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ARS Home » Midwest Area » West Lafayette, Indiana » National Soil Erosion Research Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #158823
Title: METHODOLOGY FOR DETERMINING EFFECTS OF EXTENT AND GEOMETRY OF IMPERVIOUS SURFACE ON HYDROLOGIC BALANCE

Author
item Pappas, Elizabeth
item SHUSTER, W - US-EPA
item Smith, Douglas
item Bonta, James - Jim

Submitted to: First Interagency Conference on Research in the Watersheds
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/27/2003
Publication Date: 10/27/2003
Citation: WARNEMUENDE, E.A., SHUSTER, W., SMITH, D.R., BONTA, J.V. METHODOLOGY FOR DETERMINING EFFECTS OF EXTENT AND GEOMETRY OF IMPERVIOUS SURFACE ON HYDROLOGIC BALANCE. FIRST INTERAGENCY CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH IN THE WATERSHEDS. 2003. p. 89-94.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Urbanization of watersheds previously managed for agricultural uses results in hydrologic changes associated with increased flooding, erosion, and surface water degradation. Few studies have been conducted to quantify these effects under controlled conditions and standard rainfall simulation methodologies have not been established. In this project, the sensitivity of rainfall simulation methods to various impervious treatments are examined, and a modular segmented soil box design is developed in order to quantify the hydrologic, erosional, and water quality impacts of the spatial and size distributions of impervious areas, as well as the impacts of land uses of area hydrologically connected to impervious areas. Hydrologic, nutrient, and pesticide data from runoff under rainfall simulation will be collected and analyzed. Treatments will include the following distributions of imperviousness at the 20%, 30%, and 40% total impervious area level: effective impervious elements each 1.25%, 5%, and 20% of total hydrologic area, non-effective impervious elements each 1.25%, 5%, and 20% of total hydrologic area. In addition, best management practices of turf hydrologically connected to impervious areas will be evaluated. In conjunction with this study, a field study will be conducted at the North Appalachian Experimental Watershed near Coshocton, OH by members of the USDA-ARS and US Environmental Protection Agency. The field study will investigate impervious surface effects at the small watershed scale.