Urban Water Quality Issues

Urban Water Quality Issues July 17th, 2008 Greensboro, North Carolina NACAA Annual Meeting & Professional Improvement Conference

Development Patterns

Ultra Urban Environment

Increasing:

impervious areas

land value

Decreasing

land availability

Increasing Need for:

Space Efficient Best Management Practices

Typical Urban Non-Point Source Pollutant Loading

Typical Urban Non-Point Source Pollutant Loading Algae bloom; York River, 9/9/05 Courtesy Bill Portlock, Chesapeake Bay Foundation

Why is it that this particular design does not have to follow the fundamental unit processes of water quality?

Physics of Settling – Stokes Law Henry Darcy 1803 - 1858 Media Filtration – Darcy’s Law

BMP Evaluation In the Lab; or in the Field?

Lesson 1: Clearly Defined Project Goals

Quality Assurance Project Plan

Conditions and Definitions

Treatment Objective

Performance Goals

Project Description

Quality Assurance Plan

Treatment Objectives and Performance Goals

Particle Size

Treatment Objectives and Performance Goals

Lesson 2: Sample Collection Grab samples Flow-paced auto samples

One Grab = One Snapshot Multiple Grabs =Multiple Snapshots

Lesson 3: Site Selection - Location Currituck Gas House Barco, NC

Lesson 3: Site Selection - Simplicity Trench Drain from up-hill side of pumps Trench Drain on down-hill side of Oil-Water separator Canopy drain StormFilter Vault Bypass/Diversion manhole Outlet junction manhole

1 pipe in and 1 pipe out!

Simple is better!

Eliminate Variables and External Influences (MEP) Lesson: All fuel islands should have an Oil/Water Separator

Lesson 4: Learn the 1 st Law of Monitoring:

What Can Go Wrong, Will Go Wrong!

Once upon a time, there was this site . . .

10/02 System Maintenance

10/02 Remote automated sampling equipment Installed

11/02 Remote automated sampling equipment disabled by insect infestation

Corrective Action Taken

As Luck Would Have It (or not):

1-2/03 Storm Capture

5/03 Phone Line Disabled by Lightning

6/03 Automated Sampling Equipment Fried by Lightning

But then . . .

9/03 New Automated Sampling Equipment Installed

9/03 System Outfall Area Impacted by Adjacent Construction Activities and Heavy Storms

Hurricane Isabel

2/04 Outfall Area Restored

Before After

The Saga Continues:

3/04 Storm Capture

8-9/04 Phone lines and Automated Sampling Equipment Disabled by Lightning (again); AND

Alex, Bonnie, & Earl – 8-9/04

We Are Committed!

6/05 Resume Monitoring

No Matter What . . .

9/05 Rodents

Corrective Action Taken AND THEN:

We Survived Hurricane Season ‘05

Happily Ever After

8/06 Project Completed!

Lesson 5: Predict the Weather and Act Fast

We Got Better! 10% Early 2000’s success rate – Captures vs. Atts. 35 Qualified Storm Events - (meet DQO of >0.1 in. and >72 hr. antecedent conditions); hindsight 29% Successful Captures (10) vs. Opportunities (35) 43% Successful Captures (10) vs. Attempts (23) 23 Attempts to capture storm samples 68 Days with measurable precipitation

Key Elements to a Successful Field Monitoring Project

Clearly defined

Project Goals

Data Quality Objectives

Methods

Appropriate Site Selection

Dedicated Project Team

Adaptive management in action From: Restoration of Puget Sound Rivers Ralph and Poole, 2003 As Conceived in Consensus Building Process As Designed in Consensus Building Process

As generally implemented Adaptive management in pieces

Experimentation in the Urban Environment We’re running out of experimental opportunities!