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Effect of Water Quality Management Efforts on Wastewater Loadings During the Past Century
Author(s) -
Hetling Leo J.,
Stoddard Andrew,
Brosnan Thomas M.,
Hammerman Diane A.,
Norris Theresa M.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
water environment research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.356
H-Index - 73
eISSN - 1554-7531
pISSN - 1061-4303
DOI - 10.2175/106143003x140809
Subject(s) - nonpoint source pollution , wastewater , environmental science , effluent , water quality , watershed , environmental engineering , pollution , population , total suspended solids , sewage treatment , biochemical oxygen demand , water resource management , hydrology (agriculture) , chemical oxygen demand , engineering , ecology , environmental health , medicine , geotechnical engineering , machine learning , computer science , biology
The history of wastewater discharges to the Hudson River watershed from Troy, New York, to the New York City Harbor was traced from 1900 to 2000. The parameters studied include population, flow, type of treatment, biochemical oxygen demand, suspended solids, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus. This paper details a methodology for estimating historic loadings where data are lacking. The data show dramatic changes in wastewater loadings. There has been a continued increase in wastewater flow and population over the past century but a decrease in contaminant loading during the last 25 years. The reduction in effluent loads is directly related to state and federal water quality management programs and the substantial public and private investment made in upgrading point source water pollution control infrastructure. A comparison of point with nonpoint source loads shows that although nonpoint sources are now a significant contributor of contaminants to the river, point sources remain as major sources of total nitrogen and total phosphorus.