Utilizing In-Situ Ultraviolet-Visual Spectroscopy to Measure Nutrients and Sediment Concentrations in Stormwater Runoff

The University of New Hampshire Stormwater Center in cooperation with the Environmental Protection Agency, Region 1 and with technical support from s::can Measuring Systems LLC has been researching stormwater quality using UV-Vis spectrophotometry sensors. The research is being conducted to identify real time concentrations of target pollutants and develop regional calibration curves for specific concentrations in stormwater. The common stormwater pollutants monitored for this study include dissolved inorganic nitrogen (i.e. nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia), total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), total nitrogen (TN), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), total suspended sediments (TSS), and total phosphorus (TP). Real-time sensing is an innovation to conventional stormwater monitoring efforts that often employs automated samplers, and flow-weighted composite sample splitting for laboratory produced pollutant export rates and associated stormwater control measure (SCM) removal performance. This groundbreaking approach holds promise to revolutionize field sampling methods and eliminate much of the potential error associated with automated samplers, long holding times, composite sampling approaches, and the time for wet chemistry analyses. This presentation will provide data and reporting comparisons for multiple storm events across two different land uses (commercial and residential). The study will generate a sample database spread across all four New England seasons.