scholarly journals Urban Drool Water Quality in Denver, Colorado: Pollutant Occurrences and Sources in Dry-Weather Flows

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (23) ◽  
pp. 3436
Author(s):  
Forrest Gage Pilone ◽  
Pablo A. Garcia-Chevesich ◽  
John E. McCray

Dry-weather flows in urban channels and streams, often termed “urban drool”, represent an important source of urban surface water impairment, particularly in semi-arid environments. Urban drool is a combination of year-round flows in urban channels, natural streams, and storm-sewer systems (runoff from irrigation return flow, car washes, street cleaning, leakage of groundwater or wastewater into streams or storm sewers, etc.). The purpose of this study was to better understand the extent and sources of urban drool pollution in Denver, Colorado by identifying relationships between urban catchment characteristics and pollutants. Water-quality samples were taken throughout Denver at urban drainage points that were representative of a variety of urban characteristics. Samples were analyzed for total suspended solids (TSS), coliforms, Escherichia Coli (E. coli), nutrients (nitrate, phosphorus, and potassium), dissolved and total organic carbon, and dissolved and total recoverable metals. Results from this study were as follows: (1) most contaminants (nitrate, phosphorus, arsenic, iron, manganese, nickel, selenium, and zinc) were concluded to be primarily loaded from shallow groundwater; (2) anthropogenic effects likely exacerbated groundwater pollutant concentrations and contributions to surface water; (3) nitrate, nickel, and manganese may be partially contributed by industrial inputs; (4) medical marijuana cultivation sites were identified as a potential source of nutrient and zinc pollution; (5) E. coli was a ubiquitous contaminant in all urban waterways; (6) erosion of contaminated urban soils, presumably from construction, was found to significantly increase concentrations of TSS, total phosphorus, and total metals. Increasing urbanization and predicted drier climates suggest that dry-weather flows will become more important to manage; the results from this study provide insight on dry-weather water quality management for the City and County of Denver.

1996 ◽  
Vol 34 (12) ◽  
pp. 25-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret A. House

The visual and odorous characteristics of the environment tend to be those which have the greatest impact upon the public's assessment of environmental quality. In many cases the public's perception of water quality may be based entirely on these aesthetic aspects of a water environment. Those responsible for the management of surface water quality recognise the need to apply a range of management strategies including a consideration of the public's perception of water quality and the impact of this upon their use of rivers and beaches for recreation and amenity. This paper reports upon the results from a recent investigation into the impact of sewage derived litter on perceived water and environmental quality.


2014 ◽  
Vol 80 (16) ◽  
pp. 4814-4820 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa A. Jones ◽  
Randy W. Worobo ◽  
Christine D. Smart

ABSTRACTIn the United States, surface water is commonly used to irrigate a variety of produce crops and can harbor pathogens responsible for food-borne illnesses and plant diseases. Understanding when pathogens infest water sources is valuable information for produce growers to improve the food safety and production of these crops. In this study, prevalence data along with regression tree analyses were used to correlate water quality parameters (pH, temperature, turbidity), irrigation site properties (source, the presence of livestock or fowl nearby), and precipitation data to the presence and concentrations ofEscherichia coli,Salmonellaspp., and hymexazol-insensitive (HIS) oomycetes (PhytophthoraandPythiumspp.) in New York State surface waters. A total of 123 samples from 18 sites across New York State were tested forE. coliandSalmonellaspp., of which 33% and 43% were positive, respectively. Additionally, 210 samples from 38 sites were tested for HIS oomycetes, and 88% were found to be positive, with 10 species ofPhytophthoraand 11 species ofPythiumbeing identified from the samples. Regression analysis found no strong correlations between water quality parameters, site factors, or precipitation to the presence or concentration ofE. coliin irrigation sources. ForSalmonella, precipitation (≤0.64 cm) 3 days before sampling was correlated to both presence and the highest counts. Analyses for oomycetes found creeks to have higher average counts than ponds, and higher turbidity levels were associated with higher oomycete counts. Overall, information gathered from this study can be used to better understand the food safety and plant pathogen risks of using surface water for irrigation.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. M. Majedul Islam ◽  
Md. Atikul Islam

Abstract Faecal contamination of surface water sources is an important water quality issue worldwide. Although quite a few studies exist on surface water faecal contamination and variability of indicator bacteria, most of the studies have been based on larger river basins and in temperate region. The variability is relatively unknown in local scale and in tropical developing countries. In this study we assess how anthropogenic and environmental factors affect faecal contamination and physicochemical parameters in Rupsha and Bhairab rivers around Khulna city, Bangladesh. Water samples were collected from six locations of the rivers during a wet and dry period in 2018 to measure Escherichia coli (E. coli) concentrations. Water physicochemical parameters—temperature, turbidity, pH, dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand and chemical oxygen demand were also measured. Higher concentrations of E. coli were found in the sampling sites located near the densely populated urban area compared to the downstream site, which receives fewer amounts of discharges from sewer drains. All the E. coli samples violated bathing water quality standards. E. coli concentrations were found to be correlated positively with precipitation and turbidity. A linear regression model was applied, that explains large part of the variation in E. coli concentration (R2 = 0.42). Water quality index assessment was also ranked the water quality as ‘poor’ category; indicate that the water is unsuitable for uses in domestic and recreational purposes and high health risks involved with the water use. The study findings highlight the problem of untreated sewage discharge into the rivers. Implementation of sewage treatment plant with adequate capacity is highly recommended.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dasapta Erwin Irawan ◽  
Endah Sulistyawati ◽  
Alecia Artita Midori ◽  
Budi Faisal ◽  
Achmad Darul ◽  
...  

