Water quality monitoring network to assess downstream efficacy of green infrastructure and provenance of non-point source pollutants

The research team proposes to establish a water quantity and water quality monitoring network that can be leveraged to evaluate the efficacy of green infrastructure to reduce runoff volumes and identify the provenance of non-point source pollutants in downstream water bodies. In urban settings, rivers and streams are frequently afflicted by the so-called “urban stream syndrome,” which results from hydraulic alteration of stream channels, increased runoff from impervious areas, non-point source pollution, and modification to the lateral connectivity of the stream to its hillslopes. Urban streams are frequently classified as “flashy,” meaning that transport of water, sediment, other non-point source pollutants occur in brief, yet powerful pulses. This results in a stream system that simultaneously delivers increased discharge and non-point source pollutants during storms, but rapidly dries during recession periods. This has implications for both freshwater ecosystems and water-related infrastructure. One approach to combat the urban stream syndrome includes the application of green infrastructure in disturbed landscapes and investigation of the provenance of non-point source pollutants. To evaluate the performance of green infrastructure, extensive in situ monitoring equipment is commonly used on site. While such monitoring indicates that green infrastructure indeed improves on-site water quantity and water quality, a pressing need exists to evaluate the efficacy of green infrastructure to mediate water quantity (including streamflow permanence) and water quality in downstream waterways. Furthermore, the extent to which the effects of green infrastructure perpetuate to downstream water bodies is currently unknown. The team proposes to establish a water quality and water quantity monitoring network to evaluate the downstream impacts of green infrastructure on water bodies and identify the provenance of non-point source pollutants. The monitoring network will consist of state-of-the-art, multi-parameter water quality and water quantity platforms. Parameters monitored at the platforms will include discharge, pH, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, temperature, turbidity, NO3-, and streamflow presence/absence. Readings will be recorded every 15-minutes. The Middle Fork of Beargrass Creek, located within Louisville, KY, will be the testbed to evaluate downstream impacts of green infrastructure. 84% of the Middle Fork of Beargrass Creek is classified as “developed”, and a federal consent decree to reduce combined sewer overflows in Beargrass Creek is currently enacted.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $167035
• Contract Numbers:

  69A3552348335

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Managing Organizations:

  Environmentally Responsible Transportation Center for Communities of Concern

  University of Missouri Kansas City
  Kansas City, Missouri  United States  64110
• Project Managers:

  Kline, Robin

• Performing Organizations:

  University of Louisville

  Department of Civil Engineering
  Louisville, KY  United States  40292
• Principal Investigators:

  Mahoney, Tyler

• Start Date: 20230601
• Expected Completion Date: 20240531
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers Program

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Environmental monitoring; Pollutants; Runoff; Streamflow; Sustainable development; Water quality management
• Geographic Terms: Louisville (Kentucky)
• Subject Areas: Environment; Hydraulics and Hydrology; Transportation (General);

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01895595
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Environmentally Responsible Transportation Center for Communities of Concern
• Contract Numbers: 69A3552348335
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Oct 6 2023 7:11PM