Turbidity modeling based on the concentration of total suspended solids for stormwater runoff from construction and development sites

摘要

Stormwater discharges from construction sites carry large sediment loads resulting in highly turbid water. Thus, to reduce sediment concentration in construction site runoff, a standard is currently being established in the United States, using turbidity as a surrogate measure of sediment concentration. Since current models predict concentration of total suspended solids (TSS), a relationship between turbidity and TSS would allow these models to predict turbidity of the runoff. This research has been shown to develop turbidity - TSS relationship for primary particle classes of Cecil and Pacolet soils. A linear regression model was developed to correlate turbidity and TSS for each primary particle class. This model predicts turbidity based on sediment concentrations for each of the primary particles which allows prediction of turbidity for a soil composed of any combination of these particle classes. Further, it allows prediction of turbidity for combination of different soils and the impact of stormwater BMPs on turbidity.