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Evaluation and Mitigation of the Temporal Evolution of Microbial Contamination Risk in Surface Water Systems

Myers, John R
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1522418268900325

Abstract Details

2018, MS, University of Cincinnati, Engineering and Applied Science: Environmental Engineering.
This thesis presents a methodology for evaluating the temporal evolution of microbial contamination risk in surface water systems. The objective of the research is to advance the field of risk assessment across the realm of environmental engineering by developing a methodology that is applicable to numerous complex environmental phenomena, as well as developing the tools necessary to make this methodology pragmatically viable. To describe the temporal evolution of risk of microbial contamination, system components must first be identified. In the case of microbial contamination, system components are the potential sources and pathways of microbial contamination that contribute to water quality failure. These components are identified by first relating each spatial segment of the watershed to its contribution of microbial contaminants to the surface water system using sets of directed paths, which captures the influence that different spatial portions of the watershed have on nonpoint source microbial contamination. Next, the spatial-temporal behavior of microbial contamination is described within each component using a probabilistic mass conservation model that discretizes microbial state into a number of mutually exclusive system states and describes microbes’ probabilistic transition between them. Because microbial contamination is governed by inherently random environmental processes, the parameters of this model are treated as random variables. The uncertainty of these parameters is propagated through the model to describe the temporally and spatially evolving probability density function of microbial contamination, which is then used to evaluate the temporal evolution of risk. The model is compared to field data in a case study of the Shepherd Creek watershed, where the microbial contamination predicted by the model is compared to measured values. Sustainability metrics such as reliability, resilience, and vulnerability are computed. Collectively, this work of research provides a framework for the assessment of the temporal evolution of risk in environmental systems, applied specifically to microbial contamination in surface water systems.
Lilit Yeghiazarian-Nistor, Ph.D. (Committee Chair)
Drew McAvoy, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Patrick Ray, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
58 p.
Environmental Engineering
Temporal Evolution of Risk; Reliability; Surface Water; Nonpoint source; Microbial Contamination

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Myers, J. R. (2018). Evaluation and Mitigation of the Temporal Evolution of Microbial Contamination Risk in Surface Water Systems [Master's thesis, University of Cincinnati]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1522418268900325

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Myers, John. Evaluation and Mitigation of the Temporal Evolution of Microbial Contamination Risk in Surface Water Systems. 2018. University of Cincinnati, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1522418268900325.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Myers, John. "Evaluation and Mitigation of the Temporal Evolution of Microbial Contamination Risk in Surface Water Systems." Master's thesis, University of Cincinnati, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1522418268900325

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

ucin1522418268900325
97
© 2018, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by University of Cincinnati and OhioLINK.