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The Influence of Urban Density and Drainage Infrastructure on the Concentrations and Loads of Pollutants in Small Streams

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Abstract

Effective water quality management of streams in urbanized basins requires identification of the elements of urbanization that contribute most to pollutant concentrations and loads. Drainage connection (the proportion of impervious area directly connected to streams by pipes or lined drains) is proposed as a variable explaining variance in the generally weak relationships between pollutant concentrations and imperviousness. Fifteen small streams draining independent subbasins east of Melbourne, Australia, were sampled for a suite of water quality variables. Geometric mean concentrations of all variables were calculated separately for baseflow and storm events, and these, together with estimates of runoff derived from a rainfall-runoff model, were used to estimate mean annual loads. Patterns of concentrations among the streams were assessed against patterns of imperviousness, drainage connection, unsealed (unpaved) road density, elevation, longitude (all of which were intercorrelated), septic tank density, and basin area. Baseflow and storm event concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), filterable reactive phosphorus (FRP), total phosphorus (TP) and ammonium, along with electrical conductivity (EC), all increased with imperviousness and its correlates. Hierarchical partitioning showed that DOC, EC, FRP, and storm event TP were independently correlated with drainage connection more strongly than could be explained by chance. Neither pH nor total suspended solids concentrations were strongly correlated with any basin variable. Oxidized and total nitrogen concentrations were most strongly explained by septic tank density. Loads of all variables were strongly correlated with imperviousness and connection. Priority should be given to low-impact urban design, which primarily involves reducing drainage connection, to minimize urbanization-related pollutant impacts on streams.

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Acknowledgments

This study was part of CRCFE project D210, partly funded by the Melbourne Water Corporation. The following people are thanked: Peter Newall, Geoff Taylor, David Hatt, Barry Hart, Hugh Duncan, and Mike Grace for their critical comments, Andrew Barton for his work on the flow models, Pua Tai Sim and Jae Yong Yoo for the determination of subbasin variables, Carleen Mitchell for her contribution to the laboratory analysis, and the D210 team for their assistance in the field and laboratory.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cooperative Research Centre for Freshwater Ecology, Water Studies Centre, Monash University, Victoria, 3800, Australia

    Belinda E. Hatt, Christopher J. Walsh & Sally L. Taylor

  2. Cooperative Research Centre for Catchment Hydrology, Institute for Sustainable Water Resources, Department of Civil Engineering, Monash University, Victoria, 3800, Australia

    Tim D. Fletcher

  3. Current address: Cooperative Research Centre for Catchment Hydrology, Institute for Sustainable Water Resources, Department of Civil Engineering, Monash University, Victoria, 3800, Australia

    Belinda E. Hatt

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  1. Belinda E. Hatt
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Correspondence to Belinda E. Hatt.

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Hatt, B., Fletcher, T., Walsh, C. et al. The Influence of Urban Density and Drainage Infrastructure on the Concentrations and Loads of Pollutants in Small Streams. Environmental Management 34, 112–124 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-004-0221-8

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