Characterization and prediction of stormwater runoff quality in sub-tropical rural catchments

Due to scarcity of local data on stormwater pollution levels and rainfall-runoff generation process, very few attempts have been made towards the management of stormwater in sub-tropical rural catchments. An attempt has been made in the present study to characterize and predict the stormwater runoff characteristics using regression modeling from five rural catchments in north-west India. Stormwater samples and flow data were collected from 75 storm events. Samples were analyzed for pH, total suspended solids (TSS), 5-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD₅), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total kjeldhal nitrogen (TKN), total phosphorous (TP), nitrate-nitrogen (NO ₃ ^- –N), total coliform count (TC), fecal coliform count (FC), Zn, Cu and Fe. It was found that size of the catchment and the land use practices influenced the stormwater quality even in predominantly rural areas, otherwise thought to be homogeneous. The results obtained were related with the antecedent dry days (ADD) and average rainfall. ADD was found to be positively correlated with pollutant loads whereas average rainfall showed negative correlation. The study highlights the importance of ADD in causing greater mean pollutant concentrations except for TKN, TP and NO ₃ ^- –N. Regression models were developed for the studied catchments to estimate mean pollutant concentrations as a function of rainfall variables. Results revealed that measured pollutant concentrations demonstrated high variability with ADD and average rainfall in small rural catchments, whereas in large catchments, factors like land use, extent of imperviousness etc. resulted in low predictability of measured parameters.     

A derived probability distribution approach to stormwater quality modeling

The closed-form analytical stormwater quality models are developed for simulating urban catchment pollutant buildup and washoff processes. By integrating the rainfall–runoff transformation with pollutant buildup and washoff functions, stormwater quality measures, such as the cumulative distribution functions (CDFs) of pollutant loads, the expected value of pollutant event mean concentrations (EMCs) and the average annual pollutant load can be derived. This paper presents methodologies and major procedures for the development of urban stormwater quality models based on derived probability distribution theory. In order to investigate the spatial variation in model parameters and its impact on stormwater pollutant buildup and washoff processes as well as pollutant loads to receiving waters, an extended form of the original rainfall–runoff transformation which is based on lumped runoff coefficient approach is proposed to differentiate runoff generation mechanisms between the impervious and pervious areas of the catchment. In addition, as a contrast to the aggregated pollutant buildup models formulated with a single lumped buildup parameter, the disaggregated form of the pollutant buildup model is proposed by introducing a number of physically-based parameters associated with pollutant buildup and washoff processes into the pollutant load models. The results from the case study indicate that analytical urban stormwater management model are capable of providing results in good agreement with the field measurements, and can be employed as alternatives to continuous simulation models in the evaluation of long-term stormwater quality measures.     

Modelling of stormwater biofilters under random hydrologic variability: a case study of a car park at Monash University,Victoria (Australia)

Biofiltration systems represent an effective technology for the management of urban stormwater runoff volumes and quality. The performance of these systems, although largely dependent on their physical characteristics, is also strongly affected by the natural variability of runoff occurrence and volumes. This article presents a model that describes the statistical behaviour of the main variables involved in the water balance of a biofiltration system, given its main physical properties (filter media and vegetation types) and accounting for the natural inflow variability in terms of occurrence and water volumes. The model permits the analytical derivation of the long‐term (e.g. annual) probability density function of the soil water content in the filter media and the estimation of the main statistics of water fluxes, that is, outflow, evapotranspiration and overflow. By relating the soil water content in the filter media before inflow events to the outflow total nitrogen concentrations, the model also gives estimates of the statistics of nitrogen removal performance as a function of inflow variability. The model was tested against field data collected at a stormwater biofiltration system in Melbourne, Australia. The model could be used to rapidly assess the hydrologic and nitrogen treatment performance of alternative applications of biofiltration for stormwater management across a range of climates. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

