Showing papers in "Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management in 2001"
TL;DR: In this paper, a review of the empirical literature on factors affecting conflict resolution in watershed partnerships is presented, and the most frequently recurring themes are the necessity of adequate funding, effective leadership and management, interpersonal trust, and committed participants.
Abstract: Two main goals are achieved in this review of the empirical literature on factors affecting conflict resolution in watershed partnerships. The first is an assessment of two public policy theories relevant to partnership structure and function. The second is a set of practical suggestions for designing successful partnerships. The 37 available studies collectively identified 210 “lessons learned,” which were grouped into 28 thematic categories. The most frequently recurring themes are the necessity of adequate funding (62% of the studies), effective leadership and management (59%), interpersonal trust (43%), and committed participants (43%). Exploratory factor analysis was used to search for patterns in the lessons. Four factors were identified, which together explain 95% of the variance in the 28 themes. The first two factors emphasize the importance of (1) balancing the partnership's resources with its scope of activities; and (2) employing a flexible and informal partnership structure. The third and fou...
473 citations
TL;DR: A parking lot at the Florida Aquarium in Tampa, Florida was used as a research site and demonstration project to show how small alterations to parking lot designs can dramatically decrease runoff and pollutant loads.
Abstract: An innovative parking lot at the Florida Aquarium in Tampa, Fla., is being used as a research site and demonstration project to show how small alterations to parking lot designs can dramatically decrease runoff and pollutant loads. Three paving surfaces are compared, as well as basins with and without swales, to measure pollutant concentrations and infiltration. Preliminary results from the first year of a 2-year study indicate that swales reduce average runoff amounts by 30% at this site and pervious paving reduces it by an additional 10- 15%. Rainfall water quality was also evaluated, and rain is found to be a significant input for inorganic nitrogen. Other water quality data show higher phosphorus concentrations in basins with vegetated swales and higher metal concentrations in basins paved with asphalt rather than cement or pervious paving. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were detected in the sediments in all basins, but concentrations were higher in basins paved with asphalt and some values approached toxic levels. Pesticides were also detected in the sediments, especially the banned organo-chlorine pesticide, dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane, and its daughter products.
268 citations
TL;DR: The U.S. EPA-funded cooperative research program with the ASCE developed a more useful set of data on the effectiveness of storm water best management practices (BMPs) used to reduce pollutant discharges from urban development as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: The goal of this U.S. EPA-funded cooperative research program with the ASCE is to develop a more useful set of data on the effectiveness of storm water best management practices (BMPs) used to reduce pollutant discharges from urban development. BMP monitoring data gathered at a particular site should not only be useful for that site, but also need to be useful for comparing the effectiveness of similar and different types of BMPs at other locations. Most BMP effectiveness studies in the past have provided data that is difficult, if not impossible, to use in comparing BMP design effectiveness and in the selection among individual BMP types to meet desired goals. This paper describes some of the comparability problems encountered between different BMP effectiveness studies. Also discussed are considerations that affect data transferability, such as methods used for determining efficiency and statistical significance. It outlines the efforts used to establish and analyze the currently available data and prop...
255 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a methodology of frequency and risk analysis of hydrologic droughts, defined as an event during which the streamflow is continuously below a certain truncation level, is formulated.
Abstract: Droughts are stochastic in nature, therefore, statistical assessment of droughts is an attractive approach for water resources planning and management. In this study, a methodology of frequency and risk analysis of hydrologic droughts, defined as an event during which the streamflow is continuously below a certain truncation level, is formulated. The theoretical derivation of the recurrence interval of hydrologic droughts with a certain severity or greater is obtained based on the concept of stochastic processes. For risk analysis, the distribution of the number of droughts occurring within a specific period of time and the distribution of the interarrival time of hydrologic droughts with a certain severity or greater are determined. To illustrate the feasibility of the proposed methodology, a recorded reservoir inflow is used as a case study. Satisfactory agreement is found between the observed data and the results of the proposed models.
