering capacity and dominated by sodium and chloride. C0-dominance by calcium, magnesium and (bi)carbonate occured in a number of particular cases. Multivariate analyses indicated three groups, separated primarily by levels of dissolved nutrients, trace metals, turbidity and colour. Groupings were associated strongly with the type of catchment. Streams in areas relatively unaffected by human influence had notable uniformity in chemistry, while those from developed catchments were varied. Heavy metal contamination was relatavely low, although a few of the samples displayed inordinately large levels of one or more metals. In such cases the more extreme measurements of phosphorus and nitrogen were also seen. The findings were consistant with occasional or localised elevation of contaminant levels. The second study invloved monitoring of three Hawkesbury Sandstone streams. Sampling of surface waters, interstial waters and sediments was performing at irregular intervals over a two year period at three stations within each site. The streams predominantly existed under low conditions and showed similar major ion chemistries to the majority of the survey samples. Levels of calcium and total carbonate, plus heavy metals and nutrients were generally higher in the urbanised creeks, comapred to the reference strema. During a heavy storm, high levels of nutrients, suspended solids and colour were detected in all surface waters at peak-flow, as well as alkaline pH, oxidising redox, and reduced conductivity, alkalinity and hardness. The sandy sediments were characterised by very low levels of organic matter and cation exchange capacity. Sequential extractions identified that the sums of secondary phase lead, zinc and copper were over nine, four and two times that of the corresponding residual, respectively. Greatest proportions of zinc and lead were associated with coatings of iron and maganese oxides, or coarse waste particles. Copper was preferentially associated with organic matter. Concentration gradients between interstitial and surface waters were rare and release of sedimentary constituents should occur from the upper-most particulates. Poor water and sediment qualities were often observed in the urban sites. Poor water quality was also seen on occassion in the reference stream. However, since poor sediment quality was not detected at those times and interstitial waters for all sites displayed high within-site variability, surface waters were considered the most reliable short-term indicator of condition for Hawkesbury Sandstone streams. Multidimensional scaling showed that all streams had distinct water and sediment chemistries. High levels of temporal and spatial variability were apparant within the urbanised sites - particularly in interstitial waters - mostly due to concentrations of heavy metals, phosphorus and suspended solids. Seasonal differences were detected, but only in terms of the level of variability between summer and winter samples.

Urban stormwater runoff is recognised as a substantial source of heavy metal contamination, which adversely impacts on water quality of regional receiving waterways. Conventional treatment of urban runoff mostly involves a filtration system using sand to retain particulate matters. Sand provides limited sorption of dissolved metals and the inclusion of commercial sorbents to these treatment systems is not cost effective due to the concentration of dissolved metals in the runoff. Recycled organic materials are by-products or waste from industrial or agricultural operations, and could be alternative low cost sorbents for stormwater treatment systems. The use of recycled sorbents also provides added value to the waste materials and reduces landfill disposal. The research explores the application of compost, zeolite, ash, and recyclable waste in urban runoff treatment, especially for dissolved metal removal. The research combines the two aspects of experimental studies and management analysis to develop a holistic approach to heavy metal control in urban stormwater systems. Experimental results of batch sorption test show that compost is suitable for removing dissolve copper in stormwater treatment. The comparison of the different mixing ratios between compost and glass beads in column test evaluates the optimum mixing sorbent and performance over a long period for copper removal. Substance Flow Analysis (SFA) of copper has been performed in the Upper Parramatta River Catchment, Sydney to identify the sources of copper associated with runoff, effect of using waste material such as compost in urban stormwater treatment and the copper load in urban stormwater runoff. This case study shows the relationship between copper input, copper stock, sorbent type and urban stormwater quality control in the system boundary of the catchment. Different scenarios of source control are evaluated to control copper load from the different sources. Source control focusing on roads and vehicles is the most effective copper control strategy. The combination of source control and stormwater treatment reduces copper in stormwater and receiving water. The thesis applies the analysis from SFA and experimental results to derive both a regional system-wide solution with source control, and an improved design of stormwater treatment for heavy metal removal using recycled organics.

Sheep producers in Victoria are applying more phosphorus (P) fertiliser and increasing stocking rates to increase production. At the same time, there is increasing awareness amongst research, community and producer groups that P-rich runoff water from agricultural land can contribute to the growth of undesirable algal blooms in surface waters. The loads, concentrations and forms of P in surface and subsurface hydrological flow pathways were estimated or measured directly on high and low P fertility hill slope plots in south-west Victoria to assess how this practice change could affect the P status of runoff and drainage water. Small plot rainfall simulator studies were also conducted to investigate pasture management treatment effects. The spatial and temporal distribution of P loss from hillslope pastures, and the processes of P mobilisation in runoff identified in this study were used to identify appropriate management practises to help minimise P losses in runoff. Runoff P concentrations were then related to properties of pasture soils and runoff at a range of locations across Victoria to identify whether simple models and/or soil P tests could be used to predict P concentrations in runoff.

