Department of Civil Engineering
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Item Rainfall simulation to evaluate pollutant build-up and wash-off from selected land uses within a port environment(ASCE, 2012) Goonetilleke, AshanthaThe Port of Brisbane Corporation is developing a world-class port facility at the mouth of the Brisbane River, Queensland, Australia. Located adjacent to Moreton Bay Marine Park and within Australia's fastest growing region, the need to ensure appropriate environmental management practices is integral to our operations. A key element of the Corporation's environmental responsibility is the effective management of stormwater generated from the site. As the first step towards developing a better understanding of the pollutant loads within our stormwater, the Corporation together with the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) undertook a series of rainfall simulation trials on various port land uses. Due to the unique nature of port operations, traffic types and storage modes, stormwater quality models used for typical urban land uses may not necessarily be applicable to port operations. Natural rainfall has high variability and unpredictability, and therefore the use of rainfall simulation can help to overcome these limitations with the ability to collect a large database in a short period of time. Using a specially designed rainfall simulator, twelve rainfall events typical to the region were simulated over a number of port specific land uses. Pollutant build-up and wash-off samples were collected and analysed for a range of potential stormwater pollutants. Preliminary testing indicates that surface build-up of pollutants within the port setting is comparable to that experienced in a commercial land use setting. However with the exception of zinc, wash-off pollutant concentrations are lower than that experienced within residential, commercial or industrial land use settings. Whilst sediment loads within the wash-off was higher than that reported for urban land uses, pollutants appeared bound to sediments, with the 0.75–75μm particle range being the most predominant. Therefore, water quality improvement strategies targeting the removal of suspended solids as a surrogate approach to removing pollutants may be valid. However, for any structural measures adopted for suspended solids removal to be effective, they should have the capability to remove specific particle size range/s. Consequently, stereo-typical device designs may not prove adequate in addressing this issue in port areas.Item Living laboratories to support collaboration(CIB BEAR, 2010) Goonetilleke, AshanthaThrough a case study analysis, this paper discusses the essential elements of successful university-industry partnerships in the context of the integration of the scholarships of teaching, research and application. This scholarly integration is advocated as the modern paradigm of real-world laboratory activity termed the “living laboratory”. The paper further examines the application of the concepts of experimentation, engagement and regeneration as critical measures for evaluating successful university-industry partnerships. University-industry partnerships play an increasingly important role in the current climate of universities being held increasingly accountable for the benefits of their scholarship to be transferred to the wider community and to demonstrate measurable impacts.Item Traffic and climate change impacts on water quality: measuring build-up and wash-off of heavy metals and petroleum hydrocarbons(IGI Global, 2010) Goonetilleke, AshanthaUnderstanding the impacts of traffic and climate change on water quality helps decision makers to develop better policy and plans for dealing with unsustainable urban and transport development. This chapter presents detailed methodologies developed for sample collection and testing for heavy metals and total petroleum hydrocarbons, as part of a research study to investigate the impacts of climate change and changes to urban traffic characteristics on pollutant build-up and wash-off from urban road surfaces. Cadmium, chromium, nickel, copper, lead, iron, aluminium, manganese and zinc were the target heavy metals, and selected gasoline and diesel range organics were the target total petroleum hydrocarbons for this study. The study sites were selected to encompass the urban traffic characteristics of the Gold Coast region, Australia. An improved sample collection method referred to as ‘the wet and dry vacuum system’ for the pollutant build-up, and an effective wash-off plan to incorporate predicted changes to rainfall characteristics due to climate change, were implemented. The novel approach to sample collection for pollutant build-up helped to maintain the integrity of collection efficiency. The wash-off plan helped to incorporate the predicted impacts of climate change in the Gold Coast region. The robust experimental methods developed will help in field sample collection and chemical testing of different stormwater pollutants in build-up and wash-off.Item The importance of a triple bottom line approach for safeguarding urban water quality(Istanbul Technical University (ITU), Turkey, 2010) Goonetilleke, AshanthaWater environments are greatly valued in urban areas as ecological and aesthetic assets. However, it is the water environment that is most adversely affected by urbanisation. Urban land use coupled with anthropogenic activities alters the stream flow regime and degrade water quality with urban stormwater being a significant source of pollutants. Unfortunately, urban water pollution is difficult to evaluate in terms of conventional monetary measures. True costs extend beyond immediate human or the physical boundaries of the urban area and affect the function of surrounding ecosystems. Current approaches for handling stormwater pollution and water quality issues in urban landscapes are limited as these are primarily focused on ‘end-of-pipe’ solutions. The approaches are commonly based either on, insufficient design knowledge, faulty value judgements or inadequate consideration of full life cycle costs. It is in this context that the adoption of a triple bottom line approach is advocated to safeguard urban water quality. The problem of degradation of urban water environments can only be remedied through innovative planning, water sensitive engineering design and the foresight to implement sustainable practices. Sustainable urban landscapes must be designed to match the triple bottom line needs of the community, starting with ecosystem services first such as the water cycle, then addressing the social and immediate ecosystem health needs, and finally the economic performance of the catchment. This calls for a cultural change towards urban water resources rather than the current piecemeal and single issue focus approach. This paper discusses the challenges in safeguarding urban water environments and the limitations of current approaches. It then explores the opportunities offered by integrating innovative planning practices with water engineering concepts into a single cohesive framework to protect valuable urban ecosystem assets. Finally, a series of recommendations are proposed for protecting urban water resources within the context of a triple bottom line approach.Item Sustainable water provision: challenges, alternative strategies