Implementation and evaluation of the use of a transient flow model in assessing the impact of urban stormwater runoff on the water quality of the Tennessee River at Knoxville

This study was part of an ongoing research project conducted by the Water Resources Research Center at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. The research project concerned the impact of urban stormwater runoff on the water quality of the Tennessee River at Knoxville. This study attempted to implement the use of a transient flow model for examination of water quality during runoff events. Specifically, the model was used to trace a slug of water from a point on the Tennessee River above Knoxville to a point below the city during a runoff event. A sampling methodology was developed which, when used in conjunction with the flow model, allowed graphical prediction of water quality changes in the slug of water as it moved past the city. Application of the flow model to this research provided little information into the analysis of the effects of urban stormwater runoff on the water quality of the receiving river. Specific parameters monitored in this study include temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, conductivity, biochemical oxygen demand and fecal coliform bacteria. For the five test runs included in this study, only one parameter, dissolved oxygen, was observed to exceed stream standards. No general trends could be determined for any of the parameters which seemed to fluctuate according to conditions specific to each rainfall-runoff event.