The requirements of ecological studies and water resource management plans are driving demand for hydrological models of the rivers of the arid zone. Knowledge of the hydrology of Australia’s arid zone is poor, yet is critical in understanding the ecology of the region. The research presented in this thesis seeks to address some shortcomings in our understanding of the hydrology of the Australian arid zone. In particular, the research examines the requirements for modelling the flow regime of arid zone rivers, concentrating on the rivers of the Lake Eyre Basin (LEB). The LEB has exceptionally low annual runoff of 3.5 mm, its major rivers develop over extremely low gradients and are characterised by very wide floodplains and complex anastomosing flow paths in their mid to lower reaches. This research was driven by both a practical and theoretical impetus. Practically, hydrological data were required at the water body scale for a large number of sites across three river systems of the LEB, for use in a study, known as ARIDFLO, of the ecological responses to hydrological conditions. Because of the remoteness of these sites and the paucity of gauging stations on these rivers, modelling of the rivers was the only method for delivering the required discharge data. Theoretically, the challenge was set for creating hydrological models for some extraordinarily complex river systems, in terms of their size, catchment characteristics and flow regime variability. (For complete abstract open document)

Agricultural runoff is a major non-point source of phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) in aquatic environments and often contributes to coastal eutrophication. Chemical extraction techniques that measure P and N in runoff and sediments have provided little information on biologically available P and N, particularly when soils/sediments move from an agricultural setting to freshwater, estuarine and marine systems. The aims of this thesis were to a) develop algal bioassay techniques for assessing bioavailability of P in marine and freshwater sediments, b) apply algal bioassays to determine the role of suspended sediments as P and N sources c) examine how sediment type and sediment load affect P bioavailability and identify the chemical analysis of soil P that best reflects bioavailable P, and d) determine nutrient bioavailability of agricultural soil runoff in estuarine and coastal marine ecosystems. An accurate and repeatable sediment bioassay was developed using non-axenic uni-algal cultures of the euryhaline diatom Skeletonema costatum and freshwater chlorophyte Selenastrum capricornutum. Bioassays were conducted in 250 mL Erlenmeyer flasks, with 100 mg L-1 of simulated sediment and 100 mL of modified growth media, which were continuously shaken. Suspended sediments were simulated from 7 major soil types of the Maroochy River catchment in Australia, a coastal catchment influenced by agriculture. Simulated sediments were used as the sole P source in replicate batch 7-14 d bioassays in which changes in in vivo Chl a fluorescence were measured. Maximum algal biomass in bioassays was significantly correlated to total sediment P content of the added sediment in marine and freshwater. Bioassay methodology was adapted to assess N as well as P bioavailability in simulated suspended sediments using Skeletonema costatum. S. costatum biomass was significantly influenced by sediment type and correlated with the Total P content of the sediment. Conversely, S. costatum response did not correlate to total nitrogen (TN), ammonium (NH4+), nitrate (NO3-) and easily mineralisable N content of the sediment. Sediment type did significantly influence response, suggesting that sorption/desorption properties of the sediment influenced N bioavailability. Suspended sediments appear to be a significant source of bioavailable P as S. costatum biomass was enhanced by their addition. Conversely, the lack of stimulation by sediments when used as a N source implies that suspended sediments are not an immediate source of bioavailable N, although they do contribute to the sediment nutrient pool once deposited. The influence of sediment type and sediment load on phosphorus (P) bioavailability was compared using Skeletonema costatum bioassays. The amount of sediment and associated P load influenced the maximum algal biomass reached, with low sediment loads (&lt 100 mg L-1) capable of stimulating high algal biomass. Maximum algal biomass correlated with sediment iron-oxide extractable inorganic P (FeO-P) and inorganic P (Pi) extracted by sodium bicarbonate for all sediment types. Total P (TP) did not discriminate at low TP concentrations and organic P (Po) extracted by sodium bicarbonate only correlated with algal biomass when bioavailable P was low. Thus FeO-P and Pi are the most representative analyses of bioavailable P. FeO-P can also be used to accurately measure rate of sediment P desorption, which significantly influences algal growth rate. Nutrient bioavailability of agricultural soil runoff was investigated in the Maroochy River catchment in southeast Queensland Australia, a coastal catchment influenced by agriculture. Suspended sediments, river and estuarine sediments and deposited sediment in the near-shore coastal zone were collected and analysed for nutrient bioavailability using chemical analyses and S. costatum bioassays. Suspended sediments in the Maroochy River, which consisted of silt and clay sized particles, had elevated FeO-P and TP concentrations comparable to fertilised soil. Similarly the deposited sediment sampled offshore to the river mouth had elevated total P, FeO-P and total N concentrations which were much greater than the underlying marine sediment. The deposited offshore sediment contained mainly silt sized particles and appeared to be terrigenous in origin as it was more similar in composition (TP, FeO-P, TN, total carbon, total aluminium, total iron, total silica) to estuarine suspended sediments and terrestrial soils, than the underlying marine sediment. This study demonstrated that fine silt sized particles, rich in bioavailable P and N, are being transported and deposited offshore during erosion events. These findings highlight the importance of effective land management and erosion control measures that reduce the suspended sediment load. Although agricultural practices are continually improving to reduce soil erosion, practices need to encompass a broader approach that emphasizes the link between land and sea. Effective management must consider agricultural productivity as well as the environmental impact or ‘algal bloom potential’ that a soil may have when eroded into a waterway. Soils high in bioavailable nutrients must be targeted and managed effectively, particularly in areas prone to erosion.

Thesis (M.S. - Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics)--University of Arizona. / Includes bibliographical references.