Polymer Enhanced Best Management Practices for Erosion and Sedimentation Control, Water Clarification with a Focus on Nutrient Control and Soil Stabilization

摘要

Sedimentation and excess nutrient loads, including phosphorous, entering our water bodies from erosion, fertilizers, manures, and crop runoff cause eutrophic conditions that lead to algal blooms and surface water quality degradation. Using water soluble polymer technologies to enhance our current Best Management Practices (BMPs) we are able to greatly reduce sediment and nutrients from leaving a site as well as reduce the amount of sediment and or nutrients in a given water body. Three possible solutions using Polymer Enhanced Best Management Practices (PEBMPs) to accomplish this are as follows: (1) Capture or retain the sediment and nutrient before it can wash into our water bodies, (2) use polymer enhancement in conjunction with aeration systems, fountains, water falls, dewatering ditches, etc. to remove nutrients and turbidity from contaminated waters, and (3) if sediment has been deposited use polymer enhancement to remove unmanageable muck by de-mucking. Through various tests 75-90 percent reduction of phosphorous has been found as well as a 95 percent reduction in Total Suspended Solids (TSS) and Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTU's). Besides aesthetic effects, meeting compliance standards and the proposed Effluent Limitation Guidelines (ELG's) the importance of such reductions lies in the detrimental effects caused by turbidity. Such effects include the fact that contaminants attach to fine particulates and are thus transported into our various water bodies. Such contaminants include nutrients, phosphorous, bacteria, pesticides, and endocrine disruptors which have negative effects when discharged. These particulates make up turbidity which we measure in NTUs. Very low levels of turbidity have been found to have effects on aquatic life. Various papers and studies have shown that as low as 10-100 NTUs fish will start to show signs of stress. The general focus of this paper will therefore illustrate the most common and effective Polymer Enhanced Best Management Practices (PEBMPs) that have been quantified and are currently being used across various geographical locations to control sedimentation through three stages: dislodgement, transport, and deposition. Using various techniques with this technology it is possible to stabilize soil at the source so that it is not transported into our waters and if it is to perform water clarification to reduce turbidity, and if deposition has occurred to de-muck the sediment. Such systems will include the following: soil stabilization including polymer enhanced soft armoring applications, de-watering systems, pond and lake clarification including nutrient reductions, demucking, and SRBs (Sediment Retention Barriers).