In search of effective bioassessment of urban stormwater pond sediments: enhancing the ‘sediment quality triad’ approach with oligochaete metrics

Stormwater ponds have been widely used to control increased volumes and rates of surface runoff resulting from urbanization. As receiving waters, they are under the influence of intermittent pollution from urban wet-weather discharges. Meanwhile they offer new aquatic habitats balancing the transformation of initial ecosystems and their associated biodiversity. Bioassessment of stormwater facilities is therefore crucial to insure the preservation and rehabilitation of biodiversity in urban areas. Nonetheless, the application of traditional bioassessment methodologies such as the sediment quality triad (SQT), based on the comparisons with reference sites, is challenged by the artificial and atypical features of urban stormwater ponds. Our concern in finding a more specific and effective bioassessment methodology led us to consider associating the Oligochaete Index Methodology (OIM) with the SQT. This study shows that although some adjustments were needed, the OIM brought new and complementary information to the SQT assessment on the effects of contaminants and on the biological quality status of the sediment in a test urban stormwater pond.

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Monitor-based evaluation of pollutant load from urban stormwater runoff in Beijing

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.2005.0317 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 52 (9) ◽

pp. 191-197 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Y. Liu ◽

W. Che ◽

J. Li

Keyword(s):

Point Source ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Stormwater Runoff ◽

Urban Runoff ◽

Scientific Basis ◽

Point Sources ◽

Urban Stormwater ◽

Pollutant Load ◽

Pollutant Loads ◽

Receiving Waters

As a major pollutant source to urban receiving waters, the non-point source pollution from urban runoff needs to be well studied and effectively controlled. Based on monitoring data from urban runoff pollutant sources, this article describes a systematic estimation of total pollutant loads from the urban areas of Beijing. A numerical model was developed to quantify main pollutant loads of urban runoff in Beijing. A sub-procedure is involved in this method, in which the flush process influences both the quantity and quality of stormwater runoff. A statistics-based method was applied in computing the annual pollutant load as an output of the runoff. The proportions of pollutant from point-source and non-point sources were compared. This provides a scientific basis for proper environmental input assessment of urban stormwater pollution to receiving waters, improvement of infrastructure performance, implementation of urban stormwater management, and utilization of stormwater.

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Estimating surface runoff and groundwater recharge in an urban catchment using a water balance approach

Hydrogeology Journal ◽

10.1007/s10040-021-02385-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 29 (7) ◽

pp. 2411-2428

Author(s):

Robin K. Weatherl ◽

Maria J. Henao Salgado ◽

Maximilian Ramgraber ◽

Christian Moeck ◽

Mario Schirmer

Keyword(s):

Soil Moisture ◽

Water Balance ◽

Groundwater Recharge ◽

Surface Runoff ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Water Cycle ◽

Land Use Changes ◽

Curve Number ◽

Hydrograph Separation ◽

Balance Approach

AbstractLand-use changes often have significant impact on the water cycle, including changing groundwater/surface-water interactions, modifying groundwater recharge zones, and increasing risk of contamination. Surface runoff in particular is significantly impacted by land cover. As surface runoff can act as a carrier for contaminants found at the surface, it is important to characterize runoff dynamics in anthropogenic environments. In this study, the relationship between surface runoff and groundwater recharge in urban areas is explored using a top-down water balance approach. Two empirical models were used to estimate runoff: (1) an updated, advanced method based on curve number, followed by (2) bivariate hydrograph separation. Modifications were added to each method in an attempt to better capture continuous soil-moisture processes and explicitly account for runoff from impervious surfaces. Differences between the resulting runoff estimates shed light on the complexity of the rainfall–runoff relationship, and highlight the importance of understanding soil-moisture dynamics and their control on hydro(geo)logical responses. These results were then used as input in a water balance to calculate groundwater recharge. Two approaches were used to assess the accuracy of these groundwater balance estimates: (1) comparison to calculations of groundwater recharge using the calibrated conceptual HBV Light model, and (2) comparison to groundwater recharge estimates from physically similar catchments in Switzerland that are found in the literature. In all cases, recharge is estimated at approximately 40–45% of annual precipitation. These conditions were found to closely echo those results from Swiss catchments of similar characteristics.