249 citations
TL;DR: An optimization-based methodology for identifying unknown sources of ground-water pollution is presented and performance evaluations demonstrate that at least for the illustrative example problems, the developed methodology is effective.
Abstract: An optimization-based methodology for identifying unknown sources of ground-water pollution is presented. The proposed methodology utilizes an optimization model in which the flow and transport equations are embedded as constraints. A nonlinear programming algorithm is used to obtain as solution the optimal estimates of unknown source characteristics. The input to this model includes measured pollutant concentration at observation sites. The source identification methodology is further extended to the simultaneous estimation of aquifer parameters as well as identification of unknown pollutant sources. Performance of the developed methodology is evaluated for illustrative examples considering two-dimensional flow and advective-dispersive solute transport. Different cases including variability in data availability, single and multiple potential source locations, and errors in measurement data are considered. These performance evaluations demonstrate that at least for the illustrative example problems, the p...
162 citations
Abstract: At a watershed scale, land-use change can increase runoff, flooding, and nonpoint source pollution and degrade downstream water bodies. Thus it is important to assess the potential hydrologic impacts of land-use change prior to watershed development. The L-THIA (Long-Term Hydrologic Impact Assessment) model is a tool to initially assess how land-use change affects annual average runoff and is based only on readily available data. Because L-THIA is relatively new, it is important to test it against other, well-accepted methods. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's SWMM (Storm Water Management Model), a well-known and widely used model, was used to perform runoff calculations for comparison with L-THIA. Applications of L-THIA and SWMM to two small watersheds in Chicago show that L-THIA predicts annual average runoff between 1.1 and 23.7% higher than SWMM. The agreement between the results is higher for larger watersheds. Both models predict a linear relationship between average annual runoff and incre...
147 citations
TL;DR: In the 1990's, a number of best management practices (BMPs) manuals have been developed that address the control of urban runoff to protect receiving water quality as discussed by the authors, and several papers have investigated the effectiveness of these BMPs in protecting small urban watercourses, and concluded that they do not.
Abstract: In the 1990's, a number of best management practices (BMPs) manuals have been developed that address the control of urban runoff to protect receiving water quality. More recently, several papers have investigated the effectiveness of these BMPs in protecting small urban watercourses, and have concluded that they do not. Investigations of both design practices and effectiveness reveals that there is a lot of ignorance in the scientific and engineering community about what constitutes a properly designed BMP and what it really achieves, with respect to environmental protection. This paper discusses the state-of-practice in BMP design in the United States and points out its strengths and weaknesses with respect to real protection of the downstream receiving water environment. The paper recommends an approach to design criteria development that can be applied over a wide variety of climatologic, topologic, and geologic conditions to protect receiving waters systems.
141 citations
TL;DR: This paper presents a new way of interpreting the results of the traditional demand-driven network analysis as an approximation to pressure-driven simulation so as to calculate the reliability of single-source networks.
Abstract: This paper presents a new way of interpreting the results of the traditional demand-driven network analysis as an approximation to pressure-driven simulation so as to calculate the reliability of single-source networks. The approach is useful because most network modeling software packages use the demand-driven analysis approach and are incapable of simulating pressure-deficient conditions properly. The formulation draws from recent developments in pressure-driven simulation and can be used to calculate the reliability of an entire water distribution network or that of the individual demand nodes. The method herein is probabilistic in that the random nature of link failures is accounted for. Using a sample network, it is shown that the method has several advantages including simplicity and a very high computational efficiency.
141 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a case study in Adelaide, Australia shows that the genetic algorithm can be a powerful tool to assist in planning the rehabilitation of water pipes and demonstrates the use of the GA technique to find a near optimal schedule for the replacement of the water supply pipes.