and sources in the era of climate change(IGI Global, 2010) Goonetilleke, AshanthaAs a result of rapid urbanisation, population growth, changes in lifestyle, pollution and the impacts of climate change, water provision has become a critical challenge for planners and policy-makers. In the wake of increasingly difficult water provision and drought, the notion that freshwater is a finite and vulnerable resource is increasingly being realised. Many city administrations around the world are struggling to provide water security for their residents to maintain lifestyle and economic growth. This chapter reviews the global challenge of providing freshwater to sustain lifestyles and economic growth, and the contributing challenges of climate change, urbanisation, population growth and problems in rainfall distribution. The chapter proceeds to evaluate major alternatives to current water sources such as conservation, recycling and reclamation, and desalination. Integrated water resource management is briefly looked at to explore its role in complementing water provision. A comparative study on alternative resources is undertaken to evaluate their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and constraints, and the results are discussed.Item A multi-disciplinary approach for the design and management of airport terminals(Queensland University of Technology, 2010) Goonetilleke, AshanthaMulti-disciplinary approaches to complex problems are becoming more common – they enable criteria manifested in distinct (and potentially conflicting) domains to be jointly balanced and satisfied. In this paper we present airport terminals as a case study which requires multi-disciplinary knowledge in order to balance conflicting security, economic and passenger-driven needs and correspondingly enhance the design, management and operation of airport terminals. The need for a truly multi-disciplinary scientific approach which integrates information, process, people, technology and space domains is highlighted through a brief discussion of two challenges currently faced by airport operators. The paper outlines the approach taken by this project, detailing the aims and objectives of each of seven diverse research programs.Item e: An innovative modelling approach to assess stormwater pollutant loads from the Port of Brisbane, Australia(Queensland University of Technology, 2010) Goonetilleke, AshanthaPort land uses are subjected to unique anthropogenic activities compared to typical urban land uses. This uniqueness results in distinctive stormwater quality characteristics. Such distinction in stormwater quality has made conventional approaches used for pollutant load estimations inaccurate. This is also the case for the Port of Brisbane (PoB). The study discussed in the paper was conducted to estimate the pollutant contributions from Port specific land uses at PoB. For estimation, software modules embedded in Mike URBAN were used. An innovative approach was adopted in modelling where the conventional model calibration step was not needed to be performed to generate suitable site specific parameters. Instead, equations and site specific parameters that replicate pollutant build-up and wash-off were generated from an extensive field investigation. Models were simulated incorporating site specific parameters from six different Port specific land uses and rainfall events from three representative years. Outcomes of the modelling exercise were used to identify the distinct pollutant contributions from different Port land uses.Item Development of pollutant build-up parameters for MIKE URBAN for South East Queensland, Australia(DHI Group, 2010) Goonetilleke, AshanthaAccurate estimation of input parameters is essential to ensure the accuracy and reliability of hydrologic and water quality modelling. Calibration is an approach to obtain accurate input parameters for comparing observed and simulated results. However, the calibration approach is limited as it is only applicable to catchments where monitoring data is available. Therefore, methodology to estimate appropriate model input parameters is critical, particularly for catchments where monitoring data is not available. In the research study discussed in the paper, pollutant build-up parameters derived from catchment field investigations and model calibration using MIKE URBAN are compared for three catchments in Southeast Queensland, Australia. Additionally, the sensitivity of MIKE URBAN input parameters was analysed. It was found that Reduction Factor is the most sensitive parameter for peak flow and total runoff volume estimation whilst Build-up rate is the most sensitive parameter for TSS load estimation. Consequently, these input parameters should be determined accurately in hydrologic and water quality simulations using MIKE URBAN. Furthermore, an empirical equation for Southeast Queensland, Australia for the conversion of build-up parameters derived from catchment field investigations as MIKE URBAN input build-up parameters was derived. This will provide guidance for allowing for regional variations in the estimation of input parameters for catchment modelling using MIKE URBAN where monitoring data is not available.Item Urban traffic characteristics and urban stormwater quality: A methodology to measure traffic generated water pollutants(Springer, 2010) Goonetilleke, AshanthaThis book presents a detailed analysis in relation to pollutant processes and transport pathways encompassing atmospheric pollutants, atmospheric deposition and build-up on road surfaces of traffic generated key pollutants. The research study undertaken by the authors created extensive knowledge relating to the relevant processes and establishing their relationships as a chain of processes. The information presented in this book was derived based on comprehensive experimental investigations including field sampling, laboratory testing, mathematical modelling and multivariate and univariate statistical data analyses. The knowledge presented will be of particular interest to readers such as stormwater treatment design specialists, decision-makers and urban planners since these outcomes provide practical suggestions and recommendations to effective urban stormwater treatment design.Item Investigating challenges and opportunities of water sensitive urban design for Knowledge based urban development of Australian cities(Queensland University of Technology, 2010) Goonetilleke, AshanthaA new approach that is slowly replacing neoclassical models of economic growth and commodity based industrial activities, knowledge based urban development (KBUD) aims to provide opportunities for cities to foster knowledge creation, exchange and innovation, and is based on the concepts of both sustainable urban development and economic prosperity; sustainable uses and protection of natural resources are therefore integral parts of KBUD. As such, stormwater, which has been recognised as one of the main culprits of aquatic ecosystem pollution and as therefore a significant threat to the goal of sustainable urban development, needs to be managed in a manner that produces ecologically sound outcomes. Water sensitive urban design (WSUD) is one of the key responses to the need to better manage urban stormwater runoff and supports KBUD by providing an alternative, innovative and effective strategy to traditional stormwater management.