Grantee Research Project Results
2021 Progress Report: Temporal and Spatial Optimization of Existing and Emerging Nutrient Management Technologies and Practices for Control of Harmful Algal Blooms
EPA Grant Number: R840090Title: Temporal and Spatial Optimization of Existing and Emerging Nutrient Management Technologies and Practices for Control of Harmful Algal Blooms
Investigators: Zhang, Qiong , Mihelcic, James R. , Ergas, Sarina , Arias, Mauricio , Charkhgard, Hadi , Rains, Mark , Nachabe, Mahmood
Institution: University of South Florida
EPA Project Officer: Ludwig-Monty, Sarah
Project Period: September 1, 2020 through August 31, 2023 (Extended to August 31, 2024)
Project Period Covered by this Report: September 1, 2020 through August 31,2021
Project Amount: $1,000,000
RFA: Approaches to Reduce Nutrient Loadings for Harmful Algal Blooms Management (2020) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Harmful Algal Blooms , Water
Objective:
The overall goal of this project is to optimize the implementation of nutrient treatment technologies and management practices guided directly by the ecological response of the watershed for effective Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) control. The project objectives are to: 1) develop a holistic assessment framework for evaluating existing and emerging nutrient management technologies/strategies, 2) create an innovation road map for supporting the scale-up of promising emerging technologies, and 3) integrate hydro-ecological models of temporal algae production with nutrient management optimization models. The project will provide decision makers with a tool to temporally and spatially implement the most appropriate suite of nutrient management strategies for HAB control.
Progress Summary:
During this reporting period, we organized a large stakeholder meeting, followed with several meetings with a subcommittee of the stakeholder group for individual tasks to received feedbacks. Four tasks were planned and have been carried out as planned for Year 1. The progresses made in each task were summarized as following: (Task 1) – We developed and tested a new assessment framework (including five dimensions - technology, environment, management, and society - and 15 indicators) to evaluate best management practices (BMPs), and this has been applied to identify potential BMPs for each reach of the Upper Kissimmee, Lower Kissimmee, and Taylor Creek/Nubbin Slough sub-watersheds; (Task 2) – Some innovative nutrient removal technologies have been identified to control nutrients in urban and agricultural runoff. Following the suggestions from the subcommittee of our stakeholder group in terms of the best path forward to develop a roadmap for implementation of emerging technologies, the partnership with a utility (the City of Lakeland) and a technology vender (Mackworth-Enviro) has been established. We also identified three sites with high N and P loads, as well as potential for public education on nutrients BMPs; (Task 3): A version of the WAM hydrological/water quality model was recalibrated and validated for five of nine sub-watersheds with recent hydroclimatic conditions. A high-resolution Delft3D hydrodynamic model has been developed/calibrated for flows. The effect of watershed-wide BMP optimization on nutrient load reduction and algae production has been modeled for two of the sub-watersheds; (Task 4): We developed a deterministic optimization model which provides optimal spatial and temporal decisions with respect to the implementation of nutrient management technologies/practices. Objectives of the optimization model include minimizing the Phosphorus, minimizing the Nitrogen, and/or both. All research activities are following the approved Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP).
Some important outcomes from the project are: (1) In the development of the assessment framework, it was found that the scalability is an indicator emphasized by the stakeholders; (2) The evaluation results of ten BMPs using the framework are comparable with the ranking of the BMPs from the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) indicating that the framework captures the important criteria that the stakeholders are concerned with. (3) Nutrient transport and spatial patterns in the lake are complex and they do seem to trigger algae blooms, in particular nitrogen; (4) Optimizing the placement of BMPs do in fact influence the reduction of total nutrient loads. The project results will be disseminated in the AWRA National Conference (three abstracts) and the AGU Fall Meeting (one abstract). Another important outcome during the first year is the development of a user-friendly Python optimization package.
Future Activities:
The planned activities include: (1) finalize the assessment framework and apply it to evaluate all potential BMPs/technologies identified; (2) continue bench and column scale experiments investigating potential innovative nutrient removal technologies and carry out preliminary testing for some locations; (3) complete baseline simulations with the watershed model (WAM), complete the calibration and validate of the lake model (Delft3D), and conduct uncertainty analysis; (4) fully validate the deterministic optimization model and use the feedback obtained from WAM-Delft3D to further improve the optimization model.
Journal Articles on this Report : 1 Displayed | Download in RIS Format
| Other project views: | All 25 publications | 9 publications in selected types | All 9 journal articles |
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Tarabih O, Dang T, Paudel R, Arias M. Lake operation optimization of nutrient exports:Application of phosphorus control in the largest subtropical lake in the United States. Environmental Modeling & Software 2023;160(105603). |
R840090 (2021) R840090 (Final) |
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Progress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.