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Stormwater Management for TMDLs in an Arid Climate: A Case Study Application of SUSTAIN in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Citation:
Selvakumar, A. AND L. Shoemaker. Stormwater Management for TMDLs in an Arid Climate: A Case Study Application of SUSTAIN in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Presented at 50 years of watershed modeling, Boulder, CO, September 24 - 26, 2012.
Impact/Purpose:
The primary objective of this effort was to identify cost-effective stormwater management strategies to reducing E. coli loading based on a target consistent with the Middle Rio Grande E. Coli TMDL target using an optimization framework. The SUSTAIN modeling system integrates watershed modeling capabilities, BMP process simulation, and BMP cost representation within the context of a cost-benefit optimization framework. The system can be used to evaluate complex decisions about BMP selection, placement, performance, and costs for meeting flow or water quality targets or both.
Description:
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Office of Research and Development and U.S. EPA Region 6 conducted a study that evaluated the use of best management practices (BMPs) for stormwater management in an arid climate. The System for Urban Stormwater Treatment and Analysis INtegration (SUSTAIN) was the platform used for this study. The focus area is in the Albuquerque metropolitan area in north-central New Mexico and lies along an urban portion of the Middle Rio Grande watershed that was listed for Escherichia coli (E. Coli) impairment as part of a recent total maximum daily load (TMDL). The study investigates both site- and regional-scale stormwater management questions ahead of a pending municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) watershed-based permit (WBP). With the large degree of variability in physical, hydrological, and chemical characteristic in a watershed, watershed-scale management for the nonpoint source component of MS4 permits quickly grows in complexity. Given the heterogeneity of contributing pollutant sources, managing the watershed in one way versus another might result in significant cost differences between strategies that yield comparable water quality outcomes.