Showing papers on "Nonpoint source pollution published in 1978"

The Pesticide Content of Surface Water Draining from Agricultural Fields—A Review

Abstract: The literature on pesticide losses in runoff waters from agricultural fields is reviewed. For the majority of commercial pesticides, total losses are 0.5%0 or less of the amounts applied, unless severe rainfall conditions occur within 1–2 weeks after application. Exceptions are the organochlorine insecticides, which may lose about 1% regardless of weather pattern because of their long persistence; and soil surface-applied, wettable-powder formulations of herbicides, which may lose up to 5%, depending on weather and slope, because of the ease of washoff of the powder.Pesticides with solubilities of 10 ppm or higher are lost mainly in the water phase of runoff, and erosion control practices will have little effect on such losses. Organochlorine pesticides, paraquat, and arsenical pesticides, however, are important cases of pesticides which are strongly adsorbed by sediments, and erosion control can be important in controlling losses of these compounds.The behavior and fate of pesticides in streams receiving runoff is generally not known. Information on such factors as time and distance of impact of a given runoff event, ability of local ecosystems to recover from transient pesticide concentrations, and dissipation or concentration processes in aquatic ecosystems will have to be obtained before “edge-of-field” pesticide losses can be related to water quality in receiving waters.

Water resources and the land-water interface.

Abstract: Development and implementation of local and regional plans to control nonpoint sources of pollution from agricultural land are major mandates of section 208 of Public Law 92-500. Many planners tend to equate erosion control as measured by the universal soil loss equation with improvements in water quality. Others implement channel management practices which degrade rather than improve water quality and thereby decrease the effectiveness of other efforts to control nonpoint sources. Planners rarely recognize the importance of the land-water interface in regulating water quality in agricultural watersheds. More effective planning can result from the development of "best management systems" which incorporate theory from all relevant disciplines.

Nitrogen Fertilizer and Nitrate Concentrations in Tributaries of the Upper Sangamon River in Illinois

Abstract: Several errors occurred in the above article which appeare d in the January-Marc h 1978 issue of the Journal of Environmental Qualify. In the Result s section, page 18, first column, 14th line, NH3 shoul d read NFt. The caption for Table 2 on page 17 shoul d read \"1974 farm survey data: means and standar d deviation (in parentheses ) for selected variables. \" Similarly, the caption for Table 3 on page 18 should read \"1975 farm survey data: means and standar d deviations (in parentheses ) for selected variables. \" In both Tables 2 and 3 the unit of measuremen t for \"Study area, \" \"Corn,\" \"Soybeans, \" and \"Smal grains\" shoul d be ha, not km. Finally, in the Appendi x Table on page 22, the datum for HOGS in 1974, subwatershe d 2, shoul d be 21.3, not 10.8.

Characterization of urban runoff

Abstract: Unrecorded pollution and nonpoint sources are too important to be neglected in water quality analysis, but the findings in the literature have been too scattered in place and time, and too diversely reported, to have been fully accepted. Such pollution is usually referred to as nonpoint source pollution, or in developed areas as urban runoff, in spite of the fact that considerable parts of it are delivered by large storm sewers and may originate partly from unrecorded urban point sources. For convenience, this usual terminology is employed in this paper. The work of each of five participating institutes was designed to evaluate urban runoff pollution from areas within that state and to relate those findings to differences in land use. Results have been reported in detail in the separate reports by the respective investigators. This report summarizes these findings and then draws conclusions which the five principal investigators agreed upon.

Simulation of urban non-point source pollution

Abstract: Public Law 92–00 has mandated the need for evaluating the impact of nonpoint source pollution on receiving water quality, primarily through Section 208 Areawide Planning. The Management of Urban Non-Point Pollution (MUNP) model was developed to estimate the accumulation of eight non-point pollutants on urban streets, their removal by both rainfall and street sweeping operations. The model can simulate the following pollutants: total solids or sediment-like material, volatile solids, five-day biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, Kjeldahl nitrogen, nitrates, phosphates, and total heavy metals. The simulated results can be used for investigation of non-point pollution management alternatives. The model is capable of reflecting variation in such diverse factors as physical and chemical characteristics of accumulated pollutants, land use characteristics, rainfall characteristics, street sweeper characteristics, roadway characteristics, and traffic conditions. By using mean estimates of many input variables for large segments of a city, the MUNP model could be used to quickly assess the magnitude of pollutants annually entering receiving waterways due to nonpoint source pollution alone. If the results indicate that non-point pollution loadings are sizeable and require futher analysis, the MUNP model could be used to define the specific nonpoint source pollution areas within a city. Hypothetical locations and actual rainfall data for Washigton D.C. were used to demonstrate some capabilities of the MUNP model.

