Education

Research Description

I am an member of the Bio & Ag Stormwater Management Group and Low Impact Development team. I provide research project assistance and extension outreach.

Grants

Protocol for Outlet Analysis at Highway Sites

NC Department of Transportation(8/16/18 - 8/15/21)

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Protocol for Outlet Analysis at Highway Sites

Sponsor: NC Department of Transportation

Start Date: 8/16/18

End Date: 8/15/21

Abstract

Regulations require NCDOT to ensure all post-construction stormwater discharges are conveyed without causing downstream erosion. Natural flow pathways may be altered to ensure construction is feasible; however, liability for any substantial damage is a concern. As of date, NCDOT’s Guidelines for Drainage Studies and Hydraulic Design lack specific methods to assess outlets for overland erosion, resulting in evaluations that rely on best professional judgement. Somewhat related, previous research in North Carolina has included culvert assessments and stream stability as well as erosion and discharge metrics for stormwater control measures (SCMs). However, this previous research did not consider overland erosion or the effects of watershed area, hydrologic soil groups, and other NCDOT approved outlet types. This project will reduce the gap in knowledge and consist of four primary objectives: (1) determine the current conditions of NCDOT-managed outlets and identify which characteristics affect downslope stability, (2) develop a replicable outlet analysis protocol that uses a ranking system rather than best professional judgement for assessments, (3) create design standards for outlets that minimize erosion and cost, and (4) produce a Microsoft Excel-based tool that synthesizes the project results. Prior to any work, North Carolina State University (NCSU) will collaborate with NCDOT to explicitly define stable and unstable downslope receiving areas, which will form the basis of this project.

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Assessment of Park Shopping Center in Siler City

NC Clean Water Management Trust Fund(3/01/18 - 6/30/19)

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Assessment of Park Shopping Center in Siler City

Sponsor: NC Clean Water Management Trust Fund

Start Date: 3/01/18

End Date: 6/30/19

Abstract

The Loves Creek Watershed is impaired for habitat degradation. The Town of Siler City is interested in daylighting a portion of a Loves Creek tributary to improve water quality and aquatic health while minimizing localized flooding. This project has been funded by the North Carolina Clean Water Management Trust Fund (CWMTF). NCSU-BAE will evaluate the feasibility of daylighting the tributary and identify the best alternative to pursue (daylight tributary into meandering stream, daylight tributary into wetlands, install SCMs, do nothing).

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Assistance with Selection and Monitoring of Stormwater Control Measures in the City of Asheville

Asheville, NC(8/15/17 - 12/31/19)

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Assistance with Selection and Monitoring of Stormwater Control Measures in the City of Asheville

Sponsor: Asheville, NC

Start Date: 8/15/17

End Date: 12/31/19

Abstract

State and federal regulations require the city of Asheville (city) to manage and mitigate the effects of stormwater runoff. To comply with these regulations, the city has obtained the services of Hazen and Sawyer to design three to be determined stormwater control measures (SCMs). In addition to achieving compliance, the city wants to monitor these SCMs for water quality and hydrology. North Carolina State University (NCSU) will collaborate with Hazen and Sawyer to review the SCM designs to ensure water quality and hydrology monitoring is feasible, apply for grant fund acquisition from state sources, and assist with community outreach.

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Modeling low impact commercial hotel development in Black Creek Watershed

US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)(8/17/18 - 4/15/21)

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Modeling low impact commercial hotel development in Black Creek Watershed

Sponsor: US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Start Date: 8/17/18

