Novel Application of Fiber Optic Sensor for Characterizing Real-Time Contaminant Transport in Rapid Storm Runoff

摘要

Concern over suspended sediment in storm water runoff continues to increase in both government and industrial institutions. The US Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Regulatory Affairs in 2002 started a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) working group to focus on the looming impact of the listing of water bodies as 'impaired' under the Clean Water Act Section 303(d). A TMDL allocates the total mass of a specific contaminant that can be discharged from a permitted industrial facility. Recent discussions with this group have revealed a few common contaminants that are potential candidates for listing around DOE facilities including: metals (e.g. mercury), PCBs, and other organic compounds like dioxins and pesticides. Under the current regulations it is the total concentration of these contaminants in water that is limited by TMDLs, not just the dissolved portions. This is significant as all the previously listed contaminants are more likely to be absorbed to suspended sediments than they are to be dissolved in storm water runoff. This means that in order to understand -- even correctly estimate -- the total load of these contaminants, accurate estimates of the suspended sediment loads are necessary.