This preprint is submitted to the JCC Universitas Negeri Semarang 2017---In most Asia countries, the riverbank area are mostly inhabited by the low-income population, due to the shortage of formal housing. Most of the settlement areas are not equipped with proper sanitation system. Hence, the water quality gets lower overtime with the increasing number of inhabitants around the riverbank. This gets worse with the close hydrological connection between surface water and the shallow groundwater. We compare the state of water quality based on our three case studies: Cikapundung Bandung, Kanal Banjir Timur Semarang, and Cisadane Tangerang. In each location, we gathered the following data: water level measurements, water flow mapping, and water quality samples. Then we make maps to evaluate existing status. The comparison will be done based on the physical and chemical properties that we get from the field. On all locations, we find a very close interactions between surface water and groundwater. The hydrological connections are different in direction from upstream to downstream: gaining stream, combined stream or perched stream, and losing stream. However different river gradient gives a slightly different length of hydrological zonations. All samples show a high bicarbonate from rain water, the dissolution of carbonate minerals from the rocks and soils, and also organic species from microbial activities, which induced by domestic wastes. However we need to make a carbonate balance calculation to breakdown the components. All samples also have high nitrate and nitrite concentration which come from domestic waste along the river and fertilizer from the rice fields upstream (only in Cikapundung river). For further research, we suggest chemical modeling to break up the contamination components and possible sources.


Author(s):  
Tampo Lallébila ◽  
Alfa-Sika Mande Seyf-Laye ◽  
Adekanmbi Abimbola Olumide ◽  
Boguido Goumpoukini ◽  
Akpataku Kossitse Venyo ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Katarzyna Puczko ◽  
Elżbieta Jekatierynczuk-Rudczyk

AbstractThis paper presents an object-oriented approach for analysing and characterising the urban landscape structure and its influence on the quality of surface waters and shallow groundwater. We investigated springs, streams and ponds from an urban area. The land cover classification was adopted with the conceptual framework of urban land cover (HERCULES model). This study has demonstrated that water quality in the urban area is strongly related to land cover, and the degree of its transformation is not the same in all types of waters. The land with forests and shrubs does not have many extreme values in water chemical characteristics. Statistical analyses indicated that the main environmental factors influencing water chemistry are impermeable surfaces such as buildings. They are an essential element which deteriorates water quality. The patches with buildings and pavements were characterised by a wide gradient of nutrient concentration in rivers and ponds. Shallow groundwater had a limited effect on surface water quality.


Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 336
Author(s):  
Nguyen Thanh Giao ◽  
Phan Kim Anh ◽  
Huynh Thi Hong Nhien

The study was conducted to spatiotemporally analyze the quality, location and critical water variables influencing water quality using water monitoring data from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Dong Thap province in 2019. The water quality parameters including turbidity, pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen (DO), total suspended solids (TSS), biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), nitrite (N-NO2−), nitrate (N-NO3−), ammonium (N-NH4+), total nitrogen (TN), orthophosphate (P-PO43−), chloride (Cl−), oil and grease, sulfate (SO42−), coliforms, and Escherichia coli (E. coli) were collected at 58 locations with the frequency of four times per year (February, May, August, and November). These parameters were compared with national technical regulation on surface water quality—QCVN 08-MT: 2015/BTNMT. Water quality index (WQI) was calculated and spatially presented by geographical information system (GIS) tool. Pearson correlation analysis, cluster analysis (CA), and principal component analysis (PCA) were used to evaluate the correlation among water quality parameters, group and reduce the sampling sites, and identify key parameters and potential water pollution sources. The results showed that TSS, BOD, COD, N-NH4+, P-PO43−, coliforms, and E. coli were the significant concerns impairing the water quality. Water quality was assessed from poor to medium levels by WQI analysis. CA suggested that the current monitoring locations could be reduced from 58 sites to 43 sites which can be saved the total monitoring budget up to 25.85%. PCA showed that temperature, pH, TSS, DO, BOD, COD, N-NH4+, N-NO2−, TN, P-PO43−, coliforms, and E. coli were the key water parameters influencing water quality in Dong Thap province’s canals and rivers; thus, these parameters should be monitored annually. The water pollution sources were possibly hydrological conditions, water runoff, riverbank erosion, domestic and urban activities, and industrial and agricultural discharges. Significantly, the municipal and agricultural wastes could be decisive factors to the change of surface water quality in the study area. Further studies need to focus on identifying sources of water pollution for implementing appropriate water management strategies.


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