End Date: 4/15/21

Abstract

A collaborative partnership under the Black Creek Watershed Association is working with the community and landowners to reduce the volume and velocity of stormwater runoff entering the creek system with the goals of improving aquatic habitat, water quality and secondary recreational contact. The Black Creek Watershed Plan identifies stormwater retrofits that infiltrate stormwater as the main management measure needed to meet these goals and remove it from the 303(d) list. A follow-up study identified an impervious surface disconnection goal related to the amount of development that occurred prior to the implementation of the Neuse River stormwater rules (Horvath 2011). While the team has been successfully and steadily implementing retrofits to reduce runoff `since 2010, macro-invertebrate assessments conducted in 2016 (May and Nov) indicate a lack of noticeable improvement in these populations. The remaining land in this urbanizing watershed continues to be developed with high intensity land uses given its ideal location in the Triangle adjacent to several parks, Research Triangle Park, and SAS Institute’s World Headquarters. A tributary to Black Creek has recently experienced severe erosion following development of a high density commercial and residential development in its headwaters. As a result, the Beechtree Homeowners Association (Beechtree HOA) is committing $20,000 to repair a section of the tributary that is eroding away their greenway. The macro-invertebrate assessment and tributary condition degradation point to evidence that current stormwater management practices may not be effectively protecting Black Creek from continued degradation. While the BCWA has been primarily focusing upon stormwater retrofits, strategies to prevent additional stormwater from running off of new development may help protect the investments made to retrofit existing development and disconnect impervious surfaces. This raises the question of how can we work with developers to provide real, measureable protection of Black Creek from development impacts? This project proposes a partnership between Beechtree HOA, the Black Creek Watershed Association, Water Resources Research Institute, NCSU Dept of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Daly 7, a local development firm, and its contracted engineering firm, Red Line Engineering, to design, develop, and monitor a low impact development hotel site in the watershed. Daly 7 has been contracted by Marriott Hotels to develop two hotels on a parcel of land within the Black Creek Watershed, upstream from the HOA’s greenway and at the headwater of the aforementioned degraded tributary. The partnership seeks to model, design, and evaluate distributed runoff volume-reducing stormwater control measures on the site with the goal of little to no additional runoff from the developed site entering the stream system. Pre and post stream stability assessments coupled with hydrology monitoring will assess the actual performance on stream health. This project is inspired by and will consider lessons learned in a similar ground-breaking low-impact development in Northeast Raleigh,The Market at Colonnade. The proposal team has met with the stormwater engineer and site developers and managers of the Market at Colonnade to help inform this proposal. This high profile project with a world-renown corporate hotel chain has a high potential to provide a model for collaboratively and sustainably managing stormwater on a highly impervious commercial use that drains to an impaired waterway.

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Maintenance Costs of Stormwater Control Measures (SCMs) in North Carolina

NCSU WRRI Storm Water Management Group(8/01/17 - 6/30/19)

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Maintenance Costs of Stormwater Control Measures (SCMs) in North Carolina

Sponsor: NCSU WRRI Storm Water Management Group

Start Date: 8/01/17

End Date: 6/30/19

Abstract

With urbanization the need for stormwater control measures (SCMs) to meet federal and state stormwater regulations grows. Maintenance is necessary and typically required by state and local regulations to ensure SCMs remain functional and continue to mitigate the impacts of urbanization. In addition to functional drivers, SCMs are also maintained for aesthetic appeal. Previous research has quantified maintenance costs for SCMs in North Carolina but (1) this study is dated, (2) there remains a lack of data regarding costs for routine, preventative/proactive, and restorative maintenance, and (3) the relationship of curbside appeal (aesthetic need) and maintenance frequency (i.e., how does the location of a SCM affect its aesthetics and the level of maintenance performed) has not been evaluated. North Carolina State University Biological & Agricultural Engineering (NCSU BAE) is seeking to partner with the Urban Stormwater Consortium (USC) of the Water Resources Research Institute of the University of North Carolina (WRRI) to answer these questions. Updated information will provide municipal guidance for budgeting and maintenance optimization (i.e., cost effectiveness of preventative versus restorative maintenance SCM maintenance), which will allow entities responsible for SCM maintenance to better allocate their resources (human and financial capital). Additionally, the researchers anticipate these findings will improve SCM implementation with respect to available resources. While maintaining the interviewees’ anonymity, NCSU will interview (1) representatives from the WRRI-USC communities, (2) at least 20 individuals who work with private firms who have been certified under the NCSU Stormwater BMP Inspection & Maintenance Workshop series, (3) staff from the NCSU and University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill stormwater maintenance groups, (4) employees of the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), and (5) a few out-of-state maintenance-conducting entities. A standard set of questions will be developed, including (but not limited to): how many practices are maintained, the characteristics of the maintained practices (e.g., age and watershed size), the location of the maintained practices with respect to the parcel/catchment, the types of maintenance tasks needed for a particular SCM, the frequency and time for each maintenance task, the costs associated with each task (and cumulatively each practice), and whether certain (more expensive) tasks can be avoided by conducting alternative (less costly) maintenance. Maintenance will be determined for both highly visible (those meeting important aesthetic needs) and low visibility (and consequent lack of aesthetic appeal) SCMs. Descriptive statistics (e.g., average, range, etc.) of the maintenance costs will be reported for each practice (and how it might differentiate among land uses). These results will be disseminated through a final report to WRRI, a peer-reviewed journal publication, state and national conferences, and the NCSU Stormwater BMP Inspection & Certification Workshop series.