设施农业生产区降雨径流和氮磷输出特征及模拟——以滇池东岸花卉大棚种植区为例

为掌握滇池流域花卉大棚种植区的非点源污染特征,提高和改善滇池水环境质量,本研究选取呈贡县斗南村花卉大棚种植区作为研究对象,在实测降雨径流数据的基础上,通过建立Storm Water Management Model模型分别对全年连续降雨条件下和典型设计降雨条件下的降雨径流水质、水量进行了模拟.研究结果表明:1)模型的流量、化学需氧量(COD_(Cr))、悬浮物(SS)、总氮(TN)和总磷(TP)的Nash-Sutcliffe效率系数分别为0.858、0.835、0.803、0.712和0.752,能够较好地模拟研究区域的水质、水量变化.2)研究区域的平均径流系数为0.59,CODCr、SS、TN和TP的单位面积负荷率分别为118.34、82.90、54.64和5.46 kg/(hm~2·a),TN和TP是主要控制的污染物.3)各污染物浓度峰值的出现时间均早于流量峰值出现的时间,因此对滇池东岸花卉大棚种植区应进行污染物尤其是TP、TN浓度与流量错峰控制.     

Runoff quality prediction from small urban catchments using SWMM

The RUNOFF block of EPA's storm water management model (SWMM) was used to simulate the quantity and quality of urban storm water runoff from four relatively small sites (i.e. 5·97–23·56 ha) in South Florida, each with a specific predominant land use (i.e. low density residential, high density residential, highway and commercial). The objectives of the study were to test the applicability of this model in small subtropical urban catchments and provide modellers with a way to select appropriate input parameters to be used in planning studies. A total of 58 storm events, measured by the US Geological Survey (USGS), provided hyetographs, hydrographs and pollutant loadings for biological oxygen demand (BOD₅), total suspended solids (TSS), total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) and lead (Pb), and were used for calibration of the model. Several other catchment characteristics, also measured or estimated by USGS, were used in model input preparation. Application of the model was done using the Green–Ampt equation for infiltration loss computation, a pollutant accumulation equation using a power build-up equation dependent on the number of dry days, and a power wash-off equation dependent on the predicted runoff rate. Calibrated quantity input parameters are presented and compared with suggested values in the literature. The impervious depression storage was generally found to be the most sensitive calibration parameter, followed by the Manning's roughness coefficients of conduit and overland flow, the Green–Ampt infiltration parameters and, finally, the pervious depression storage. Calibrated quality input parameters are presented in the form of regression equations, as a function of rainfall depth and the number of antecedent dry days. A total of 16 independent rainfall events were used for verification of the model, which showed a good comparison with observed data for both hydrographs and pollutant loadings. Average model predictions for the four constituent concentrations from the verification runs also showed good agreement with NURP published values in Florida and US sites. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effects of lakes and reservoirs on annual river nitrogen,phosphorus, and sediment export in agricultural and forested landscapes

Recently, effects of lakes and reservoirs on river nutrient export have been incorporated into landscape biogeochemical models. Because annual export varies with precipitation, there is a need to examine the biogeochemical role of lakes and reservoirs over time frames that incorporate interannual variability in precipitation. We examined long‐term (~20 years) time series of river export (annual mass yield, Y, and flow‐weighted mean annual concentration, C) for total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), and total suspended sediment (TSS) from 54 catchments in Wisconsin, USA. Catchments were classified as small agricultural, large agricultural, and forested by use of a cluster analysis, and these varied in lentic coverage (percentage of catchment lake or reservoir water that was connected to river network). Mean annual export and interannual variability (CV) of export (for both Y and C) were higher in agricultural catchments relative to forested catchments for TP, TN, and TSS. In both agricultural and forested settings, mean and maximum annual TN yields were lower in the presence of lakes and reservoirs, suggesting lentic denitrification or N burial. There was also evidence of long‐term lentic TP and TSS retention, especially when viewed in terms of maximum annual yield, suggesting sedimentation during high loading years. Lentic catchments had lower interannual variability in export. For TP and TSS, interannual variability in mass yield was often >50% higher than interannual variability in water yield, whereas TN variability more closely followed water (discharge) variability. Our results indicate that long‐term mass export through rivers depends on interacting terrestrial, aquatic, and meteorological factors in which the presence of lakes and reservoirs can reduce the magnitude of export, stabilize interannual variability in export, as well as introduce export time lags. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Impact of urbanization on suspended sediment and organic matter fluxes from small catchments in Tahiti

