Coastal Watershed Monitoring and Management

Coastal Watershed Monitoring and Management PDF Author: Ravleen Kaur G. Khalsa-Basra
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Fluvial geomorphology
Languages : en
Pages : 127

Get Book Here

Book Description
Rivers in semi-arid climates are directly influenced by local geographic and hydrologic conditions and impacted by modifications to hydrology via urbanization. Changes can influence erosion, morphology, habitat sustainability, and watershed health. In highly urbanized southern California coastal regions, these rare open spaces provide vital ecosystem services. Los Peñasquitos Creek in San Diego County is one such watershed. Using stream surveying and laboratory methods we quantified channel characteristics, grain size distribution, total metal concentration [M], organic carbon (%OC), and phosphate to longitudinally characterize the creek for improved management. Results identified three distinct reaches in the watershed (upper, middle, lower). Downstream, depth and velocity are inversely related (R2: -0.86), while grain size decreases (D50:45mm-0.2mm), influenced by slope-driven widening and overbank deposition in the middle reach. Phosphate and [M] vary, likely influenced by anthropogenic runoff. Data suggests that %OC (instead of grain size) is more strongly correlated with [M] overall, especially zinc and lead, and is influenced by riparian zone vegetation density. This study emphasizes the importance of local and geomorphic influences on geochemical variability. Suggestions include 5-year or drought year Cu, Hg, Pb, Zn monitoring (exceeded SQuirT screening) at specific sites and continued nutrient analysis for eutrophication at the confluence. Coastal watersheds in semi-arid climates are influenced by hydrologic variation from sedimentation, urbanization, and climate change. Southern California watersheds are unique in their small spatial-scale and are vulnerable to flooding from increased frequencies and intensities of short-duration heavy rainfalls and cyclic drought-storm patterns in the semi-arid climate. Runoff is exacerbated with population growth and land-cover change. This study also uses two methods to estimate and model runoff in future scenarios using HEC-RAS. The first method estimates recurrence intervals (RI) based on local PeakFQ data. Commonly used in hydraulic engineering and flood modeling, the RI method estimates flows as an average number of times a peak flow will occur over a return period (years). For Los Peñasquitos watershed, the estimated flows for the RI years shown are as follows: RI-5=2,899, RI-10=4,095, RI-25=5,675, RI-50=6,870, RI-100=8,066, RI-500=10,841 cfs. To address the impact on flow from precipitation and soil saturation, the second method uses a 5-day Antecedent Precipitation Index (API) and daily precipitation in a multiple regression empirical model to estimate runoff. Future projections for rainfall, based on climate models using Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) are applied to observed data and interpolated to RCP 2.6, 4.5, 6.0, and 8.5 scenarios and resulted in 7,908-8,246 cfs within the next 50-100 years. We recommend using future projections for rainfall and land-use to better estimate flow and address projected trends.

Coastal Watershed Monitoring and Management

Coastal Watershed Monitoring and Management PDF Author: Ravleen Kaur G. Khalsa-Basra
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Fluvial geomorphology
Languages : en
Pages : 127

