Evaluating Low Impact Development Best Management Practices as an Alternative to Traditional Urban Stormwater Management

Holzbauer-Schweitzer, Brandon

Evaluating Low Impact Development Best Management Practices as an Alternative to Traditional Urban Stormwater Management

dc.contributor.advisor	Nairn, Robert
dc.contributor.author	Holzbauer-Schweitzer, Brandon
dc.contributor.committeeMember	Kolar, Randall
dc.contributor.committeeMember	Ziolkowska, Jadwiga
dc.date.accessioned	2016-07-28T21:32:41Z
dc.date.available	2016-07-28T21:32:41Z
dc.date.issued	2016-08-12
dc.date.manuscript	2016-07-26
dc.description.abstract	The Trailwoods residential neighborhood (Norman, OK) included two instrumented watersheds (each approximately 2.3 acres), with the purpose of quantifying the impact on stormwater quantity and quality through implementation of low impact development (LID) best management practices (BMPs). The control watershed, Trailwoods East (TE), utilized traditional urban stormwater management while the treatment watershed, Trailwoods West (TW), included rain barrels, rain gardens, diversion downspouts, and permeable pavement. The toe of each watershed was outfitted with a trapezoidal flume which allowed for measurement of continuous discharge and calculation of storm event total runoff volume and peak volumetric discharge rates. A storm event-activated autosampler was used for collection of flow weighted composite stormwater samples. Once water levels within the flume reached a predetermined depth, a 20-mL sample was collected immediately and for every 50 cubic feet per second (CFS) of stormwater that passed the measurement point. A suite of stormwater runoff constituents were analyzed, including nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus compounds), total suspended solids and trace metals. Ecosystem services provided by the LID BMPs at the study site were also determined. Specifically, provisioning of water from rain barrels and regulation through flood attenuation and nutrient retention by the suite of LID BMPs were the focus of the valuation study. A total of 10 storm events were captured, with precipitation intensities ranging from 0.48 to 2.64 in hr-1. LID BMPs decreased the total volume of stormwater by 29,277 cubic feet (CF) or 26.5 percent. Peak volumetric discharge rates were significantly different (p = 0.40) by 1.24 CFS or 47 percent. Mean TSS concentrations were different by 33.7 mg/L or 49 percent when comparing TE control to TW treatment. Mean nitrate-nitrogen concentrations were significantly different (p = 0.01) by 0.68 mg/L or 63 percent. However, mean total phosphorus (TP) and total dissolved phosphorus (TDP) concentrations were higher for TW compared to TE watersheds by 0.17 mg/L or 47 percent and 0.02 mg/L or 29 percent, respectively. The valued ecosystem services provided by LID BMPs showed that, given time, LID BMPs can potentially outweigh the capital costs of construction and provide long-term economic benefits.	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/11244/44594
dc.language	en_US	en_US
dc.subject	Low Impact Development Best Management Practices	en_US
dc.subject	Urban	en_US
dc.subject	Stormwater	en_US
dc.thesis.degree	Master of Environmental Science	en_US
dc.title	Evaluating Low Impact Development Best Management Practices as an Alternative to Traditional Urban Stormwater Management	en_US
ou.group	College of Engineering::School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science	en_US
shareok.nativefileaccess	restricted	en_US