This study provides an initial characterization of pollution associated with storm runoff in Tahiti. A thousand floodwater samples were collected from three representative catchments and subsequently analysed. The main pollution parameters chosen were total suspended sediment (TSS), chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), total nitrogen (TN) and Total Phosphorus (TP). First, organic pollution appeared to be related closely to sediment, thus TSS could be used as a global indicator. Next, regression models between an event's TSS load and its hydrological characteristics were used to obtain annual load estimates. Great interannual variability was found to be strongly influenced by the few major floods that occur during the rainy season. Our results also emphasize the importance of the impact of urbanization on solid catchment exportation: from 60 TSS t/km²/year in a natural forested catchment, fluxes reached more than 700 TSS t/km²/year during preparatory urbanization earthworks before stabilizing at 140 TSS t/km²/year in a consolidated urbanized area. Clearly, runoff effects need to be taken into consideration for effective urban planning and for the preservation of the coastal environment in Tahiti. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Modelling the effects of changes in rainfall event characteristics on TSS loads in urban runoff

The effect of changes in rainfall event characteristics on urban stormwater quality, which was described by total suspended solids (TSS), was studied by means of computer simulations conducted with the Storm Water Management Model for a climate change scenario for northern Sweden. The simulation results showed that TSS event loads depended mainly on rainfall depth and intensity, but not on antecedent conditions. Storms with low‐to‐intermediate depths and intensities showed the highest sensitivity to changes in rainfall input, both for percentage and absolute changes in TSS wash‐off loads, which was explained by the contribution of pervious areas and supply limitations. This has significant implications for stormwater management, because those relatively frequent events generally carry a high percentage of the annual pollutant load. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

High-frequency monitoring of hydrological and biogeochemical fluxes in forested catchments of southern Chile

The variability of rainfall-dependent streamflow at catchment scale modulates many ecosystem processes in wet temperate forests. Runoff in small mountain catchments is characterized by a quick response to rainfall pulses which affects biogeochemical fluxes to all downstream systems. In wet-temperate climates, water erosion is the most important natural factor driving downstream soil and nutrient losses from upland ecosystems. Most hydrochemical studies have focused on water flux measurements at hourly scales, along with weekly or monthly samples for water chemistry. Here, we assessed how water and element flows from broad-leaved, evergreen forested catchments in southwestern South America, are influenced by different successional stages, quantifying runoff, sediment transport and nutrient fluxes during hourly rainfall events of different intensities. Hydrograph comparisons among different successional stages indicated that forested catchments differed in their responses to high intensity rainfall, with greater runoff in areas covered by secondary forests (SF), compared to old-growth forest cover (OG) and dense scrub vegetation (CH). Further, throughfall water was greatly nutrient enriched for all forest types. Suspended sediment loads varied between successional stages. SF catchments exported 455 kg of sediments per ha, followed by OG with 91 kg/ha and CH with 14 kg/ha, corresponding to 11 rainfall events measured from December 2013 to April 2014. Total nitrogen (TN) and phosphorus (TP) concentrations in stream water also varied with rainfall intensity. In seven rainfall events sampled during the study period, CH catchments exported less nutrients (46 kg/ha TN and 7 kg/ha TP) than SF catchments (718 kg/ha TN and 107 kg/ha TP), while OG catchments exported intermediate sediment loads (201 kg/ha TN and 23 kg/ha TP). Further, we found significant effects of successional stage attributes (vegetation structure and soil physical properties) and catchment morphometry on runoff and sediment concentrations, and greater nutrients retention in OG and CH catchments. We conclude that in these southern hemisphere, broad-leaved evergreen temperate forests, hydrological processes are driven by multiple interacting phenomena, including climate, vegetation, soils, topography, and disturbance history.     

Evaluation of pollutant build-up and wash-off from selected land uses at the Port of Brisbane, Australia

The quality of stormwater runoff from seaports can be an important source of pollution to the marine environment. Currently, little knowledge exists with regards to the pollutant generation capacity specific to seaports as they do not necessarily compare well with conventional urban land use. The research project focussed on the assessment of pollutant build-up and wash-off. The study was undertaken using rainfall simulation and small impervious plots for different port land uses with the results obtained compared to typical urban land uses.The study outcomes confirmed that the Port land uses exhibit comparatively lower pollutant concentrations. However, the pollutant characteristics varied across different land uses. Hence, the provision of stereotypical water quality improvement measures could be of limited value. Particle size <150 μm was predominant in suspended solids. Therefore, if suspended solids are targeted as the surrogate parameter for water quality improvement, this particle size range needs to be removed.     