Get Book Here

Book Description
Rivers in semi-arid climates are directly influenced by local geographic and hydrologic conditions and impacted by modifications to hydrology via urbanization. Changes can influence erosion, morphology, habitat sustainability, and watershed health. In highly urbanized southern California coastal regions, these rare open spaces provide vital ecosystem services. Los Peñasquitos Creek in San Diego County is one such watershed. Using stream surveying and laboratory methods we quantified channel characteristics, grain size distribution, total metal concentration [M], organic carbon (%OC), and phosphate to longitudinally characterize the creek for improved management. Results identified three distinct reaches in the watershed (upper, middle, lower). Downstream, depth and velocity are inversely related (R2: -0.86), while grain size decreases (D50:45mm-0.2mm), influenced by slope-driven widening and overbank deposition in the middle reach. Phosphate and [M] vary, likely influenced by anthropogenic runoff. Data suggests that %OC (instead of grain size) is more strongly correlated with [M] overall, especially zinc and lead, and is influenced by riparian zone vegetation density. This study emphasizes the importance of local and geomorphic influences on geochemical variability. Suggestions include 5-year or drought year Cu, Hg, Pb, Zn monitoring (exceeded SQuirT screening) at specific sites and continued nutrient analysis for eutrophication at the confluence. Coastal watersheds in semi-arid climates are influenced by hydrologic variation from sedimentation, urbanization, and climate change. Southern California watersheds are unique in their small spatial-scale and are vulnerable to flooding from increased frequencies and intensities of short-duration heavy rainfalls and cyclic drought-storm patterns in the semi-arid climate. Runoff is exacerbated with population growth and land-cover change. This study also uses two methods to estimate and model runoff in future scenarios using HEC-RAS. The first method estimates recurrence intervals (RI) based on local PeakFQ data. Commonly used in hydraulic engineering and flood modeling, the RI method estimates flows as an average number of times a peak flow will occur over a return period (years). For Los Peñasquitos watershed, the estimated flows for the RI years shown are as follows: RI-5=2,899, RI-10=4,095, RI-25=5,675, RI-50=6,870, RI-100=8,066, RI-500=10,841 cfs. To address the impact on flow from precipitation and soil saturation, the second method uses a 5-day Antecedent Precipitation Index (API) and daily precipitation in a multiple regression empirical model to estimate runoff. Future projections for rainfall, based on climate models using Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) are applied to observed data and interpolated to RCP 2.6, 4.5, 6.0, and 8.5 scenarios and resulted in 7,908-8,246 cfs within the next 50-100 years. We recommend using future projections for rainfall and land-use to better estimate flow and address projected trends.

Comprehensive Coastal Water Quality Monitoring Program

Comprehensive Coastal Water Quality Monitoring Program PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Coastal zone management
Languages : en
Pages : 74

Get Book Here

Book Description


Review of the New York City Watershed Protection Program

Review of the New York City Watershed Protection Program PDF Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309679702
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 423

Get Book Here

Book Description
New York City's municipal water supply system provides about 1 billion gallons of drinking water a day to over 8.5 million people in New York City and about 1 million people living in nearby Westchester, Putnam, Ulster, and Orange counties. The combined water supply system includes 19 reservoirs and three controlled lakes with a total storage capacity of approximately 580 billion gallons. The city's Watershed Protection Program is intended to maintain and enhance the high quality of these surface water sources. Review of the New York City Watershed Protection Program assesses the efficacy and future of New York City's watershed management activities. The report identifies program areas that may require future change or action, including continued efforts to address turbidity and responding to changes in reservoir water quality as a result of climate change.

Coastal Watershed Management

Coastal Watershed Management PDF Author: A. Fares
Publisher: WIT Press
ISBN: 1845640918
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 433

Get Book Here

Book Description
Coastal watersheds differ from others by their unique features, including proximity to the ocean, weather and rainfall patterns, subsurface features, and land covers. Land use changes and competing needs for valuable water and land resources are especially more distinctive to such watersheds. This book covers recent research relevant to coastal watersheds. It addresses the impact of a stream’s chemical, biological, and sediment pollutants on the quality of the receiving waters, such as estuaries, bays, and near-shore waters. The contents of the book can be divided into three sections; a) overview of hydrological modelling, b) water quality assessment, and c) watershed management. This book differs from other hydrology books by dealing with coastal watersheds which are characterized by their unique features: including weather and rainfall patterns, subsurface characteristics, and land use and cover. In addition to academia, the book should be of interest to organizations concerned with watershed management, such as local and federal governments and environmental groups. Overall, the book is expected to satisfy a great need toward understanding and managing critical areas in many parts of the world.