Abstract: Like most other utilities, water authorities must manage many aging capital assets that are in varying degrees of deterioration; some of which are nearing the end of their useful lives. The annual funds available to the water authorities for the rehabilitation of these assets are only a small fraction of the total replacement cost of the infrastructure. It is important, therefore, that the available funds are used in the most effective manner. This paper demonstrates the use of the genetic algorithm technique to find a near optimal schedule for the replacement of the water supply pipes. The goal is to minimize the present value of capital, repair, and damage costs. A case study in Adelaide, Australia shows that the genetic algorithm can be a powerful tool to assist in planning the rehabilitation of water pipes.
134 citations
TL;DR: The multireservoir model based on the dynamic programming-neural network algorithm gives improved performance in this study.
Abstract: For optimal multireservoir operation, a dynamic programming-based neural network model is developed in this study. In the suggested model, multireservoir operating rules are derived using a feedforward neural network from the results of three state variables' dynamic programming algorithm. The training of the neural network is done using a supervised learning approach with the back-propagation algorithm. A multireservoir system called the Parambikulam Aliyar Project system is used for this study. The performance of the new multireservoir model is compared with (1) the regression-based approach used for deriving the multireservoir operating rules from optimization results; and (2) the single-reservoir dynamic programming-neural network model approach. The multireservoir model based on the dynamic programming-neural network algorithm gives improved performance in this study.
131 citations
TL;DR: The MODSIM river basin network flow model is extended to directly incorporate constraints on concentrations of conservative water quality constituents as discussed by the authors, and an iterative procedure based on the Frank-Wolfe nonlinear programming algorithm links MODSIMQ and the water quality models to assure convergence to solutions satisfying water right priorities, while attempting to maintain minimum water quality requirements.
Abstract: The MODSIM river basin network flow model is extended to directly incorporate constraints on concentrations of conservative water quality constituents. The extended model MODSIMQ is linked with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's QUAL2E streamflow water quality model and a model for estimating quality of irrigation return flows. An iterative procedure based on the Frank-Wolfe nonlinear programming algorithm links MODSIMQ and the water quality models to assure convergence to solutions satisfying water right priorities, while attempting to maintain minimum water quality requirements. Irrigation return flows, canal seepage, reservoir seepage, deep percolation, and river depletion due to groundwater pumping are modeled using stream depletion factors from the U.S. Geological Survey. Application of MODSIMQ to the lower Arkansas River basin in Colorado successfully models the complex legal and administrative issues under Colorado water law and the Arkansas River Compact, including the many water exchange ...
TL;DR: The capabilities of genetic algorithms for identifying solutions to waste-load allocation problems are explored and the resulting trade-off relationships are discussed both in objective space and in decision space.
Abstract: This paper explores the capabilities of genetic algorithms for identifying solutions to waste-load allocation problems. Three optimization model formulations are developed for examining different waste-load allocation problems. Two of the model formulations address problems arising in the planning context while the third model addresses waste-load allocation decisions of use when developing an operational strategy for a river basin. The models can all be used to develop a trade-off relationship for a multiobjective optimization problem that would be of use to a decision maker when selecting a solution for implementation. The models developed are applied to a case study based on the Willamette River in Oregon and the resulting trade-off relationships are discussed both in objective space and in decision space.
TL;DR: In this paper, a new method is proposed for long-term reservoir operation planning with stochastic inflows, which is formulated as a two-stage linear program with simple recourse.
Abstract: A new method is proposed for long-term reservoir operation planning with stochastic inflows. In particular, the problem is formulated as a two-stage stochastic linear program with simple recourse. The stochastic inflows are approximated by multiple inflow scenarios, leading to a very large deterministic model which is hard to solve using conventional optimization methods. This paper presents an efficient interior-point optimization algorithm for solving the resulting deterministic problem. It is also shown how exploiting the problem structure enhances the performance of the algorithm. Application to regulation of the Great Lakes system shows that the proposed approach can handle the stochasticity of the inflows as well as the nonlinearity of the operating conditions in a real-world reservoir system.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present results of field tests, conducted in Taiwan and Virginia, of the pollutant removal efficiencies of grassed swales and suggest minimum design guidelines for use of swales as a BMP.
