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Transportation-Related Water Projects in New England Active

By New England Water Science Center July 27, 2021

The New England Water Science Center collects data and does interpretive studies on hydrology, hydraulics, and water quality in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration and State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) in New England and other states.

Hydrologic studies include efforts to measure and analyze streamflows to provide flood-flow estimates that are available in the on-line StreamStats applications. Hydraulic studies include efforts to quantify bridge scour, stream-channel geometry, and runoff timing variables. Water-quality studies include efforts to measure, analyze, and model the concentrations, flows, and loads of stormflows. Water-quality studies also include efforts to measure and analyze changes in groundwater quality associated with the construction and operation of the transportation infrastructure. The results of these efforts are designed to provide tools, techniques, and information that can be used by decisionmakers to meet the DOTs missions to provide a transportation infrastructure that is safe, reliable, robust, and resilient while minimizing adverse effects on the environment.

 

Photograph of bridge-deck scuppers draining into the Charles River on State Route 2A in Boston
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.
Photograph of bridge-deck scuppers draining into the Charles River on State Route 2A in Boston near U.S. Geological Survey bridge-deck-monitoring station 422108071052501 during a rainstorm. Credit: Kirk Smith. Public domain.)

Below are other science projects associated with this project.

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highway

Transportation-Related Water Projects

The USGS has a long history of cooperative investigations with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and state highway agencies to provide data and information to address various issues related to water resources and the Nation’s transportation infrastructure. These issues cover a wide spectrum and include items such as regional flow statistics, flood documentation, regional stream...
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Water Resources Mission Area
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Transportation-Related Water Projects

The USGS has a long history of cooperative investigations with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and state highway agencies to provide data and information to address various issues related to water resources and the Nation’s transportation infrastructure. These issues cover a wide spectrum and include items such as regional flow statistics, flood documentation, regional stream...
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Surveying for the FEMA project

Development of Regional Regression Equations to Estimate the Magnitude of Peak Flows for Selected Annual-Exceedance Probabilities in Maine

The flood-frequency characteristics for streamgages and regression equations for estimating flood magnitudes have been published.
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New England Water Science Center
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Development of Regional Regression Equations to Estimate the Magnitude of Peak Flows for Selected Annual-Exceedance Probabilities in Maine

The flood-frequency characteristics for streamgages and regression equations for estimating flood magnitudes have been published.
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Flooding in Soldier Pond, Maine

Development of Regional Regression Equations in Connecticut

Knowledge of the magnitude and frequency of floods is needed for the effective and safe design of bridges, culverts, and other structures. This information is also important for flood-plain planning and management. Periodic examination of flood-frequency characteristics is essential to ensure the best estimates of flood magnitudes for a given annual exceedance probabilities (AEP).
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New England Water Science Center
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Development of Regional Regression Equations in Connecticut

Knowledge of the magnitude and frequency of floods is needed for the effective and safe design of bridges, culverts, and other structures. This information is also important for flood-plain planning and management. Periodic examination of flood-frequency characteristics is essential to ensure the best estimates of flood magnitudes for a given annual exceedance probabilities (AEP).
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USGS

SELDM: Stochastic Empirical Loading and Dilution Model - Project page

Note: SELDM is now on version 1.1.0.
By
New England Water Science Center
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SELDM: Stochastic Empirical Loading and Dilution Model - Project page

Note: SELDM is now on version 1.1.0.
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Below are data or web applications associated with this project.

Statistics for simulating structural stormwater runoff best management practices (BMPs) with the Stochastic Empirical Loading and Dilution Model (SELDM)

This data release documents statistics for simulating structural stormwater runoff best management practices (BMPs) with the Stochastic Empirical Loading and Dilution Model (SELDM)(Granato, 2013). The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) developed SELDM and the statistics documented in this report in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to indicate the risk for stormwater flows, con
By
New England Water Science Center, New England Water Science Center

Basin characteristics and point locations of road crossings in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island for highway-runoff mitigation analyses using the Stochastic Empirical Loading and Dilution Model

This data release documents the location of intersections between roads and streams, referred to as road crossings, and associated basin characteristics to support highway-runoff mitigation analyses using the Stochastic Empirical Loading and Dilution Model (SELDM, Granato, 2013) in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. The data set of road crossings was generated from the intersections of
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New England Water Science Center

Model archive for analysis of the effects of impervious cover on receiving-water quality with the Stochastic Empirical Loading Dilution Model (SELDM)

Impervious runoff-discharge to receiving streams is widely recognized as one of the leading factors contributing to ecological degradation in such streams. Although there are many factors that contribute to ecological degradation with increasing development adverse effects caused by runoff quality is widely recognized as a contributing factor. The objective of this study was to simulate the flows
By
New England Water Science Center, New England Water Science Center

Below are multimedia items associated with this project.

No results found.

Below are publications associated with this project.

Approaches for assessing long-term annual yields of highway and urban runoff in selected areas of California with the Stochastic Empirical Loading and Dilution Model (SELDM)

The California Department of Transportation, commonly known as CalTrans, and other municipal separate storm sewer system permittees in California as well as other State departments of transportation nationwide need information about potential loads and yields (loads per unit area) of constituents of concern in stormwater runoff and discharges from stormwater best management practices (BMPs). Altho
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Water Resources Mission Area, New England Water Science Center

Statistical methods for simulating structural stormwater runoff best management practices (BMPs) with the Stochastic Empirical Loading and Dilution Model (SELDM)

This report documents statistics for simulating structural stormwater runoff best management practices (BMPs) with the Stochastic Empirical Loading and Dilution Model (SELDM). The U.S. Geological Survey developed SELDM and the statistics documented in this report in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration to indicate the risk for stormwater flows, concentrations, and loads to exceed us

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Water Resources Mission Area, New England Water Science Center

Comparison of SELDM simulated total-phosphorus concentrations with ecological impervious-area criteria

Ecological studies indicate that impervious cover (IC) greater than approximately 5%–20% may have adverse effects on receiving-stream ecology. It is difficult to separate the effects of runoff quality from other effects of urbanization on receiving streams. This study presents the results of a numerical experiment to assess the effects of increasing IC on water quality using the Stochastic Empiric
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Water Resources Mission Area, New England Water Science Center

Characterization of stormwater runoff from bridge decks in eastern Massachusetts, 2014–16

The quality of stormwater runoff from bridge decks (hereafter referred to as “bridge-deck runoff”) was characterized in a field study from August 2014 through August 2016 in which concentrations of suspended sediment (SS) and total nutrients were monitored. These new data were collected to supplement existing highway-runoff data collected in Massachusetts which were deficient in bridge-deck runoff
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Water Resources Mission Area, New England Water Science Center

Simulating runoff quality with the highway-runoff database and the Stochastic Empirical Loading and Dilution Model

Stormwater practitioners need quantitative information about the quality and volume of highway runoff to assess and mitigate potential adverse effects of runoff on the Nation’s receiving waters. The U.S. Geological Survey developed the Highway Runoff Database (HRDB) in cooperation with the FHWA to provide practice-ready information to meet these information needs on the local or national scale. Th
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Water Resources Mission Area, New England Water Science Center

Compilation of streamflow statistics calculated from daily mean streamflow data collected during water years 1901–2015 for selected U.S. Geological Survey streamgages

Streamflow statistics are needed by decision makers for many planning, management, and design activities. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) StreamStats Web application provides convenient access to streamflow statistics for many streamgages by accessing the underlying StreamStatsDB database. In 2016, non-interpretive streamflow statistics were compiled for streamgages located throughout the Nation
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Water Resources Mission Area, StreamStats

Estimating total maximum daily loads with the Stochastic Empirical Loading and Dilution Model

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Rhode Island DOT are assessing and addressing roadway contributions to total maximum daily loads (TMDLs). Example analyses for total nitrogen, total phosphorus, suspended sediment, and total zinc in highway runoff were done by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with FHWA to simulate long-term annual loads for TMDL analyses with th
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Water Resources Mission Area, New England Water Science Center

Stochastic empirical loading and dilution model for analysis of flows, concentrations, and loads of highway runoff constituents

In cooperation with FHWA, the U.S. Geological Survey developed the stochastic empirical loading and dilution model (SELDM) to supersede the 1990 FHWA runoff quality model. The SELDM tool is designed to transform disparate and complex scientific data into meaningful information about the adverse risks of runoff on receiving waters, the potential need for mitigation measures, and the potential effec
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Water Resources Mission Area, New England Water Science Center

Stochastic empirical loading and dilution model (SELDM) version 1.0.0

The Stochastic Empirical Loading and Dilution Model (SELDM) is designed to transform complex scientific data into meaningful information about the risk of adverse effects of runoff on receiving waters, the potential need for mitigation measures, and the potential effectiveness of such management measures for reducing these risks. The U.S. Geological Survey developed SELDM in cooperation with the F
By
Water Resources Mission Area, New England Water Science Center

Estimating basin lagtime and hydrograph-timing indexes used to characterize stormflows for runoff-quality analysis

A nationwide study to better define triangular-hydrograph statistics for use with runoff-quality and flood-flow studies was done by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration. Although the triangular hydrograph is a simple linear approximation, the cumulative distribution of stormflow with a triangular hydrograph is a curvilinear S-curve that closely a
By
New England Water Science Center

Below are data or web applications associated with this project.

Below are software products associated with this project.

Stochastic Empirical Loading and Dilution Model (SELDM) software archive

The Stochastic Empirical Loading and Dilution Model (SELDM) was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Office of Project Delivery and Environmental Review to transform complex scientific data into meaningful information about the risk of adverse effects of runoff on receiving waters, the potential need for mitigation measures,
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New England Water Science Center

Best Management Practices Statistical Estimator (BMPSE) Version 1.2.0

The Best Management Practices Statistical Estimator (BMPSE) was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Office of Project Delivery and Environmental Review to provide planning-level information about the performance of structural best management practices for decision makers, planners, and highway engineers to assess and mitigat
By
New England Water Science Center

InterpretSELDM version 1.0 The Stochastic Empirical Loading and Dilution Model (SELDM) output interpreter

The InterpretSELDM program is a graphical post processor designed to facilitate analysis and presentation of stormwater modeling results from the Stochastic Empirical Loading and Dilution Model (SELDM), which is a stormwater model developed by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration. SELDM simulates flows, concentrations, and loads in stormflows from upstr
By
New England Water Science Center

SELDM: Stochastic Empirical Loading and Dilution Model - Software page

Overview

The Stochastic Empirical Loading and Dilution Model (SELDM) is designed to transform complex scientific data into meaningful information about the risk of adverse effects of runoff on receiving waters, the potential need for mitigation measures, and the potential effectiveness of such management measures for reducing these risks.

By
New England Water Science Center, Oregon Water Science Center

HRDB: Highway Runoff DataBase - Software page

Overview

The highway-runoff database (HRDB) was developed to serve as a data warehouse for current and future highway-runoff data sets. The database can be used by transportation agencies and researchers as a data warehouse to document information about a data set, monitoring site(s), highway-runoff data (including precipitation, runoff, and event mean concentrations).

By
New England Water Science Center

SWQDM: Surface Water Quality Data Miner - Software page

Overview

The SWQDM database application was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration for use in the analysis of regional and national hydrologic data sets. The surface-water quality data miner (SWQDM) database application was developed to coordinate use of NWIS Web, NWiz, and the Kendall-Theil Robust Line analysis software.

By
New England Water Science Center

Data mining and analysis software for USGS NWIS Web streamflow data

Overview

Five computer programs were developed for obtaining and analyzing streamflow from the National Water Information System (NWISWeb). The programs were developed as part of a study by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration, to develop a stochastic empirical loading and dilution model.

By
New England Water Science Center

Below are partners associated with this project.

U.S. DOT - Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)

Connecticut Department of Transportation

MaineDOT

New Hampshire Department of Transportation

Rhode Island Department of Transportation

State of Vermont, Agency of Transportation