Polluted Watersheds Deliver More Waste to Streams Than Expected
The study aimed to improve how pollution delivery is estimated in streams by considering watershed characteristics and pollution behavior. Researchers developed a new model to better predict pollution load delivery, but found it had limitations when the washed-off pollution was less than observed in the stream. By analyzing real-world cases, they discovered why pollution delivery can exceed the assumed source load, leading to more accurate calculations of pollution discharged into streams.