Download or read book Process Framework for Identifying and Prioritizing Water Quality Improvement for Meeting TMDLs in Texas written by Samantha L. Hon and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 426 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Process Framework for Identifying and Prioritizing Water Quality Improvement for Meetings TMDLs in Texas written by Samatha Lye-ming Hon and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 213 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Process Framework for Identifying and Prioritizing Water Quality Improvement for Meeting TMDLs in Texas written by Samantha L. Hon and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 250 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Pollutant Load Reductions for Total Maximum Daily Loads for Highways written by Shahid A. Abbasi and published by Transportation Research Board. This book was released on 2013 with total page 71 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The intent of this synthesis is to collect information on the types of best management practices (BMPs) currently being used by state departments of transportation (DOTs) for meeting total maximum daily load (TMDL) water quality goals for stormwater runoff. The study approach includes two major components: interviews with 12 state DOTs to identify the existing state of the practice as it relates to TMDL implementation, and a review of selected literature sources based on the criteria of highways, TMDLs, BMP performance, and BMP cost to stay consistent with the goals of this synthesis. In particular, detailed quantitative BMP performance and cost data, including life-cycle costs, are presented, which builds significantly on previous studies of this nature. The impetus for this study was to help fill in a significant information gap on what types of BMPs are cost-effective for specific use in linear highway applications for TMDL implementation purposes. Even with the advent of new low-impact development/green infrastructure practices, there remain a lack of effective BMP technologies and nonstructural controls (e.g., source control and water quality credit trading) for DOTs to implement for National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit compliance. This problem will only grow larger as new TMDLs are continually being developed, and many DOTs are unprepared both technically and economically to cope with the additional requirements (some states already have 60+ TMDLs in which they are a named stakeholder). In an effort to help state DOTs with TMDL implementation, a simple user-friendly BMP matrix/toolbox with quantitative performance and, where available, life-cycle cost data for various structural and nonstructural BMPs is presented. Some of the more common TMDL pollutants of concern (sediment, nutrients, fecal coliform, and metals) are focused to maximize applicability for state DOTs. The performance and cost data were derived from numerous literature sources including the International Stormwater BMP Database, which currently consists of more than 400 studies. This study is designed to help promote information exchange and technology transfer among DOTs for the mutual benefit of all highway managers faced with TMDL implementation. Conclusions from this synthesis are briefly highlighted here by general topic area, with more details provided in chapters four and five. Performance for structural BMPs varied by pollutant and BMP type; however, certain trends did emerge from the literature review. In general, total suspended solids (TSS) appear to be relatively easy to treat with a broad range of BMPs, including infiltration basins, sand filters, and bioretention. Nutrients (especially total nitrogen) can be more challenging to remove; nonetheless, some BMPs (e.g., Austin sand filters for total nitrogen and infiltration basins for total phosphorus) showed some promise. Fecal coliform data were limited; however, several BMPs were documented as being effective, including infiltration basins, and infiltration trenches, among others. Additional BMP performance data from the International Stormwater BMP Database support the view that media filters and retention ponds are consistently effective for a wide variety of TMDL pollutants, including TSS, nutrients, fecal coliform, and total metals. This conclusion is based on statistics that show that median concentrations of these pollutants were statistically lower in effluent concentrations compared with influent concentrations based on a large number of studies from around the country (although not all highway related). Overall, while these BMPs may be generally effective across a range of environmental conditions, obtaining local site-specific BMP monitoring data would be preferable for developing individual state DOT TMDL programs. Performance data are also presented for nonstructural practices such as street sweeping, catch basin cleaning, and tree planting. Quantitative performance data are generally lacking in the literature for these types of BMPs. The limited information found suggests that street sweeping and catch basin cleaning may potentially be effective strategies for reducing TSS, nutrients, and metals provided they are performed frequently enough and the right technology is used (in the case of sweeping). Tree planting and stream restoration were documented as having some water quality benefits for nutrients. Notably, anti-icing management has been successfully demonstrated in New Hampshire, where a 20% reduction in chlorides was achieved by upgrading the technology on snow plows in response to a chloride TMDL. In addition to performance, life-cycle cost data are presented where available. However, the cost information could not be adequately synthesized owing to differences in cost estimating approaches, reporting units, variability in costs among states and regions, and inconsistencies in BMP naming conventions. This also prevented a true cost-benefit analysis. However, numerous sources of life-cycle cost data, as well as sources for individual cost elements such as design, construction, and operation and maintenance, are provided where the interested reader may obtain more detailed information. Given the differences in cost from one region to another, the reader is encouraged to obtain cost data that are most relevant to their state. Hyperlinks are provided in the BMP matrix/toolbox where one may access examples of reports with detailed life-cycle cost data, and numerous additional cost sources are cited throughout the section on Highway Best Management Practices in chapter three. There appear to be several common elements to developing an effective TMDL implementation program, all of which have the potential to benefit DOTs by helping them receive a more equitable waste load allocation and developing a more manageable TMDL program. The key elements are listed here (although not all may apply to every DOT): Increase awareness and training within the DOT on TMDL issues, especially in cases where the DOT is named a stakeholder in only a few TMDLs (or none). Develop off-site watershed partnerships and collaborate with other stakeholders to ensure cost-effective approaches based on economies of scale and to promote information sharing and technology transfer among stakeholders. Collaborate with the state regulatory agency during the TMDL development process, especially early in the process. Estimate pollutant loads generated within the DOT right-of-way (either through water quality monitoring or modeling) and predict potential load reductions from various BMP implementation scenarios. Although some DOTs had relatively successful TMDL programs, others clearly faced a number of challenges. The primary challenges were limited financial resources, a lack of effective BMP technologies for linear highway applications, and difficulties in navigating complex regulatory environments where TMDL-related requirements were either inconsistently enforced or restricted the flexibility of the DOT in implementing BMPs of their choice. Further research is suggested on the following topics: long-term adverse environmental and cultural aspects of BMP implementation; new and innovative BMP technologies suitable for the highway environment; more studies on BMP longevity, life-cycle costs, and maintenance costs and standards; and alternative and creative solutions to addressing emerging TMDLs for less traditional pollutants such as biological integrity, sediment toxicity, and organic compounds (e.g., vehicle source control, water quality trading)"--Pages 1-2.