Abstract: The paper presents results of field tests, conducted in Taiwan and Virginia, of the pollutant removal efficiencies of grassed swales. Swales are a low-cost storm-water best management practice (BMP) that have been reported as a cost-effective method for controlling runoff pollution from land surfaces, especially highways and agricultural lands. The Virginia experiments tested a highway median swale, while the Taiwan experiments were conducted on an agricultural test farm. Average pollutant removal efficiencies reported for the test swales vary from 14 to 99% for total suspended solids (TSS), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP). The wide range of performance results indicates the importance of such design parameters as length, longitudinal slope, and the presence of check dams. Minimum design guidelines for use of swales as a BMP are suggested.
TL;DR: The RiverWare decision support system as discussed by the authors is a general river basin modeling tool that allows water resources engineers to both simulate and optimize the management of multipurpose reservoir systems for daily operations, and it is used by the Tennessee Valley Authority operations schedulers.
Abstract: Many authors have documented the minimal use of optimization in practical day-to-day multipurpose reservoir operations. The RiverWare decision support system is a flexible general river basin modeling tool that allows water resources engineers to both simulate and optimize the management of multipurpose reservoir systems for daily operations. This paper describes RiverWare's optimization capabilities and its use by Tennessee Valley Authority operations schedulers. Input data requirements include (1) physical and economic characteristics of the system; (2) prioritized policy goals; and (3) parameters for automatic linearization. RiverWare automatically generates and efficiently solves a multiobjective, preemptive linear goal programming formulation of a reservoir system. An advanced feature of RiverWare is that both the physical model of the river basin and the operating policy are defined and easily modified by the modeler through an interactive graphical user interface. Any modifications are automaticall...
TL;DR: In this paper, a number of available tools with varying levels of complexity and different approaches have been examined for their uniqueness, strength, and suitability for automated floodplain delineation.
Abstract: Computer based floodplain delineation tools have become increasingly popular in flood hazard mapping and floodplain management. Water resources engineers are using these tools as a part of their professional practices. A number of available tools with varying levels of complexity and different approaches have been examined for their uniqueness, strength, and suitability. These methods are explained and discussed in detail to provide a better understanding of the automated floodplain delineation. This increased understanding when combined with the practitioner's experience in hydraulic modeling will lead to better application. Refinements are presented that combine the strength of current methods and overcome existing limitations.
TL;DR: In this paper, the application of geographic information system (GIS) technology to the field of urban stormwater modeling is reviewed and a GIS application in urban storm-water management is presented at a neighborhood scale.
Abstract: The application of geographic information system (GIS) technology to the field of urban storm-water modeling is reviewed Then a GIS application in urban storm-water management is presented at a neighborhood scale The neighborhood scale application includes a GIS, a database, a storm-water system design template, and an optimization capability for screening alternatives The area and soil-type based Soil Conservation Service (SCS) method is used for calculating runoff from GIS information Using economic analysis to compare the cost of controls, including the opportunity cost of land for land intensive controls, the optimal mix of best management practice (BMP) controls was found using linear programming Finally, a single site example is presented illustrating the value of GIS tools to provide more complex on-site hydrologic analysis
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a survey of the state of the art in bioinformatics and medical data visualization, using the EFLUM-ARTICLE-2001-002 Record created on 2005-09-08, modified on 2017-02-23
Abstract: Note: 127(6): 354-362 Reference EFLUM-ARTICLE-2001-002 Record created on 2005-09-08, modified on 2017-02-23
TL;DR: In this paper, Latin hypercube sampling (LHS) and the mean first-order reliability method are applied to determine the parameters significantly affecting uncertainty in the simulated dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations at the point in the Zenne River in Brussels, most prone to low concentrations.