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Brynn Marr Watershed Water Quality Improvement

US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)(5/01/17 - 9/30/19)

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Brynn Marr Watershed Water Quality Improvement

Sponsor: US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Start Date: 5/01/17

End Date: 9/30/19

Abstract

Jacksonville, North Carolina, has experienced explosive population growth and subsequent land development over the last 25 years. In 2014, Forbes magazine listed Jacksonville as the fifth fastest-growing small city in the country. Due in part to this rapid development, water quality in the New River, a part of the White Oak River Basin, has declined significantly. Local watersheds in and around Jacksonville have experienced an increase in flooding, stream bank erosion, and sedimentation. In addition, portions of the New River are classified as nutrient sensitive. Of particular concern are the closing of SA waters in the New River due to high bacteria counts. All rivers in the basin have periods of anoxia, as well as incidents of high fecal coliform counts and turbidity levels. Operating under the White Oak River Basin Restoration Priorities (ORBRP) document developed by the Ecosystem Enhancement Program in 2010, this project aims, through the design and installation of two urban stormwater control measures (SCM), to begin the process of mimicking predevelopment hydrology in areas characterized by high percentages of impervious surface. The two engineering projects slated for installation for this project are SCMs designed to retain and treatstormwater runoff from highly impervious commercial parcels. Both projects will be monitored for hydrology and water quality in order to assess design criteria for the region. This first project is a bioretention cell located in the parking lot of the Brynn Marr shopping center off Bell Fork Road in Jacksonville’s Brynn Marr Watershed. This project will treat a large percentage of stormwater runoff from an aging parking lot. The second project, also located in the Brynn Marr Watershed, is a constructed wetland located in the back parking lot of a local business, currently vacant. The parking lot is adjacent to a drainage ditch that will be expanded to hold and treat higher volumes of runoff. A pre-discharge sand filter will be added as an experimental design element. A sand berm will be constructed to force water through the filter before it reaches the outlet. Sand filtration is used widely in the early stages of drinking water treatment and the same concept may also be applied to stormwater treatment. Sand filters have an established record for pathogen removal which ideally will translate to constructed wetland systems. Both projects have support from the respective property owners, and both are in locations that will draw a great deal of attention to the effort. In keeping with the goals of the ORBRP, NC State Biological and Agricultural Engineering Department will partner with City of Jacksonville Stormwater and the local N.C. State Extension Office to collaborate not only on the design and construction of the projects, but public outreach and education as well. NC State will conduct at least one BMP Inspection and Maintenance workshop for Jacksonville residents and city staff to further promote stormwater awareness within the community. In addition, because the New River has not yet been assigned a formal watershed restoration plan as identified by the NCDENR 319 grant program, as project match NC State will aid the City of Jacksonville in the development of this document. By establishing a recognized 9-step restoration program, the City of Jacksonville ensure eligibility for future 319 funds geared toward water quality improvement in the New River.

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Evaluating Subsurface Gravel Wetlands

NC Clean Water Management Trust Fund(9/13/17 - 10/31/20)

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Evaluating Subsurface Gravel Wetlands

Sponsor: NC Clean Water Management Trust Fund

Start Date: 9/13/17

End Date: 10/31/20

Abstract

Subsurface gravel wetlands have produced favorable results in wastewater applications and initial promise in stormwater management. As of date, subsurface gravel wetlands have yet to be installed or monitored in NC. A sample installation of this innovative technology is proposed to be designed, installed, and monitored by North Carolina State University (NCSU), Kris Bass Engineering, and the city of Greensboro (city). NCSU and Kris Bass Engineering will be responsible for the design and monitoring of the subsurface gravel wetland. The city will review these designs and contribute funds to project implementation. NCSU will use the grant and contributed funds to acquire a contractor needed to construct the wetland. Monitoring (including equipment purchase, installation, data collection, and analysis) will be principally conducted by NCSU with cooperation from the city. The city will be responsible for maintaining the subsurface wetland and performing all inspections, post-monitoring. Project deliverables include production of reports, at least one peer-review journal publication, educational workshops, a technical worksheet, and presentations at two science and engineering conferences. If the practice proves worthy, NCSU will work with NCDEQ to add this technology to the state's Stormwater Design Manual and SCM Crediting Document.

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Clean Little Alamance From the Y Up

US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)(2/01/17 - 9/30/19)

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Clean Little Alamance From the Y Up

Sponsor: US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Start Date: 2/01/17