Controlling nonpoint externalities with input restrictions in an irrigated river basin

Abstract: Irrigated agriculture is a major nonpoint source of surface water quality degradation. Nonpoint source discharges can be controlled by either output taxes or restrictions, or input taxes or restrictions. The economic theory of externality control with taxes or restrictions on input use is developed. The effectiveness of alternative input control policies in improving surface water quality is demonstrated with a mathematical model of the agriculture and water quality in Washington State's Yakima River Basin. Water quality parameters considered were river nitrogen concentration, water temperature, and cropland soil losses. Producer and social abatement costs were the most important measures of policy effectiveness.

Nonpoint Sources: State-of-the-Art Overview

Abstract: DURING the past few years, the term nonpoint pollution source has become exceedingly important to agriculture. In 1972, Federal legislation (Public Law 92-500) was passed bringing many forms of agricu-turally related nonpoint pollution under regulatory authority. Section 208 of Public Law 92-500 created a cooperative local/state/Federal system for areawide water quality planning. Nonpoint pollution sources are a major concern to these 208 planners. During the past, both basic and applied research have been conducted on such classical soil and water conservation topics as erosion control, sediment transport, soil chemistry and physics, crop production, range management, agricultural chemicals, animal science, and forestry. The challenge today is to locate, interpret, and compile this past knowledge into forms useful for Section 208 planners. This paper reviews the current knowledge concerning the occurrence of nonpoint pollution sources such as sediment, nutrients, pesticides, and fecal con-taminants. Sediment transport equations are reviewed and described and the pollution potential of range and pasture livestock production is discussed.

The Other Water Pollution.

Abstract: (1978). The Other Water Pollution. Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development: Vol. 20, No. 5, pp. 12-20.

Intensive hydrographical and water quality survey of the Chincoteague/Sinepuxent/Assawoman Bay Systems : Volume III. Non-point source pollution studies in the Chincoteague Bay System

Abstract: NON-POINT SOURCE POLLUTION IN THE CHINCOTEAGUE BASIN Based on field data collected from ten sample sites encompassing seven land uses, the U. S. Army Corps of Engineer's STORM model has been calibrated and applied to the watershed of the Chincoteague Bay System located on the eastern shore~ of Delawaret Maryland, and Virginia. Current and projected year 2000 non-point source pollution loads have been calculated and current loads have been compared with point source discharges and storm-generated marsh nutrient exports. Point sources are responsible for larger quantities of ammonia and phosphorous while non-point sources contribute greater amounts of nitrate and coliforms. Rough equivalence is noted in the contributions of organic nitrogen and BOD5 . A single storm on the local ma~shes, however, can produce nutrient export of the same order of magnitude as the monthly average point or non-point source loads from the remainde~ of the basin.

A review of sediment predictive techniques as viewed from the perspective of nonpoint pollution management

Abstract: User-oriented criteria for the evaluation of physically based management models are presented. These criteria emphasize the utility rather than the elegance of the model. The standards are then applied to efforts at predicting non-point pollutant loadings. In particular a critical review of sediment pollution is used as the basis for the evaluation of sediment yield models as management tools. A wide range of sediment yield models are rated and recommendations for their use are made.

Controlling Organics: The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California Experience

