Browsing by Subject "Environmental Engineering"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Evaluating Best Management Practices Using Wireless Sensor Networks
    (2011-04-13) Thell, Kaitlin
    The increase in urbanization has taking a toll on the quality of streams. Due to this, there has been an increased concentration of pollutants in urban streams. Pollutants including but are not limited to: herbicides, suspended solids, petroleum hydrocarbons, heavy metals, and pesticides. Storm water best management practices (BMPs) are tactics used to manage or lower pollutant loadings. Examples of BMPs are stormwater ponds used for settling particles and wetlands to remove organic pollutants. Currently, stream water quality is evaluated using a technique called grab sampling where the stream is sampled at a determined interval, which could be every week or every other week. However, this method is not the best because it does not capture the short term spikes of sediment or pollutants that occur during events such as rainstorms that could be problematic. In this project, grab sampling and a system of sensors called wireless sensor networks were used to capture real time data. By using these two techniques, the sort term spikes and how they were removed by the environment were able to be observed.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Performance Testing of Alternative Media for Use in Stormwater Biofilters
    (2019-05) Cruz, Chanelle
    This work included the in situ testing, laboratory characterization, and performance monitoring of biofilters amended with standard and alternative medias. Testing identified pertinent physical and water transport qualities of media that was compared between the methods to evaluate the predictive capacity of laboratory testing. Performance monitoring included a pilot test plot comparing compost and peat amended biofilters and a newly constructed peat biofilter. Field and laboratory testing revealed a range of performance in existing biofilters but did not indicate over or under performance of biofilters amended with alternative medias. The results of the two methods showed promise for the use of laboratory methods in predicting field performance. The monitoring at the pilot plot showed comparable infiltration capabilities between peat and compost. Both biofilters showed the ability to capture first flush rainfall events. The pilot plots showed clear impacts on infiltration efficiency based on initial soil moisture content and the duration of storm events. The newly constructed biofilter experienced similar impacts but also showed promise in meeting stormwater infiltration requirements.