Wastewater effluent dispersal in Southern California Bays

Yusuke Uchiyama; Eileen Y. Idica; James C. McWilliams; Keith D. Stolzenbach

doi:10.1016/j.csr.2014.01.002

Wastewater effluent dispersal in Southern California Bays

Yusuke Uchiyama, Eileen Y. Idica, James C. McWilliams, Keith D. Stolzenbach

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

47 Scopus citations

Abstract

The dispersal and dilution of urban wastewater effluents from offshore, subsurface outfalls is simulated with a comprehensive circulation model with downscaling in nested grid configurations for San Pedro and Santa Monica Bays in Southern California during Fall of 2006. The circulation is comprised of mean persistent currents, mesoscale and submesoscale eddies, and tides. Effluent volume inflow rates at Huntington Beach and Hyperion are specified, and both their present outfall locations and alternative nearshore diversion sites are assessed. The effluent tracer concentration fields are highly intermittent mainly due to eddy currents, and their probability distribution functions have long tails of high concentration. The dilution rate is controlled by submesoscale stirring and straining in tracer filaments. The dominant dispersal pattern is alongshore in both directions, approximately along isobaths, over distances of more than 10. km before dilution takes over. The current outfall locations mostly keep the effluent below the surface and away from the shore, as intended, but the nearshore diversions do not. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	36-52
Number of pages	17
Journal	Continental Shelf Research
Volume	76
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csr.2014.01.002
State	Published - Mar 2014
Externally published	Yes

Bibliographical note

KAUST Repository Item: Exported on 2020-10-01
Acknowledgements: We thank our colleagues Florian Lemarie, Jeroen Molemaker, and Alexander Shchepetkin for their help in preparing the meteorological fields and developing the modeling capabilities. We also thank Burt Jones (USC, KAUST) and George Robertson (OCSD) for guidance on effluent plumes. We appreciate support from the Office of Naval Research (N00014-12-1-0939), the Orange County Sanitation District, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (A11NOS0120029) through the Southern California Coastal Ocean Observing System, and the Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (24560622).
This publication acknowledges KAUST support, but has no KAUST affiliated authors.

Access to Document

10.1016/j.csr.2014.01.002

Cite this

@article{cce121c251d64f94a9f8f59a04feaaee,

title = "Wastewater effluent dispersal in Southern California Bays",

abstract = "The dispersal and dilution of urban wastewater effluents from offshore, subsurface outfalls is simulated with a comprehensive circulation model with downscaling in nested grid configurations for San Pedro and Santa Monica Bays in Southern California during Fall of 2006. The circulation is comprised of mean persistent currents, mesoscale and submesoscale eddies, and tides. Effluent volume inflow rates at Huntington Beach and Hyperion are specified, and both their present outfall locations and alternative nearshore diversion sites are assessed. The effluent tracer concentration fields are highly intermittent mainly due to eddy currents, and their probability distribution functions have long tails of high concentration. The dilution rate is controlled by submesoscale stirring and straining in tracer filaments. The dominant dispersal pattern is alongshore in both directions, approximately along isobaths, over distances of more than 10. km before dilution takes over. The current outfall locations mostly keep the effluent below the surface and away from the shore, as intended, but the nearshore diversions do not. {\textcopyright} 2014 Elsevier Ltd.",

author = "Yusuke Uchiyama and Idica, {Eileen Y.} and McWilliams, {James C.} and Stolzenbach, {Keith D.}",

note = "KAUST Repository Item: Exported on 2020-10-01 Acknowledgements: We thank our colleagues Florian Lemarie, Jeroen Molemaker, and Alexander Shchepetkin for their help in preparing the meteorological fields and developing the modeling capabilities. We also thank Burt Jones (USC, KAUST) and George Robertson (OCSD) for guidance on effluent plumes. We appreciate support from the Office of Naval Research (N00014-12-1-0939), the Orange County Sanitation District, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (A11NOS0120029) through the Southern California Coastal Ocean Observing System, and the Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (24560622). This publication acknowledges KAUST support, but has no KAUST affiliated authors.",

year = "2014",

month = mar,

doi = "10.1016/j.csr.2014.01.002",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "76",

pages = "36--52",

journal = "Continental Shelf Research",

issn = "0278-4343",

publisher = "Elsevier Ltd",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Wastewater effluent dispersal in Southern California Bays

AU - Uchiyama, Yusuke

AU - Idica, Eileen Y.

AU - McWilliams, James C.

AU - Stolzenbach, Keith D.

N1 - KAUST Repository Item: Exported on 2020-10-01 Acknowledgements: We thank our colleagues Florian Lemarie, Jeroen Molemaker, and Alexander Shchepetkin for their help in preparing the meteorological fields and developing the modeling capabilities. We also thank Burt Jones (USC, KAUST) and George Robertson (OCSD) for guidance on effluent plumes. We appreciate support from the Office of Naval Research (N00014-12-1-0939), the Orange County Sanitation District, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (A11NOS0120029) through the Southern California Coastal Ocean Observing System, and the Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (24560622). This publication acknowledges KAUST support, but has no KAUST affiliated authors.

PY - 2014/3

Y1 - 2014/3

N2 - The dispersal and dilution of urban wastewater effluents from offshore, subsurface outfalls is simulated with a comprehensive circulation model with downscaling in nested grid configurations for San Pedro and Santa Monica Bays in Southern California during Fall of 2006. The circulation is comprised of mean persistent currents, mesoscale and submesoscale eddies, and tides. Effluent volume inflow rates at Huntington Beach and Hyperion are specified, and both their present outfall locations and alternative nearshore diversion sites are assessed. The effluent tracer concentration fields are highly intermittent mainly due to eddy currents, and their probability distribution functions have long tails of high concentration. The dilution rate is controlled by submesoscale stirring and straining in tracer filaments. The dominant dispersal pattern is alongshore in both directions, approximately along isobaths, over distances of more than 10. km before dilution takes over. The current outfall locations mostly keep the effluent below the surface and away from the shore, as intended, but the nearshore diversions do not. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd.

AB - The dispersal and dilution of urban wastewater effluents from offshore, subsurface outfalls is simulated with a comprehensive circulation model with downscaling in nested grid configurations for San Pedro and Santa Monica Bays in Southern California during Fall of 2006. The circulation is comprised of mean persistent currents, mesoscale and submesoscale eddies, and tides. Effluent volume inflow rates at Huntington Beach and Hyperion are specified, and both their present outfall locations and alternative nearshore diversion sites are assessed. The effluent tracer concentration fields are highly intermittent mainly due to eddy currents, and their probability distribution functions have long tails of high concentration. The dilution rate is controlled by submesoscale stirring and straining in tracer filaments. The dominant dispersal pattern is alongshore in both directions, approximately along isobaths, over distances of more than 10. km before dilution takes over. The current outfall locations mostly keep the effluent below the surface and away from the shore, as intended, but the nearshore diversions do not. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd.

UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10754/600181

UR - https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0278434314000041

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84893343785&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.csr.2014.01.002

DO - 10.1016/j.csr.2014.01.002

M3 - Article

SN - 0278-4343

VL - 76

SP - 36

EP - 52

JO - Continental Shelf Research

JF - Continental Shelf Research

ER -

Wastewater effluent dispersal in Southern California Bays

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this