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Long-term effects of land use/land cover change on surface runoff in urban areas of Beijing, China

Journal of Applied Remote Sensing ◽

10.1117/1.jrs.8.084596 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 084596 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Zhongchang Sun ◽

Xinwu Li ◽

Wenxue Fu ◽

Yingkui Li ◽

Dongsheng Tang

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Land Cover ◽

Land Cover Change ◽

Surface Runoff ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Land Use Land Cover ◽

Long Term Effects ◽

Effects Of Land Use ◽

Beijing China

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Urban Ecological Restoration

Nature and Culture ◽

10.3167/nc.2010.050301 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 5 (3) ◽

pp. 227-230 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Paul H. Gobster

Keyword(s):

Ecological Restoration ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Indigenous Species ◽

Reference Sites ◽

Urban Context ◽

Ecological Processes ◽

Fixed Set ◽

Natural Diversity ◽

Urban Ecological Restoration

What does ecological restoration mean in an urban context? More than half of the world’s population now lives in cities, and in response to the dynamic patterns of urbanization, a growing number of ecologists, land managers, and volunteers are focusing their efforts in and around cities to restore remnants of natural diversity (Ingram 2008). Ecological restoration is still a quite youthful field, yet many scientists and practitioners hold a relatively fixed set of criteria for what defines a successful restoration project, irrespective of where sites are located. Among the criteria commonly stated, sites should be composed of indigenous species, have a structure and diversity characteristic of currently undisturbed or historically documented “reference” sites, and be maintained through ecological processes such as fire that ensure long-term sustainability with minimal human assistance (Ruiz-Jaén and Aide 2005; SER International 2004). Application of these criteria has led to many ecologically successful restorations, but some ecologists in the field have begun to question whether the same standards can be realistically applied to sites such as those within urban areas that have been radically altered by past human activity (e.g., Martínez and López-Barerra 2008) or are being influenced by novel conditions that result in unpredictable trajectories (Choi 2007). Perhaps more significantly, it is becoming increasingly recognized that the broader viability of restoration projects, especially those in urban areas, hinges on how socially successful they are in gaining public acceptance for restoration activities and practices, building constituencies to assist with implementation and maintenance, and addressing a broader set of sustainability goals that reach beyond the protection of native biodiversity (e.g., Choi et al. 2008; Hobbs 2007; Rosenzweig 2003).

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M-Triad: An improvement of the sediment quality triad

The Science of The Total Environment ◽

10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145245 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 770 ◽

pp. 145245

Author(s):

Marina Ferrel Fonseca ◽

Fabio Cop Ferreira ◽

Rodrigo Brasil Choueri ◽

Gustavo Fonseca

Keyword(s):

Sediment Quality ◽

Sediment Quality Triad

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Lightweight aggregates to reduce heavy metal pollution in green infrastructure for urban stormwater management

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-7915 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Concepcion Pla ◽

Javier Valdes-Abellan ◽

Miguel Angel Pardo ◽

Maria Jose Moya-Llamas ◽

David Benavente

Keyword(s):

Heavy Metals ◽

Heavy Metal ◽

Green Infrastructure ◽

Metal Pollution ◽

Heavy Metal Pollution ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Stormwater Management ◽

Lightweight Aggregates ◽

Urban Stormwater ◽

Runoff Water

The impervious nature of urban areas is mostly responsible for urban flooding, runoff water pollution and the interception of groundwater recharge. Green infrastructure and sustainable urban drainage systems combine natural and artificial measures to mitigate the abovementioned problems, improving stormwater management and simultaneously increasing the environmental values of urban areas. The actual rate of urban growth in many urban areas requires the enhancement and optimization of stormwater management infrastructures to integrate the territorial development with the natural processes. Regarding the quality of runoff stormwater, heavy metals are critical for their impact on human health and ecological systems, even more if we consider the cumulative effect that they produce on biota. Thus, innovative stormwater management approaches must consider new solutions to deal with heavy metal pollution problems caused by runoff. In this study, we propose the employment of Arlita&#174; and Filtralite&#174;, two kind of lightweight aggregates obtained from expanded clays, to remove heavy metal concentration from runoff stormwater. Laboratory experiments were developed to evaluate the removal rate of different heavy metals existent in runoff stormwater. The lightweight aggregates acted as filter materials in column experiments to quantify their removal capacity. In addition, batch tests were also developed to evaluate the exhaustive capacity of the materials. Results from the study confirmed the efficiency of the selected lightweight aggregates to reduce the heavy metals concentration by up to 90% in urban stormwater runoff.

