We noticed that you're not using the latest version of your browser. You'll still be able to use our site, but it might not work or look the way it's supposed to. We recommend upgrading your browser.
JOURNAL OF WATER MANAGEMENT MODELING JWMM
AUTHORS
REVIEWERS
ABOUT
RESOURCES
Menu SEARCH LOGIN
Software
Tap in to water management modeling that excels. PCSWMM is flexible, easy to use and streamlines your workflow – saving you time and resources.
Training
Beginner or seasoned user, our flexible training options help you understand and master the full capabilities of both EPA SWMM5 and PCSWMM.
Community
There's a whole community to support you - find solutions, view code and more.
OPEN SWMM
OPEN EPANET
Journal
Our peer-reviewed, open-access Journal of Water Management Modeling. Expand your knowledge, get insights and discover new approaches that let you work more effectively.
Conference
The International Conference on Water Management Modeling. Meet your colleagues, share your experiences and be on the forefront of advances in our profession.
Consulting
Not sure how to solve a complex water management issue? Put our experience, knowledge, and innovation to work for you.
  • AUTHORS
  • REVIEWERS
  • ABOUT
  • SEARCH
  • RESOURCES
    Software
    Training
    Community
    OPEN SWMM
    OPEN EPANET
    Journal
    Conference
    Consulting

JWMM Login

Verifying credentials  Don't have an account?
Forgot your password?

Collection and Examination of a Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System Database

Robert E. Pitt, Alexander Maestre, Renee Morquecho and Derek Williamson (2004)
University of Alabama; University of Alabama
DOI: https://doi.org/10.14796/JWMM.R220-13
Comments

Collapse all
Collapse all

Abstract

The University of Alabama and the Center for Watershed Protection were awarded an EPA Office of Water 104(b)3 grant in 2001 to collect and evaluate stormwater data from a representative number of NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) MS4 (municipal separate storm sewer system) stormwater permit holders. The initial version of this database, the National Stormwater Quality Database (NSQD, version 1.0) is currently being completed. These stormwater quality data and site descriptions are being collected and reviewed to describe the characteristics of national stormwater quality, to provide guidance for future sampling needs, and to enhance local stormwater management activities in areas having limited data.

The monitoring data collected over nearly a 10-y period from more than 200 municipalities throughout the country have a great potential in characterizing the quality of stormwater runoff and comparing it against historical benchmarks. This project is creating a national database of stormwater monitoring data collected as part of the existing stormwater permit program, providing a scientific analysis of the data, and providing recommendations for improving the quality and management value of future NPDES monitoring efforts.

Each data set is receiving a quality assurance/quality control review based on reasonableness of data, extreme values, relationships among parameters, sampling methods, and a review of the analytical methods. The statistical analyses are being conducted at several levels. Probability plots are used to identify range, randomness and normality. Clustering and principal component analyses are utilized to characterize significant factors affecting the data patterns. The master data set is also being evaluated to develop descriptive statistics, such as measures of central tendency and standard errors. Regional and climatic differences are being tested, including the influences of land use, and the effects of storm size and season, among other factors. The data will be used to develop a method to predict expected stormwater quality for a variety of significant factors and will be used to examine a number of preconceptions concerning the characteristics of stormwater, sampling design decisions, and some basic data analysis issues. Some of the issues that are being examined with this data include:

1) the occurrence and magnitude of first-flushes,

2) the effects of different sampling methods (the use of grab sampling vs. automatic samplers, for example) on stormwater quality data,

3) trends in stormwater quality with time,

4) the effects of infrequent wrong data in large data bases,

5) appropriate methods to handle values that are below detection limits, and

6) the necessary sampling effort needed to characterize stormwater quality, for example.

This chapter describes the data collected to date and presents some preliminary data findings.

When this NSQD is completed (populated with most of the NPDES stormwater monitoring data), the continued collection of outfall stormwater quality data in the U.S. for basic characterization purposes may have limited use. Some communities may have obviously unusual conditions, or adequate data may not be available in their region. In these conditions, outfall monitoring may be needed. However, stormwater monitoring will continue to be needed for other purposes in many areas having, or anticipating, active stormwater management programs (especially when supplemented with other biological, physical, and hydrologic monitoring components). These new monitoring programs should be designed specifically for additional objectives, beyond basic characterization. These objectives may include receiving water assessments to understand local problems, source area monitoring to identify critical sources of stormwater pollutants, treatability tests to verify the performance of stormwater controls for local conditions, and assessment monitoring to verify the success of the local stormwater management approach (including model calibration and verification). In many cases, the resources being spent for outfall monitoring could be more effectively spent to better understand many of these other aspects of an effective stormwater management program.

This paper is only available in PDF Format:

  View full text PDF

Image


Expand all

PAPER INFO

Identification

CHI ref #: R220-13 921
Volume: 12
DOI: https://doi.org/10.14796/JWMM.R220-13
Cite as: CHI JWMM 2004;R220-13

Publication History

Received: N/A
Accepted: N/A
Published: February 15, 2004

Status

# reviewers: 2
Version: Final published

Copyright

© 2004 CHI. Some rights reserved.

License

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

The Journal of Water Management Modeling is an open-access (OA) publication. Open access means that articles and papers are available without barriers to all who could benefit from them. Practically speaking, all published works will be available to a worldwide audience, free, immediately on publication. As such, JWMM can be considered a Diamond, Gratis OA journal.

All papers published in the JWMM are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY).

JWMM content can be downloaded, printed, copied, distributed, and linked-to, when providing full attribution to both the author/s and JWMM.


AUTHORS

Robert E. Pitt

University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA
ORCiD:

Alexander Maestre

University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA
ORCiD:

Renee Morquecho

University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA
ORCiD:

Derek Williamson

University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA
ORCiD:


ADDITIONAL DATA

 

COMMENTS

Be the first to comment.

RELATED PAPERS

 


TAGS

 

Connect With Us

Journal of Water Management Modeling
ISSN: 2292-6062

  info@chijournal.org

147 Wyndham St. N., Ste. 202
Guelph, Ontario, Canada, N1H 4E9
About JWMM

Mission and intent

Editorial board

Review process

Disclaimer

Privacy policy

For Authors

Submit paper

Author checklist

Journal paper template

Reference guide

Transfer of copyright

Unit conversion table

For Reviewers

Reviewing guidelines

Criteria to be used

Standards of acceptance


Copyright 2022 by CHI