End Date: 9/30/19

Abstract

Little Alamance Creek, which drains a large portion of the City of Burlington, NC, is a 15.9 square mile 303-d listed stream for poor benthic health. A 2014 Category 4B Demonstration plan (NCDOT et al, 2014) was developed listing restoration and improvement goals of the watershed, including stormwater BMP retrofits for common urban water quality stressors. A 9-element plan (the Little Alamance, Travis, and Tickle Creek, or LATT, plan) was subsequently developed using the 4B as guidance and accepted by NCDEQ in 2015. North Carolina State University and the City of Burlington are proposing to partner and install one innovative stormwater BMPsat one City-owned site that drains to Little Alamance Creek. BMP 1 is to be a buried stormwater infiltration and detention chamber. In summary this project will consist of the following: • Design of one BMP retrofit by NC State Engineers, with construction of BMP by City of Burlington, In-Kind services and external contractors. The practice will treat runoff from 5 acres. The practice is under-utilized in North Carolina (Piedmont Infiltration Galleries). • Monitor the hydrologic & water quality effectiveness for the BMP 1 with detailed data collection by NCSU graduate students. This will enable piedmont infiltration galleries to be better understood and to inform future designs of similar BMPs • Engage in public outreach via workshops, public signage, and any local news media on the retrofits. At least one workshop (on retrofits) will be held in the Burlington/ NC Triad area. Another 1-2 will be given across NC.

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NCSU-BAE RSC Monitoring in Morrisville, NC

NC Clean Water Management Trust Fund(9/28/16 - 9/30/18)

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NCSU-BAE RSC Monitoring in Morrisville, NC

Sponsor: NC Clean Water Management Trust Fund

Start Date: 9/28/16

End Date: 9/30/18

Abstract

NCSU faculty, staff, and students will monitor the RSC located at Providence Place for one year, starting approximately 6 months after construction of the RSC is complete. A total of 15 storms will have inflow and outflow water quality samples collected. Six different pollutants will be analyzed: TSS, TKN, NO2-3, TAN, TP, and Dissolved P. From these measured pollutants TN, Organic N, and Particulate P can be calculated. These are the target pollutants in the Jordan Lake watershed (nutrients) as well as in water supply watersheds (TSS) across NC. Equipment will be installed by NCSU personnel at the outlet of the dry pond (and therefore inlet to the RSC) and then again at the outlet of the RSC before it joins an existing channel. Monitoring will be isolated so that only water initially discharged from the dry pond will be collected. Following results from Cizek et al. (2015), a special effort will be made to capture ‘seep out’ from the RSC in addition to overflow. V-notch weir assemblies at the inlet and outlet are most likely to be used. They will be crafted in the Biological and Agricultural Engineering shop at NC State University. They will be particularly sensitive to measuring low flows precisely as was needed at an earlier RSC study (Cizek et al. 2015). An expected 60-70 hydrologic events are expected to occur during the year of monitoring; however, the exact number is (of course) weather dependent. Water quality samples will be collected by an undergraduate student and or a research technician. All samples will be brought to the Center for Applied Aquatic Ecology (CAAE) laboratory at NC State University. This is an EPA-certified laboratory, which will run blanks and duplicate samples to verify measurements. Samples will be collected within 24h of the completion of the event and then cooled to 4oC prior to delivery to the laboratory. Statistical analysis will employ the upstream / downstream design, allowing the effect of the RSC on hydrology and water quality to be isolated. If possible, parametric statistics will be utilized, but if the measured data are not normally distributed non-parametric statistics will be employed. The latter is commonly done in stormwater research projects. Statistical analyses and a synthesis of findings will be conducted by an Extension Associate with the assistance of the project research lead, Dr. William F. Hunt. Pollutant loads will be calculated by multiplying flow volumes by the Event Mean Concentrations (EMCs) collected over the course of the study. One key component to the research will be calculating / estimating annual pollutant loads entering and then discharging the RSC.

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Bolin Lake Park Stormwater BMP Design & Supervision

Piedmont Conservation Council, Inc.(9/01/16 - 6/30/18)

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Bolin Lake Park Stormwater BMP Design & Supervision

Sponsor: Piedmont Conservation Council, Inc.

Start Date: 9/01/16

End Date: 6/30/18

Abstract

The Loves Creek Watershed is impaired for Habitat Degradation. This project was funded by NCDEQ-319h and will implement stormwater BMPs recommended by 2005 EEP preliminary report to help meet goals of reducing peak stormwater flows, Total Phosphorus (TP), Total Nitrogen (TN), and improve and maintain aquatic habitat. Focus will be primarily on an unnamed tributary to Loves Creek within Boling Lane Park. A series of three bioretention areas and two stormwater wetlands within the park will be designed by NCSU-BAE faculty. The installation will be supervised by NCSU-BAE faculty, as well. The practices will capture stormwater runoff from road culverts piped directly to the stream channel. The buffer along the stream channel will be created by others and planted with native vegetation. These BMPs will add to existing BMPs in downtown Siler City and add to reduction efforts in the Loves Creek watershed and will be monitored by others. NCSU-BAE will be a sub to the Piedmont Conservation Council (PCC).

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