Download or read book Guidelines for Evaluating and Selecting Modifications to Existing Roadway Drainage Infrastructure to Improve Water Quality in Ultra urban Areas written by and published by Transportation Research Board. This book was released on 2012 with total page 178 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: At head of title: National Cooperative Highway Research Program.

Download or read book Assessing the TMDL Approach to Water Quality Management written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2001-08-24 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over the last 30 years, water quality management in the United States has been driven by the control of point sources of pollution and the use of effluent-based water quality standards. Under this paradigm, the quality of the nation's lakes, rivers, reservoirs, groundwater, and coastal waters has generally improved as wastewater treatment plants and industrial dischargers (point sources) have responded to regulations promulgated under authority of the 1972 Clean Water Act. These regulations have required dischargers to comply with effluent-based standards for criteria pollutants, as specified in National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits issued by the states and approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Although successful, the NPDES program has not achieved the nation's water quality goals of "fishable and swimmable" waters largely because discharges from other unregulated nonpoint sources of pollution have not been as successfully controlled. Today, pollutants such as nutrients and sediment, which are often associated with nonpoint sources and were not considered criteria pollutants in the Clean Water Act, are jeopardizing water quality, as are habitat destruction, changes in flow regimes, and introduction of exotic species. This array of challenges has shifted the focus of water quality management from effluent-based to ambient- based water quality standards. Given the most recent lists of impaired waters submitted to EPA, there are about 21,000 polluted river segments, lakes, and estuaries making up over 300,000 river and shore miles and 5 million lake acres. The number of TMDLs required for these impaired waters is greater than 40,000. Under the 1992 EPA guidance or the terms of lawsuit settlements, most states are required to meet an 8- to 13-year deadline for completion of TMDLs. Budget requirements for the program are staggering as well, with most states claiming that they do not have the personnel and financial resources necessary to assess the condition of their waters, to list waters on 303d, and to develop TMDLs. A March 2000 report of the General Accounting Office (GAO) highlighted the pervasive lack of data at the state level available to set water quality standards, to determine what waters are impaired, and to develop TMDLs. This report represents the consensus opinion of the eight-member NRC committee assembled to complete this task. The committee met three times during a three-month period and heard the testimony of over 40 interested organizations and stakeholder groups. The NRC committee feels that the data and science have progressed sufficiently over the past 35 years to support the nation's return to ambient-based water quality management. Given reasonable expectations for data availability and the inevitable limits on our conceptual understanding of complex systems, statements about the science behind water quality management must be made with acknowledgment of uncertainties. This report explains that there are creative ways to accommodate this uncertainty while moving forward in addressing the nation's water quality challenges.