Abstract: Latin hypercube sampling (LHS) and the mean first-order reliability method are applied to determine the parameters significantly affecting uncertainty in the simulated dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations at the point in the Zenne River in Brussels, most prone to low concentrations. The DO simulation involves the coupling of a nonpoint pollution load model, a constant treatment efficiency model, and a river water-quality model. LHS found that six of the 53 model parameters significantly contribute to the variance of the annual mean DO concentration, and five model parameters significantly contribute to the variance in the number of hours that DO concentrations are <2 mg/L. The mean first-order reliability method found that these parameters accounted for 73.6 and 84.7% of the variance in the respective output features. Reanalysis with LHS, letting only these six parameters be uncertain, confirmed the identification of these parameters as accounting for 78.1 and 83.0% of the respective variances. The identification of key sources of uncertainty provided insight with respect to treatment plant operation, model improvements, and data collection programs.
TL;DR: This work applies the piece-by-piece method to a large multiperiod nonlinear programming (NLP) model with 13,700 variables, 10,000 equations, and a high degree of nonlinearity (54.3% of the nonzero Jacobian elements are nonconstant), arising from water resources planning and operation in a river basin.
Abstract: Most large nonlinear optimization models are composed of “pieces”—subsets of decision variables—and constraints whose union is the entire model. Each piece represents an additional aspect of the situation being modeled. This opens the possibility of solving the simplest piece first, adding the constraints and variables of another piece, and solving this submodel from a starting point provided by the first solution. This process is repeated until the original model is solved. This “piece-by-piece” approach provides each submodel with a good starting point, which greatly increases the probability that a good nonlinear solver will find an optimal solution. We apply it to a large multiperiod nonlinear programming (NLP) model with 13,700 variables, 10,000 equations, and a high degree of nonlinearity (54.3% of the nonzero Jacobian elements are nonconstant), arising from water resources planning and operation in a river basin. Using the GAMS modeling language and the CONOPT2 NLP solver, the piece-by-piece method...
Journal Article•
TL;DR: The Environmental and Water Resources Institute of ASCE has established a task committee to study the problem of sediment movements in urban drainage systems and to make recommendations for new research and for design and modeling improvements as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: The Environmental and Water Resources Institute of ASCE has established a task committee to study the problem of sediment movements in urban drainage systems and to make recommendations for new research and for design and modeling improvements. This paper is an initial part of this effort; it addresses a review of related publications within the past 7 years. Sediments can cause sewer blockage, surcharge, early overflows, and large pollutant discharges; their removal is costly. The review of the recent literature shows that much progress on this problem has been made in Europe and that fundamental and applied research and development in the United States is urgently needed.
TL;DR: The Republican River, shared by three states, Colorado, Nebraska, and Kansas, has yielded de- pleted streamflow at the Nebraska-Kansas border for about 20 years when compared to values preceding 1970 as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: The Republican River, shared by three states, Colorado, Nebraska, and Kansas, has yielded de- pleted streamflow at the Nebraska-Kansas border for about 20 years when compared to values preceding 1970. Based on model results estimating the average annual water balance of the basin, it is concluded that the observed decline in runoff cannot be explained by changes in climatic variables over the area; rather, it is the result of the combined effects of the following human activities: crop irrigation, change in vegetative cover, water con- servation practices, and construction of reservoirs and artificial ponds in the basin. These human-induced changes have one property in common: they all increase the amount of water being evaporated over the basin, thereby reducing the amount of water available to runoff.
TL;DR: In this paper, alternative water management scenarios for a portion of the mainstem Klamath River from Keno, Oregon, to Seiad Valley, California, were evaluated using computer models of water quantity (MODSIM) and quality (HEC-5Q).
Abstract: Alternative water management scenarios for a portion of the mainstem Klamath River from Keno, Oregon, to Seiad Valley, California, were evaluated using computer models of water quantity (MODSIM) and quality (HEC-5Q). These models were used to explore the potential for changing system operations to improve summer/fall water quality conditions to benefit declining anadromous fish populations such as steelhead, coho, and fall chinook salmon. By comparing and contrasting several model simulation results, some operational strategies that could improve water quality were determined. Most of the alternatives evaluated decreased water temperature less than 2°C. For some alternatives, dissolved oxygen could be changed as much as 5 mg/L, but was often reduced, rather than increased (or improved). Resource managers need to be made aware that implementation of any strategy to enhance water quality conditions in the Klamath River could produce desirable beneficial results that are both spatially and temporally limited...
