GPS drifter technologies for tracking and sampling stormwater plumes

Source assessment and control is critical challenge for investments in sediment cleanup as well as in the prevention of future contaminated sediment liabilities. The ubiquitous and non-point source nature of these sources make them difficult to effectively characterize and control while at the same time, regulatory pressure to reduce them and cleanup adjacent water bodies is increasing. Among the key challenges of stormwater compliance and characterization are: What are realistic exposure scenarios that are protective of the environment but not so conservative as to be impossible to achieve?; What is the fate and transport of the particulate fraction of these sources and their linkage to regional sediments that may be impacted by episodic discharges?; At what point are these sources sufficiently controlled to warrant large-scale investment in remediation of the adjacent sediments? Based on the requirements described above, the objective of this project is to demonstrate a family of technologies adapted from the oceanographic and environmental arenas that could significantly improve our ability to address contaminant source exposure, transport and fate challenges at coastal site in a relatively simple and cost effective way. Through the adaptation and integration of oceanographic drifter and scour cell techniques, we have developed three key technologies including: the Drifting Exposure System; the Drifting Particle Simulator; and, the Sediment Deposition Detector. These technologies provide a new set of capabilities that are highly applicable to characterizing the exposure, transport and fate of stormwater contaminant sources. Each of these technologies has undergone refinement and testing in the first year of the project and are now in the process of being demonstrated at field sites in San Diego Bay and Pearl Harbor