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BMP COST ANALYSIS FOR SOURCE WATER PROTECTION
Citation:
Koustas*, R AND A Selvakumar*. BMP COST ANALYSIS FOR SOURCE WATER PROTECTION. 2003 AWRA International Congress on Watershed Management for Water Supply Systems, New York, NY, June 29 - July 02, 2003.
Impact/Purpose:
To inform public.
Description:
Cost equations are developed to estimate capital, and operations and maintenance (O&M) costs for commonly used best management practices (BMPs). Total BMP volume and/or surface area is used to predict these costs. Engineering News Record (ENR) construction cost index was used to adjust cost data to December 2000 value. Construction costs equations were adjusted for regional differences using ENR 20 city cost index. O&M costs were further adjusted for rainfall bias based on regional rainfall zones. Cost functions for the determination of BMP costs follow the single determinant equation: C = aPb, where a and b are a constant coefficient and exponent, respectively, and P is the determinant variable. The regression results showed that the capital costs of all BMPs correlate well with basin volume (R2 > 0.70) and reasonably well with basin area (R2 range from 0.43 to 0.95) except for wet detention ponds and grass swales. The O&M costs correlate well with basin area for grassed swales and constructed wetlands (R2 > 0.86) and not so well for wet detention ponds (R2 = 0.49). These cost equations, in conjunction with BMP performance models, will become a useful decision-making tool for evaluation of BMPs cost-effectiveness and placement for protection of drinking water sources.
KEY TERMS: best management practices; capital cost; O&M cost; detention ponds.