Effectiveness of landscape‐based green infrastructure for stormwater management in suburban catchments

Land cover changes associated with urbanization have negative effects on downstream ecosystems. Contemporary urban development attempts to mitigate these effects by designing stormwater infrastructure to mimic predevelopment hydrology, but their performance is highly variable. This study used in situ monitoring of recently built neighbourhoods to evaluate the catchment‐scale effectiveness of landscape decentralized stormwater control measures (SCMs) in the form of street connected vegetated swales for reducing runoff volumes and flow rates relative to curb‐and‐gutter infrastructure. Effectiveness of the SCMs was quantified by monitoring runoff for 8 months at the outlets of 4 suburban catchments (0.76–5.25 ha) in Maryland, USA. Three “grey” catchments installed curb‐and‐gutter stormwater conveyances, whereas the fourth “green” catchment built parcel‐level vegetated swales. The catchment with decentralized SCMs reduced runoff, runoff ratio, and peak runoff compared with the grey infrastructure catchments. In addition, the green catchment delayed runoff, resulting in longer precipitation–runoff lag times. Runoff ratios across the monitoring period were 0.13 at the green catchment and 0.37, 0.35, and 0.18 at the 3 grey catchments. Runoff only commenced after 6 mm of precipitation at the decentralized SCM catchment, whereas runoff occurred even during the smallest events at the grey catchments. However, as precipitation magnitudes reached 20 mm, the green catchment runoff characteristics were similar to those at the grey catchments, which made up 37% of the total precipitation in only 10 of 72 events. Therefore, volume‐based reduction goals for stormwater using decentralized SCMs such as vegetated swales require additional redundant SCMs in a treatment train as source control and/or end‐of‐pipe detention to capture a larger fraction of runoff and more effectively mimic predevelopment hydrology for the relatively rare but larger precipitation events.     

Effects of land use intensity on stormwater runoff and its temporal occurrence in cold climates

The impacts of land use intensity, here defined as the degree of imperviousness, on stormwater volumes, runoff rates and their temporal occurrence were studied at three urban catchments in a cold region in southern Finland. The catchments with ‘High’ and ‘Intermediate’ land use intensity, located around the city centre, were characterized by 89% and 62% impervious surfaces, respectively. The ‘Low’ catchment was situated in a residential area of 19% imperviousness. During a 2‐year study period with divergent weather conditions, the generation of stormwater correlated positively with catchment imperviousness: The largest annual stormwater volumes and the highest runoff coefficients and number of stormwater runoff events occurred in the High catchment. Land use intensity also altered the seasonality of stormwater runoff: Most stormwater in the High catchment was generated during the warm period of the year, whereas the largest contribution to annual stormwater generation in the Low catchment took place during the cold period. In the two most urbanized catchments, spring snow melt occurred a few weeks earlier than in the Low catchment. The rate of stormwater runoff in the High and Intermediate catchments was higher in summer than during spring snow melt, and summer runoff rates in these more urbanized catchments were several times higher than in the Low catchment. Our study suggests that the effects of land use intensity on stormwater runoff are season dependent in cold climates and that cold seasons diminish the differences between land use intensities. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Water quality assessment for sustainable agriculture in the Wet Tropics--a community-assisted approach

