Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2009MI134B

Water Quantity and Water Quality Effects of BMPs Implementation in Urban Areas

Institute: Michigan
Year Established: 2009 Start Date: 2009-03-01 End Date: 2010-02-28
Total Federal Funds: $10,000 Total Non-Federal Funds: $21,103

Principal Investigators: Amirpouyan Nejadhashemi, Dawn Reinhold

Abstract: Extensive body of scientific research has been addressed the negative impacts of urbanization on water quality and groundwater recharge; however, this not only a global concern. In Michigan many studies have already warned about the negative affect of current rate of urbanization on water resources (Nichollas and Warbach, 2004, Staley, 2001). Best management practices (BMPs) are traditionally used to mitigate the negative effects of human activates such as agricultural practices and urbanization. Many studies have been conducted concerning the effectiveness and design criteria of urban BMPs at various scales and under different conditions; however, the results have not been well compiled and organized. The goal of this study is to conduct a comprehensive literature review and organize and synthesize this information in a way that can easily assist stakeholders and policy makers in the decision-making process regarding BMP implementation strategy. This database will provide the range of effectiveness for various BMPs as regard to site-specific factors. The following objectives will be pursued to address the goal of the project: 1. Synthesize current literature and databases on water quality and quantity studies on urban BMPs effectiveness, limitations, and key design features. 2. Develop user-friendly software (BMP-toolbox) to estimates BMP effectiveness on pollution mitigation and groundwater recharge based on site-specific factors. The study will be performed in three stages. In the first stage, a comprehensive literature review will be conducted to collect data concerning urban BMPs limitations and effectiveness under different field conditions. In the next stage, the collected data will be organized within the database environment and finally, the BMP-toolbox will be developed. This toolbox will permit users to select a BMP or group of BMPs based on project requirements and limitations.