TL;DR: The result shows that the use of DSSs may effectively improve the speed and quality of water management and give users more flexibility in analyzing different scenarios.
Abstract: A decision support system (DSS) for the integration of hydrologic process modeling and risk evaluation of the surface water management alternatives in a river basin is developed. The DSS, named CTIWM, is aimed at supporting the testing and evaluation of water management policies and at facilitating integration of user-selected scenarios into planning strategies of the water resource system in the Chikugo River basin, a multipurpose multireservoir system. CTIWM uses a module library that contains compatible modules for simulating a variety of hydrologic processes. Different numerical models are invoked through a user interface menu, which facilitates communications between users and models in a friendly way. The source code was developed by using object-oriented programming techniques. The result shows that the use of DSSs may effectively improve the speed and quality of water management and give users more flexibility in analyzing different scenarios.
TL;DR: In this paper, a hydrological micromodel was developed and applied to a neighborhood typical of urban de- velopment on Israel's coastal plain, over the phreatic coastal aquifer.
Abstract: A hydrological micromodel was developed and applied to a neighborhood typical of urban de- velopment on Israel's coastal plain, over the phreatic coastal aquifer. The model was used for analyzing the effects of urban development on infiltration and runoff, and for evaluating a number of practices designed to enhance on-site infiltration. The effect of spatial resolution in the model on computed results was investigated. It was shown that for the range of data examined, simulation at the micro- (residential lot) level can be extrap- olated to the neighborhood scale, by adding the responses of the individual microunits. Simulations by the hydrological micromodel showed that connecting roof drains to a yard/garden, and allowing the runoff from the roof to infiltrate through an ''infiltration strip'' or infiltration trench of an appropriate size, can increase infiltration over a residential lot as much as 18% of the annual rainfall (depending on the soil conductivity and annual rainfall). The dependence of annual infiltration on physical and planning parameters was generalized in functional relations that can be used to assess the effectiveness of measures for increasing infiltration and reducing runoff. This work was part of an effort to develop, test, and recommend policies and practices for water-sensitive urban planning for protecting water resources.
TL;DR: An automated flood-warning decision-support system (FW-DSS) increases flood warning lead time for Sacramento County, California, and thus has the potential to save lives and reduce flood damage.
Abstract: An automated flood-warning decision-support system (FW-DSS) increases flood warning lead time for Sacramento County, California, and thus has the potential to save lives and reduce flood damage. The FW-DSS components measure rainfall depths and water levels, transmit these observations in real time to an emergency operations center, and store and display these data. The FW-DSS includes an electronic version of the county's flood emergency operations plan, automating flood threat recognition with the real-time data. It also automates information dissemination, notifying county emergency managers when a threat is detected. The FW-DSS includes forecasting models also, thus permitting recognition of and response to future threats.
TL;DR: In this article, a downward axisymmetric stream function is presented to quantify the required subsurface geometry underneath a circular infiltration basin to estimate the infiltrating flow through the unsaturated zone to the ground-water table.
Abstract: The operation of an infiltration basin is jointly controlled by the infiltration at the land surface and the seepage through the subsurface medium. When the operation of the basin is under a back pressure due to water mounding effects, it takes a prolonged drain time and may cause a failure. This phenomenon becomes more pronounced when the land surface infiltration is greater than the subsurface soil permeability. When selecting a basin site, it is important to assess its subsurface hydraulic adequacy relative to the design infiltration capacity. This study presents a downward axisymmetric stream function by which the required subsurface geometry underneath a circular infiltration basin can be quantified. The infiltrating flow through the unsaturated zone to the ground-water table can be depicted by this potential flow model with the consideration of anisotropic permeability and water mounding at the ground-water table. The required subsurface geometry underneath a basin is found to be related to the radi...