A number of studies in north Queensland over the past two decades have concluded that large amounts of nutrients and sediments are exported from agricultural watersheds, particularly during wet season rainfall events. With the co-operation of a number of growers, runoff from Queensland Wet Tropics banana and cane farm paddocks in two distinct tropical river catchments was examined to provide an estimate of nutrient and sediment concentrations and export, with comparison to water quality of flow through a small urban lakes system. Median total nitrogen concentrations in cane drainage runoff (3110 microg N/L) were higher than for banana paddock drainage (2580 microg N/L), although the maximum concentration was recorded from a banana paddock (20,900 microg N/L). Nitrogen losses during post-event drainage flow were supplemented by high proportions of NO(X) (nitrate + nitrite) sourced from groundwater inputs. Banana paddocks had the highest maximum and median total phosphorus and TSS concentrations (5120 and 286 microg P/L, and 7250 and 75 mg/L respectively) compared to the cane farms (1430 and 50 microg P/L, and 1840 and 14 mg/L respectively). The higher phosphorus and TSS concentrations in the banana runoff were attributed to higher paddock slopes and a greater proportion of exposed ground surface during the wet season. Highest nutrient and TSS concentrations corresponded with samples collected near the peak discharge periods; however, the rising stage of the drainage flows, where the highest nutrient and TSS concentrations are often reported, were difficult to target because of the manual sampling strategy used. This study shows that high concentrations of nutrients and TSS occur in the runoff from cane and banana paddocks. Median total nitrogen, total phosphorus and TSS concentrations in flow through the urban lakes were 369 microg N/L, 16 microg P/L and 11 mg/L, respectively. Flux estimates of 9.2 kg N, 0.8 kg P and 126 kg TSS/ha were determined for drainage runoff from a banana paddock during a single intensive storm event.     

Organochlorine, Heavy Metal and Polyaromatic Hydrocarbon Pollutant Concentrations in the Great Barrier Reef (Australia) Environment: a Review

Past monitoring of heavy metals, organochlorine compounds and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) has found that pollutant concentrations are generally low within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and World Heritage Area and are indicative of a relatively unpolluted environment. The exceptions are sites that are adjacent to human activity such as ports and harbours, urban centres and areas adjacent to intensive agricultural activity. These sites have elevated concentrations of a range of pollutants. Concentrations of dioxins have also been found to be elevated in marine park sediments. Elevated pollutant concentrations are generally the consequence of effluent discharge, urban stormwater, and agricultural and industrial runoff. However, a majority of Great Barrier Reef pollutant data are now dated, and contemporary information is required concerning the distribution and impact of pollutants in the Queensland marine environment. The utility of specialized monitoring tools such as biomarkers for tropical marine environments urgently needs to be examined. With this information, appropriate risk assessment and monitoring can be implemented and effective management strategies developed to protect tropical marine ecosystems including the Great Barrier Reef.     

A modelling approach to assessing variations of total suspended solids (tss) mass fluxes during storm events

Connections between the catchment hydrology and accumulation, washoff and transport of pollutants in wet weather greatly affect the management of urban drainage and its wet‐weather effluents. In recent years, the concept of the first flush has gained on prominence and was further developed for analyzing the interaction between the hydrology and transport of runoff pollutants. One of the most important definitions of the first flush can be derived from the analysis of the m(v) curves (i.e. the curves in which the normalized cumulative pollutant mass is plotted vs the normalized cumulative runoff volume). Indeed the m(v) curves, indicating the distribution of pollutant mass versus volume in wet‐weather flow (WWF) discharges, are commonly used for comparing pollutant discharges for different rainfall events and catchments. In this study, the m(v) curves were used to define the concepts of flow‐limited and mass‐limited WWF events. These two different behaviours have been analysed for rainfall/runoff events observed in the urbanized part of the Liguori catchment in Cosenza (Italy). In order to advance the understanding of the intra‐event variability of m(v) curves, the mathematical rainfall/runoff model Storm Water Management Model of the US Environmental Protection Agency (SWMM) was calibrated for eight observed rainfall/runoff events and the differences between observed and simulated m(v) curves were analysed. The results showed a good correlation between the observed and simulated m(v) curves, and this finding offers further benefits in SWMM model calibration. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Chemical effects of a near-to-nature detention pond on a small urban headwater

The near-to-nature approach has been established as best practice for stormwater management. However, pollutant mobility within such systems and its impact on small receiving waters are partly unexplained. The study takes place in an urbanised headwater catchment in south-western Germany with an area of 0.4 km². Runoff from roofs, roads, parking lots and gardens is collected in wells or trenches and stored in private and public dry detention basins. Accordingly, this study investigates pollutant input to a detention pond, removal efficiency and the associated effects on the receiving water.Grab samples with high temporal resolution of the receiving water (16 flood events with 315 samples and 41 baseflow samples), the three inflows of the detention basin and its outflow (four flood events with 64 samples) were taken. The outflow of the dry pond is recovered in the hydro- and chemographs of the receiving water. Runoff from roads with increased traffic volume caused the highest PAH inputs and runoff from the residential area showed the highest zinc concentrations, which partly infringe European Environmental Quality Standards. Yearly pollutant inputs (DOC, TSS, PAH, nutrients, metals) from the settlement into the tributary are reduced in the detention pond by up to 80%.     

