Abstract

Prediction of Microbial Transport Phenomena in Surface Water
Track: Water Resources
Authors: Amr Safwat

Single storm rainfall events have been reported to result in increased biological and chemical contaminant concentrations transported through rivers and lakes. The temporal and spatial heterogeneous distribution of contaminants present remarkable modeling challenges. Singular models such as soil erosion models only present a limited view of the contaminant concentrations at different states. A framework which is based on ArcGIS tool called the Schematic Processor was developed to include a microbial transport model and soil erosion model to provide a more accurate picture of concentrations in time and space. This framework was developed on real time storm data collected from the East Fork watershed near Cincinnati, OH. This framework helps determining areas and landcovers with high concentrations of pathogens. Best management practices can be applied to those areas to reduce the microbial concentrations and protect the public.