Download or read book Guidance for Water Quality based Decisions written by and published by . This book was released on 1991 with total page 72 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Future of the TMDL Program written by United States. Congress. House. Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 44 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Navigating the TMDL Process written by Paul L. Freedman and published by IWA Publishing. This book was released on 2003-12-01 with total page 116 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Narrative water quality criteria are an integral component of States water quality standards but they pose special problems when incorporated into the TMDL process. The TMDL process is typically a quantitative activity, defining numeric allowable loads necessary to meet a numeric water quality objective. Narrative criteria confound development of quantitative TMDLs, due to the absence of these numeric criteria. The objective of this research was to improve the methods for addressing narrative water quality criteria in the TMDL process. The problems associated with narrative criteria in the TMDL process are known in general terms but, prior to this research, there has not been a thorough review of the use of narrative criteria in TMDLs nor broad guidance on how to address narrative criteria in the TMDL process. The approach taken for this research was to define the range of problems associated with all types of narrative criteria by means of a comprehensive review of 120 narrative TMDLs, and provide guiding principles to help address these problems.

Download or read book Assessing the TMDL Approach to Water Quality Management written by Committee to Assess the Scientific Basis of the Total Maximum Daily Load Approach to Water Pollution Reduction and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2001-08-07 with total page 99 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over the last 30 years, water quality management in the United States has been driven by the control of point sources of pollution and the use of effluent-based water quality standards. Under this paradigm, the quality of the nation's lakes, rivers, reservoirs, groundwater, and coastal waters has generally improved as wastewater treatment plants and industrial dischargers (point sources) have responded to regulations promulgated under authority of the 1972 Clean Water Act. These regulations have required dischargers to comply with effluent-based standards for criteria pollutants, as specified in National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits issued by the states and approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Although successful, the NPDES program has not achieved the nation's water quality goals of "fishable and swimmable" waters largely because discharges from other unregulated nonpoint sources of pollution have not been as successfully controlled. Today, pollutants such as nutrients and sediment, which are often associated with nonpoint sources and were not considered criteria pollutants in the Clean Water Act, are jeopardizing water quality, as are habitat destruction, changes in flow regimes, and introduction of exotic species. This array of challenges has shifted the focus of water quality management from effluent-based to ambient- based water quality standards. Given the most recent lists of impaired waters submitted to EPA, there are about 21,000 polluted river segments, lakes, and estuaries making up over 300,000 river and shore miles and 5 million lake acres. The number of TMDLs required for these impaired waters is greater than 40,000. Under the 1992 EPA guidance or the terms of lawsuit settlements, most states are required to meet an 8- to 13-year deadline for completion of TMDLs. Budget requirements for the program are staggering as well, with most states claiming that they do not have the personnel and financial resources necessary to assess the condition of their waters, to list waters on 303d, and to develop TMDLs. A March 2000 report of the General Accounting Office (GAO) highlighted the pervasive lack of data at the state level available to set water quality standards, to determine what waters are impaired, and to develop TMDLs. This report represents the consensus opinion of the eight-member NRC committee assembled to complete this task. The committee met three times during a three-month period and heard the testimony of over 40 interested organizations and stakeholder groups. The NRC committee feels that the data and science have progressed sufficiently over the past 35 years to support the nation's return to ambient-based water quality management. Given reasonable expectations for data availability and the inevitable limits on our conceptual understanding of complex systems, statements about the science behind water quality management must be made with acknowledgment of uncertainties. This report explains that there are creative ways to accommodate this uncertainty while moving forward in addressing the nation's water quality challenges.

