Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2008NH87B

Urbanization Impacts on NH Streamwater Thermal Loading

Institute: New Hampshire
Year Established: 2008 Start Date: 2008-03-01 End Date: 2010-02-28
Total Federal Funds: $30,725 Total Non-Federal Funds: $64,734

Principal Investigators: Jennifer Jacobs, Thomas Ballestero, Robert Roseen

Abstract: The goal of the proposed research is to quantify the impact of urbanization on NH stream water temperature. We propose to 1) augment existing datasets from the UNH Stormwater Centers (UNHSC) stream temperature and conductivity monitoring locations. The methodologys target domain is headwater (primarily first order) streams in New England Coastal streams. For this project, there are four existing sites that are currently being monitored and an additional six sites will be identified and instrumented. 2) We will compare the magnitude and timing of heat input upstream and downstream of road crossings and impervious areas. 3) We will characterize the thermal loadings and concentrations longitudinally downstream of the source using a One-Dimensional Solute Transport with Inflow and Storage (OTIS) model. The model will be calibrated using continuous temperature measurements and fiber optic distributed temperature sensing (FO-DTS). The research results will determine if and when road crossings and impervious areas elevate background levels of temperature and the longitudinal extent of the impact. Recognizing that stormwater is managed using a variety of strategies and systems, the proposed research will characterize the thermal input to such stormwater facilities.