Monitoring Southern California's Coastal Waters

Monitoring Southern California's Coastal Waters PDF Author: Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309043271
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 169

Get Book Here

Book Description


Clean Water Action Plan

Clean Water Action Plan PDF Author: United States. Coastal Research and Monitoring Strategy Workgroup
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Coastal ecology
Languages : en
Pages : 74

Get Book Here

Book Description


Watershed Management

Watershed Management PDF Author: Robert J. Reimold
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Professional Publishing
ISBN:
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 424

Get Book Here

Book Description
Covers the watershed approach to managing water resources in a sustainable fashion with case studies to show how the concept of watershed management is being implemented. Modelling is used to show how systems can be successfully managed in the future. Useful for students on water supply and management courses as well as those already in the field.

Coastal Monitoring through Partnerships

Coastal Monitoring through Partnerships PDF Author: Brian D. Melzian
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9401702993
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 404

Get Book Here

Book Description
As the coastal human population increases in the United States, there will likely be increasing environmental and socioeconomic pressures on our coastal and estuarine environments. Monitoring the condition of all our nation's coastal and estuarine ecosystems over the long term is more than any one program can accomplish on its own. Therefore, it is crucial that monitoring programs at all levels (local, state, and federal) cooperate in the collection, sharing, and use of environmental data. This volume is the proceedings of the Coastal Monitoring Through Partnerships symposium that was held in Pensacola, Florida in April of 2001, and was organized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP), and the Council of State Governments (CSG). It contains papers that describe various multi-disciplinary coastal and estuarine environmental monitoring programs, designed and implemented by using regional and national partnerships with federal and state agencies, academia, Native American tribes, and nongovernmental organizations. In addition, it includes papers on modeling and data management; monitoring and assessment of benthic communities; development of biological indicators and interlaboratory sediment comparisons; microbiological modeling and indicators; and monitoring and assessment of phytoplankton and submerged aquatic vegetation. There are many components involved in determining the overall impacts of anthropogenic stressors on coastal and estuarine waters. It will take strong partnerships like those described in this volume to ensure that we have healthy and sustainable coastal and estuarine environments, now and in the future.

Managing Wastewater in Coastal Urban Areas

Managing Wastewater in Coastal Urban Areas PDF Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309048265
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 497

Get Book Here

Book Description
Close to one-half of all Americans live in coastal counties. The resulting flood of wastewater, stormwater, and pollutants discharged into coastal waters is a major concern. This book offers a well-delineated approach to integrated coastal management beginning with wastewater and stormwater control. The committee presents an overview of current management practices and problems. The core of the volume is a detailed model for integrated coastal management, offering basic principles and methods, a direction for moving from general concerns to day-to-day activities, specific steps from goal setting through monitoring performance, and a base of scientific and technical information. Success stories from the Chesapeake and Santa Monica bays are included. The volume discusses potential barriers to integrated coastal management and how they may be overcome and suggests steps for introducing this concept into current programs and legislation. This practical volume will be important to anyone concerned about management of coastal waters: policymakers, resource and municipal managers, environmental professionals, concerned community groups, and researchers, as well as faculty and students in environmental studies.

Clean Coastal Waters

Clean Coastal Waters PDF Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309069483
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 422

Get Book Here

Book Description
Environmental problems in coastal ecosystems can sometimes be attributed to excess nutrients flowing from upstream watersheds into estuarine settings. This nutrient over-enrichment can result in toxic algal blooms, shellfish poisoning, coral reef destruction, and other harmful outcomes. All U.S. coasts show signs of nutrient over-enrichment, and scientists predict worsening problems in the years ahead. Clean Coastal Waters explains technical aspects of nutrient over-enrichment and proposes both immediate local action by coastal managers and a longer-term national strategy incorporating policy design, classification of affected sites, law and regulation, coordination, and communication. Highlighting the Gulf of Mexico's "Dead Zone," the Pfiesteria outbreak in a tributary of Chesapeake Bay, and other cases, the book explains how nutrients work in the environment, why nitrogen is important, how enrichment turns into over-enrichment, and why some environments are especially susceptible. Economic as well as ecological impacts are examined. In addressing abatement strategies, the committee discusses the importance of monitoring sites, developing useful models of over-enrichment, and setting water quality goals. The book also reviews voluntary programs, mandatory controls, tax incentives, and other policy options for reducing the flow of nutrients from agricultural operations and other sources.