Download or read book Application of the Water Quality Management DecisionSupport System WQMDSS in an Illustrative WatershedManagement Study written by and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Development of total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) for critical pollutants in impaired watersheds is becoming a standard approach in environmental management. This requires the identification of future loading of contributing pollutants, and the development of a plan to allocate the necessary reductions among the point and nonpoint sources in the watershed to achieve this loading. To support water quality model-based TMDL development, US EPA has released the modeling framework BASINS-Better Assessment Science Integrating Point and Nonpoint Source, which incorporates several watershed water quality models within a GIS-based data management system. Current capabilities of BASINS enable simulation of watershed water quality associated with a TMDL, thus supporting TMDL development via a trial-and-error approach. The limitations of the trial-and-error approach are addressed via systematic search procedures implemented within the Water Quality Management Decision Support System (WQMDSS) that is designed to aid stakeholders and decision-makers efficiently identify TMDLs. The focus of the research presented in this paper is to demonstrate the applicability of WQMDSS in developing TMDLs for a realistic illustrative case study. Using the data for the Suwanee Creek Watershed in Georgia, which underwent a recent TMDL study, a series of illustrative scenarios are examined to consider varying target total suspended solids (TSS) loading rates, as well as different instream water quality parameters. The instream water quality is estimated using a calibrated HSPF model. Future land use development plans, with and without consideration of riparian buffer strips for nonpoint source control, to meet instream water quality goals are identified. Through this illustrative study, a range of uses of WQMDSS in watershed-scale TMDL development is demonstrated.

Download or read book Navigating the TMDL Process written by P. L. Freedman and published by International Water Assn. This book was released on 2003 with total page 372 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The objective of this research was to review the e

Download or read book The Statewide Watershed Management Approach for Texas written by and published by . This book was released on 1997 with total page 100 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Ecosystem Management written by Gary Meffe and published by Island Press. This book was released on 2012-08-31 with total page 333 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Today's natural resource managers must be able to navigate among the complicated interactions and conflicting interests of diverse stakeholders and decisionmakers. Technical and scientific knowledge, though necessary, are not sufficient. Science is merely one component in a multifaceted world of decision making. And while the demands of resource management have changed greatly, natural resource education and textbooks have not. Until now. Ecosystem Management represents a different kind of textbook for a different kind of course. It offers a new and exciting approach that engages students in active problem solving by using detailed landscape scenarios that reflect the complex issues and conflicting interests that face today's resource managers and scientists. Focusing on the application of the sciences of ecology and conservation biology to real-world concerns, it emphasizes the intricate ecological, socioeconomic, and institutional matrix in which natural resource management functions, and illustrates how to be more effective in that challenging arena. Each chapter is rich with exercises to help facilitate problem-based learning. The main text is supplemented by boxes and figures that provide examples, perspectives, definitions, summaries, and learning tools, along with a variety of essays written by practitioners with on-the-ground experience in applying the principles of ecosystem management. Accompanying the textbook is an instructor's manual that provides a detailed overview of the book and specific guidance on designing a course around it. Download the manual here. Ecosystem Management grew out of a training course developed and presented by the authors for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at its National Training Center in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. In 20 offerings to more than 600 natural resource professionals, the authors learned a great deal about what is needed to function successfully as a professional resource manager. The book offers important insights and a unique perspective dervied from that invaluable experience.

Download or read book Urban Stormwater Management in the United States written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2009-03-17 with total page 611 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The rapid conversion of land to urban and suburban areas has profoundly altered how water flows during and following storm events, putting higher volumes of water and more pollutants into the nation's rivers, lakes, and estuaries. These changes have degraded water quality and habitat in virtually every urban stream system. The Clean Water Act regulatory framework for addressing sewage and industrial wastes is not well suited to the more difficult problem of stormwater discharges. This book calls for an entirely new permitting structure that would put authority and accountability for stormwater discharges at the municipal level. A number of additional actions, such as conserving natural areas, reducing hard surface cover (e.g., roads and parking lots), and retrofitting urban areas with features that hold and treat stormwater, are recommended.

Download or read book Total Maximum Daily Load Analysis and Modeling written by American Society of Civil Engineers. TMDL Analysis and Modeling Task Committee and published by Asce American Society of Civil Engineers Ewri. This book was released on 2017 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report reviews more than 35 TMDL models and procedures for estimating the maximum amount of a pollutant that a water body can receive and still meet applicable water quality standards.

Download or read book Technical Guidance Manual for Developing Total Maximum Daily Loads written by and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 1997 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: