| Title: | Water quality control options in response to catchment urbanization: A scenario analysis by SWAT |
| Authors: | Nguyen, H.H., F. Recknagel and W. Meyer |
| Year: | 2018 |
| Journal: | Water |
| Volume (Issue): | 10 |
| Pages: | |
| Article ID: | 1846 |
| DOI: | 10.3390/w10121846 |
| URL (non-DOI journals): | |
| Model: | SWAT |
| Broad Application Category: | hydrologic and pollutant |
| Primary Application Category: | land use change |
| Secondary Application Category: | BMP and/or cropping system assessment |
| Watershed Description: | River Torrens drainage area up to the Gorge Weir (Urban Torrens drainage area), located in the city of Adelaide in southeast South Australia, Australia. |
| Calibration Summary: | |
| Validation Summary: | |
| General Comments: | |
| Abstract: | Urbanization poses a challenge to sustainable catchment management worldwide.
This study compares streamflows and nutrient loads in the urbanized Torrens catchment in South
Australia at present and future urbanization levels, and addresses possible mitigation of urbanization
effects by means of the control measures: river bank stabilization, buffer strip expansion, and wetland
construction. A scenario analysis by means of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) based
on the anticipated urban population density growth in the Torrens catchment over the next 30 years
predicted a remarkable increase of streamflow and Total Phosphorous loads but decreased Total
Nitrogen loads. In contrast, minor changes of model outputs were predicted under the present
urbanization scenario, i.e. urban area expansion on the grassland. Scenarios of three feasible
control measures demonstrated best results for expanding buffer zone to sustain stream water
quality. The construction of wetlands along the Torrens River resulted in the reduction of catchment
runoff, but only slight decreases in TN and TP loads. Overall, the results of this study suggested
that combining the three best management practices by the adaptive development of buffer zones,
wetlands and stabilized river banks might help to control efficiently the increased run-off and TP
loads by the projected urbanization of the River Torrens catchment. |
| Language: | English |
| Keywords: | SWAT; urbanization; nutrient loads; constructed wetlands; buffer zones; river bank stabilization |