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Development and Survivorship of Northern Leopard Frogs (Rana pipiens) and Green Frogs (Rana clamitans) Exposed to Contaminants in the Water and Sediments of the St. Lawrence River near Cornwall, Ontario

Water Quality Research Journal ◽

10.2166/wqrj.2004.025 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 39 (3) ◽

pp. 160-174 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Tana V. McDaniel ◽

Megan L. Harris ◽

Christine A. Bishop ◽

John Struger

Keyword(s):

Rana Pipiens ◽

Early Stage ◽

Sediment Quality ◽

Leopard Frog ◽

Reference Sites ◽

Aquatic Life ◽

Leopard Frogs ◽

Water And Sediment ◽

Northern Leopard Frogs ◽

St Lawrence River

Abstract High levels of contamination in the aquatic environment and wildlife within the Ontario portion of the St. Lawrence River at the Cornwall Area of Concern (AOC) have raised questions about potential impacts on wildlife health. Northern leopard frog embryos were raised in two wetland sites within the AOC and at two reference sites to assess differences in water and sediment quality on survivorship and deformity rates. Chlorinated hydrocarbons (total polychlorinated biphenyls, organochlorine pesticides), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, nutrients and heavy metals were measured in sediment and/or water from the study sites. Levels of some metals such as aluminium, cadmium, chromium and copper, exceeded federal and provincial guidelines for the protection of aquatic life, especially in the two AOC wetlands. Early stage tadpole survivorship was significantly lower and deformity frequency significantly higher at wetlands within the AOC; however, differences were likely not biologically significant. Survivorship and deformity rates of leopard frogs (Rana pipiens) at metamorphosis did not differ significantly among sites. Onset of metamorphosis was accelerated in tadpoles raised in wetlands within the AOC. Tadpoles raised in wetlands within the St. Lawrence River AOC took significantly less time to complete metamorphosis (53–55 days) than did tadpoles raised at reference sites (61–64 days). The phenology of metamorphosis was also more synchronous in tadpoles raised in the AOC, with all tadpoles reaching metamorphosis within a space of 3 to 7 days, as compared to 9 to 12 days at reference wetlands; these differences could not be accounted for by water temperature. Differences in development and survivorship rates between AOC and reference sites may be related to contaminant concentrations in water and sediment. However, no strong evidence for beneficial use impairment in terms of reproductive impairments or elevated deformity rates were seen from caged leopard frogs in the two AOC wetlands.

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Evaluation of Infiltration Rainwater Drainage (IRD) System with Fully 3-D Numerical Simulation Approach

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app11199144 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (19) ◽

pp. 9144

Author(s):

Jungkyu Ahn ◽

Seongil Yeom ◽

Sungwon Park ◽

Thi Hoang Thao Nguyen

Keyword(s):

Water Scarcity ◽

Surface Runoff ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Model Simulation ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Lag Time ◽

Prototype Model ◽

Scaled Model ◽

Runoff Decrease ◽

Peak Runoff

Water scarcity can mean scarcity in availability due to physical shortage, or scarcity in access due to the failure of institutions to ensure a continuously regular supply or due to a lack of adequate infrastructure. Water scarcity will be exacerbated as rapidly growing urban areas place heavy pressure on water resources. To solve these problems, various solutions have been applied, but a fundamental solution has not been applied. Recently, a researched and developed infiltration rainwater drainage (IRD) system is being applied with consideration of its applicability. In this study, features of surface runoff and infiltration according to various flow patterns were analyzed using a three-dimensional CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) model for calculating water flow in the IRD system. To estimate the optimal setup, a permeability test and scaled model simulation were performed. The runoff characteristics of the IRD system with respect to rainfall intensity and duration were analyzed with dimensionless variables. With the prototype model, the drainage characteristics of the IRD system were analyzed over time using the hydrological curves. From the simulated results, it was found that the IRD system analyzed in this study was appropriate in the field by comparative analysis with the existing system based on peak runoff, internal storage, and lag time. Therefore, by applying the IRD system in the future, it is expected that the IRD has benefits, such as delayed lag time, surface runoff decrease, and an attenuation of the peak runoff.

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