Particulate solids are the most common constituent examined during stormwater monitoring projects. They have also been used as the basis of many regulatory programs, mostly as a surrogate for particulate bound pollutants, such as metals and nutrients.There is controversy concerning older total suspended solids values compared to newer data observations (such as when comparing total suspended solids, TSS, values with suspended sediment concentration, SSC), especially when used in conjunction with the particle size distributions (PSDs). As part of this controversy, some have advocated not using the earlier TSS data as being unreliable.Some commonly used sampling and analytical procedures do not represent the complete range of particle sizes present in the water being sampled. If the PSD is mismatched with the particulate solids information, incorrect calculations will lead to misleading stormwater control calculations. Most stormwater controls preferentially remove large particles (faster settling in sedimentation devices, easier to trap in filtering facilities, easier to remove by conventional street cleaners). Therefore, if SSC PSDs are incorrectly paired with TSS concentration data, more of the TSS load would be calculated to be removed by stormwater controls than actually occurs. It is therefore important that the correct particle size distributions be matched with the particulate solids concentrations when conducting these modeling calculations for the most accurate performance and characterization predictions. This paper presents the results of several stormwater monitoring studies that have examined alternative sample collection and laboratory analyses options focusing on stormwater particulate solids and particle size distributions. Recommendations are made to assist in the selection of the most appropriate stormwater sampling and processing methods based on actual monitoring results and mass balance calculations.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.