Abstract: In anticipation of federal regulations by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) limiting the concentration of organic chemical contaminants in drinking water,1 the Metropolitan Water Dist. of Southern California (Metropolitan) has substantially increased its trace organics monitoring capability by providing analytical equipment, new laboratory facilities, and additional personnel. Metropolitan, a public and municipal corporation of the state of California, provides supplemental water as a wholesaler through 27 member agencies (cities and water districts) to nearly 11 million people in a 13 000-km2 (4900-sq mi) service area on the coastal plain of southern California (Fig. 1). Approximately one half of this supplemental water860 X 106 m3 (700 000 acre-ft)is imported from the Colorado River. Initial deliveries of Colorado River water began in 1941. In addition, Metropolitan has contracted to receive more than 2400 X 106 m3 (2 million acre-ft) annually of porthern California water through the State Water Project. First deliveries of northern water began in 1972. In response to anticipated regulations concerning organic contaminants, Metropolitan has begun a diversified program to study organic compounds in water supplies. Initially, the program is concentrating on those constituents with significant water quality implications. The overall program objectives include monitoring, source identification, and determination of the effects of treatment alternatives to minimize the production of harmful organic substances. The monitoring phase will include sample collection at selected points in the system over sufficient time periods to determine seasonal variations and perhaps trends. Sampling and concentration methods will be evaluated. In future studies point as well as nonpoint sources will be sought for both natural and artifi: cial compounds found within the system. In the evaluation of the treatment processes, the effectiveness of current and proposed unit processes will be

Assessing Nonpoint Water Quality for Small Streams

Abstract: The procedures and results of an assessment study of water quality in a small stream impacted only by nonpoint source pollution are presented. Also, considerations for the design of a small stream monitoring survey are discussed. A mathematical model for water quality in small streams was applied to the monitoring data and estimates of the nonpoint source water quality were obtained. An attempt was made to interpret the nonpoint quality in terms of land use.

Runoff pollution from multiple family housing

Abstract: Increasingly, residential development in urbanizing areas is accomplished by large housing projects, composed of clusters of townhouses or garden partments. It is hypothesized that the runoff from such developments should carry more pollution than that from the same number of housing units on separate plots, because the runoff is conveyed directly to drainage channels rather than being drained across lawns and gardens, which may absorb part of the pollutants. In order to evaluate this effect, storm event data were obtained from a planned unit development near Hightstown, N. J., using samples taken every 10 minutes throughout the storm at two different storm sewers. Results show heavy metals pollution about what had been anticipated, in accordance with the hypothesis given above, and BOD ammonia and phosphates higher than predicted. The results are significant for areawide water quality planning in metropolitan areas, where projections of future pollution loadings depends upon the land use.

Prediction of the quality of water in a proposed impoundment in Southwestern Wisconsin, USA

Abstract: The probable quality of water in a large multipurpose impoundment under construction in the driftless area of southwestern Wisconsin was determined by using stream monitoring data, statistical information, and literature values for point and nonpoint nutrient loading The impoundment drainage basin is largely rural, and much of the area slopes steeply Point sources of N and P (sewage treatment plants and farmyards) are small relative to nonpoint sources (runoff from agriculture and forest lands) Stream flow and nutrient concentration are positively related The major fraction of the nutrient input is from runoff from snowmelt and from early summer storms The calculated annual loadings of total N and total P were compared to accepted static and dynamic models to predict the resultant water quality These comparisons indicated that the impoundment would be heavily overloaded with P and so would be highly eutrophic Owing to the nonpoint nature of the nutrient sources, they would be difficult and expensive to control Partly as a result of this assessment, further funding for the impoundment was withdrawn

Planning diffuse pollution control: an analytical framework

Abstract: Determination of an optimal nonpoint pollution control strategy demands information relating to (1) costs of pollutant reduction, (2) transport of pollutants, (3) water quality impact of pollutants, and (4) the economic impact of water quality changes. This paper briefly reviews the literature in each of these areas and suggests an analytical framework useful in the development of an optimal nonpoint pollutant control strategy.

State Water Quality Control Program in Arizona

Abstract: Arizona's water pollution control program is based on authorties of Arizona Revised Statutes and Public Law 92–500, the Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972. The primary areas of this program are monitoring, facility inspections, plan review, planning, discharge permits and grants for the construction of publicly-owned waste water treatment facilities. The discharge permit program deals with control of point-source discharges and is administered by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The planning and construction grants programs are administered by the State Water Quality Control Council and are implemented by the Bureau of Water Quality Control, which serves as staff to the Council. There are several challenges that face the State in this program. First is the adaptation of the “eastern law” to deal with Arizona's water quality problems. Second is to address problems caused by a long history of “laissez-faire” environmental quality management. Third is a mutual cooperation and coordination among the many entities involved in water resources management. Areas of particular interest in the State's program is the process setting water quality standards and the involvement of people of diversified backgrounds in the field of areawide planning under Section 208 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, which is primarily concerned with non-point sources of water pollution.