Stormwater Runoff from Bridges Final Report to Joint Legislation Transportation Oversight Committee in Fulfillment of Session Law 2008‐107
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Stormwater Runoff from Bridges Final Report to Joint Legislation Transportation Oversight Committee In Fulfillment of Session Law 2008‐107 Prepared by: URS Corporation – North Carolina 1600 Perimeter Park Drive Suite 400 Morrisville, NC 27560 Prepared for: NC Department of Transportation Hydraulics Unit 1590 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699‐1590 919.707.6700 July 2010 (May 2012) Cover Photos: C. dubia photo provided by Jack Kelly Clark, courtesy of University of California Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program. All other photos by authors. This page intentionally left blank Stormwater Runoff from Bridges Final Report Revision History Date Description May 9, 2012 Errors in the calculation of unit event loads, annual loading rates, and runoff volumes were corrected. The following updates associated with the corrections were incorporated: Pages 4‐9 through 4‐16 in section 4 were updated, including all text and tables: o Table 4.2‐2 on pages 4‐10 through 4‐13 was updated with corrected median unit event loads and average unit annual loading rates. o Table 4.2‐3 on page 4‐14 was updated with corrected annual loading rate values. o Table 4.2‐4 on page 4‐16 was updated with corrected annual loading rate values. All tables in Appendix 3‐G (Tables 3‐G.1 to 3‐G.15) were updated with corrected runoff volume values. This page intentionally left blank Stormwater Runoff from Bridges Final Report Table of Contents Executive Summary ..............................................................................................................................ES-1 1.0 Introduction.................................................................................................................................1-1 1.1 Project Objectives ..........................................................................................................1-2 1.2 Final Report Layout ......................................................................................................1-2 2.0 Background and Project Approach...........................................................................................2-1 2.1 Transportation-Related Runoff: Quality and Quantity .............................................2-1 2.1.1 Bridge Runoff Characterization Studies from Other States................................2-3 2.1.2 Bridge Runoff Characterization Studies from North Carolina ...........................2-7 2.2 Stormwater Control Measures .....................................................................................2-8 2.2.1 SCM Implementation Studies from Other States..............................................2-14 2.2.2 SCM Implementation Studies from North Carolina .........................................2-21 2.3 NCDOT’s Current Stormwater Management Practices for Bridge Deck Runoff............................................................................................................................2-24 2.4 Foundation of BSP Project..........................................................................................2-26 3.0 BSP Monitoring Program ..........................................................................................................3-1 3.1 Monitoring Program Overview ....................................................................................3-1 3.1.1 Site Selection ......................................................................................................3-1 3.1.2 Program Regimes................................................................................................3-3 3.2 Water Quality and Quantity Monitoring.....................................................................3-6 3.2.1 Bridge Deck Runoff Monitoring.........................................................................3-6 3.2.2 Instream Monitoring .........................................................................................3-14 3.3 Sediment/Solids Chemistry Monitoring.....................................................................3-17 3.3.1 Streambed Sediment Chemistry Monitoring.....................................................3-18 3.3.2 Bridge Deck Sweeping .....................................................................................3-24 3.4 Biological Monitoring ..................................................................................................3-27 3.4.1 Bioassay Monitoring.........................................................................................3-28 3.4.2 Biological Survey Monitoring ..........................................................................3-38 3.5 Traffic Surveys.............................................................................................................3-47 3.5.1 Survey Instrumentation, Methods, and Techniques..........................................3-47 3.5.2 Results...............................................................................................................3-48 4.0 Effect of Stormwater Runoff from Bridges ..............................................................................4-1 4.1 The Weight-of-Evidence Concept.................................................................................4-1 4.1.1 Historical Use of WOE to Determine Environmental Impact ............................4-2 4.2 Bridge Deck Runoff – Water Chemistry......................................................................4-3 4.2.1 Comparison to Existing Stormwater Runoff Data ..............................................4-4 4.2.2 Linking Bridge Deck Runoff to Receiving Streams .........................................4-17 4.2.3 Site-Specific Water Chemistry Evaluation .......................................................4-21 4.2.4 Bridge Characteristic Statistical Analysis.........................................................4-34 4.3 Solids and Instream Sediment ....................................................................................4-39 4.3.1 Streambed Sediment Quality ............................................................................4-39 4.3.2 Bridge Deck Sweeping Solids Results..............................................................4-44 ii July 2010 Stormwater Runoff from Bridges Final Report Table of Contents (continued) 4.4 Comparison of Bridge Deck Runoff Quantity and Pollutant Loads to Watershed Contributions............................................................................................4-54 4.4.1 Bridge Deck Runoff Quantity...........................................................................4-55 4.4.2 Bridge Deck Runoff Pollutant Loading vs. Watershed Loading ......................4-63 4.5 Biological Assessments.................................................................................................4-71 4.5.1 Biological Assay Results ..................................................................................4-71 4.5.2 Biological Survey Results.................................................................................4-73 4.6 Conclusions of Effect and Sources of Impairment....................................................4-74 4.6.1 Habitat Degradation..........................................................................................4-75 4.6.2 Hydromodification............................................................................................4-75 4.6.3 Toxicity Due to Bridge Deck Runoff................................................................4-75 4.6.4 Organic and Nutrient Enrichment.....................................................................4-76 4.6.5 Conclusions of Effect and Sources of Impairment ...........................................4-76 5.0 Bridge SCM Pilot Study .............................................................................................................5-1 5.1 Bridge SCM Type Evaluation.......................................................................................5-1 5.1.1 SCM Categories..................................................................................................5-1 5.1.2 SCM Summaries .................................................................................................5-2 5.1.3 Pilot Study Sites and Documentation..................................................................5-3 6.0 Effective Bridge SCMs for Statewide Application...................................................................6-1 6.1 Defining SCM Effectiveness..........................................................................................6-1 6.2 Applicability of SCMs....................................................................................................6-2 6.2.1 Level I Treatment SCMs.....................................................................................6-3 6.2.2 Level II Treatment SCMs .................................................................................6-17 6.2.3 Maintenance SCMs...........................................................................................6-17 6.2.4 Design-Related SCMs.......................................................................................6-18 6.2.5 Long Coastal Bridges........................................................................................6-19 6.3 NCDOT’s Current Practices and Applicable Requirements ...................................6-19 6.3.1 State Stormwater Programs...............................................................................6-20 6.3.2 NCDOT Best Management Practice Toolbox ..................................................6-20