平原河网区降雨径流污染负荷测算——以太湖流域望虞河西岸为例

如何精细量化降雨径流污染负荷是流域尺度实现面源精准治污全过程控制的重要前提.本研究以水污染较为严重的望虞河西岸综合示范区为例,通过开展不同土地利用类型的降雨观测实验,修正SCS-CN模型中的初损率,并基于土地利用类型遥感解译和降雨径流污染物浓度测定,精细刻画降雨径流中总磷(TP)、总氮(TN)、氨氮(NH3-N)、化学...     

水产养殖清塘过程污染排放特征及对周边水体影响：以太湖下游典型鱼类集约化养殖区为例

水产养殖清塘过程中的排水是造成周边水环境污染的重要环节，但对此环节中污染物排放特征和影响程度的研究仍相对不足。为有效减少清塘过程的排水对环境的污染，推进水产养殖业绿色发展，本研究选取典型鱼类集约化养殖区，通过高频采样和监测，分析了阶段式排水时混养鱼塘尾水中的悬浮物、有机物和营养盐等指标的浓度变化，明确污染物的排放特征，同时分析受纳水体不同断面的水质变化情况。研究结果表明：总悬浮物浓度(TSS)、高锰酸盐指数(COD_Mn)、总磷(TP)、总氮(TN)和氨氮(NH₃-N)浓度随着持续排水呈上升趋势，在排水末期污染物浓度均快速上升，磷酸盐磷(PO₄^3--P)浓度仅在排水末期骤升，硝态氮(NO₃^--N)浓度随排水持续下降，亚硝态氮(NO₂^--N)浓度随排水先上升后下降；根据《淡水池塘养殖水排放要求》二级标准，排水末期TN、TP、TSS浓度超标倍数分别达4.70、6.66、206.90；尾水流量与河流量约以1/200的比例...     

Hydraulic evolution and total suspended solids capture of an infiltration trench

Stormwater best management practice (BMP) design must incorporate the expected long‐term performance from both a water quantity and water quality perspective to sustainably mitigate hydrologic and water quality impacts of development. Infiltration trench structures are one of many infiltration BMPs that reduce runoff volume and capture pollutants. Research on the longevity of these structures is sparse, leading to concerns about their long‐term value and impeding implementation. In the present study, an infiltration trench was monitored from its inception to determine its hydrologic performance over time and total suspended solids (TSS) capture efficiency. The infiltration trench was intentionally undersized to accelerate longevity‐related processes. The infiltration trench provided a 36% TSS removal rate and displayed a distinct decrease in its ability to infiltrate stormwater runoff over the first three years of operation. Results indicate that infiltration through the bottom of the BMP became negligible, while infiltration through the sides of the BMP remained active over the 3‐year study period. The results lead to recommendations for BMP design. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

2001-2002水文年环太湖河道的水量及污染物通量

根据2001-2002水文年115条环太湖河道的同步环境监测资料,对水量及污染物通量进行了估算.全年的入湖水量为80.11×108m3,出湖水量为96.67×108m3.入湖水量主要通过西部河网以及西苕溪、望虞河等河流汇入太湖,其中西部河网的入湖量占总入湖量的60%;出湖水量主要通过太浦河、东苕溪以及东部河网汇出太湖,其中太浦河的出湖量占47%.污染物通量的估算结果是,CODMn、TN及TP的入湖总通量分别为37571t/a、28658t/a及1029t/a,出湖总通量分别为35431t/a、14600t/a及668t/a.CODMn、TN及TP入湖通量通过西部河网进入太湖的比例占63%、49%及47%;CODMn、TN及TP出湖通量通过太浦河汇出太湖的比例占51%、45%及34%.通过与上世纪90年代以前相同年型的数据进行对比,除TP外,其它各种污染物的入湖量均明显增加,且污染物在湖泊中的滞留率也显著提高.由此说明,环太湖河道入湖污染负荷的增加是太湖水环境恶化的根本原因.