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Stormwater control measures (SCMs) have the potential to mitigate negative effects of watershed development on hydrology and water quality. Stormwater regulations and scientific literature have assumed that SCMs are important sites for denitrification, the permanent removal of nitrogen, but this assumption has been informed mainly by short-term loading studies and measurements of potential rates of nitrogen cycling. Recent research concluded that SCM nitrogen removal can be dominated by plant and soil assimilation rather than by denitrification, and rates of nitrogen fixation can exceed rates of denitrification in SCM sediments, resulting in a net addition of nitrogen. Nitrogen cycling measurements from other human-impacted aquatic habitats have presented similar results, additionally suggesting that dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) and algal uptake could be important processes for recycling nitrogen in SCMs. Future research should directly measure a suite of nitrogen cycling processes in SCMs and reveal controlling mechanisms of individual rate processes. There is ample opportunity for research on SCM nitrogen cycling, including investigations of seasonal variation, differences between climatic regions, and trade-offs between nitrogen removal and phosphorus removal. Understanding nitrogen dynamics within SCMs will inform more efficient SCM design and management that promotes denitrification to help mitigate negative effects of urban stormwater on downstream ecosystems.

Fecal contamination in stormwater is often complex. Because conventional fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) cannot be used to ascertain source of fecal contamination, alternative indicators are being explored to partition these sources. As they are assessed for future use, it is critical to compare alternative indicators to conventional FIB under a range of stormwater delivery conditions. In this study, conventional FIB and fecal Bacteroides spp. were monitored throughout the duration of five storm events from coastal stormwater outfalls in Dare County, North Carolina, USA to characterize relationships among FIB concentrations, alternative fecal markers, and loading of contaminants. Water samples were collected multiple times during each storm and analyzed for Enterococcus sp. and Escherichia coli using enzymatic tests and fecal Bacteroides spp. by QPCR. Both conventional FIB and fecal Bacteroides spp. concentrations in stormwater were generally high and extremely variable over the course of the storm events. Over the very short distances between sites, we observed statistically significant spatial and temporal variability, indicating that stormwater monitoring based on single grab-samples is inappropriate. Loading of FIB and fecal Bacteroides spp. appeared to be affected differently by various hydrologic factors. Specifically, Spearman correlations between fecal Bacteroides spp. and drainage area and antecedent rainfall were lower than those between conventional FIB and these hydrologic factors. Furthermore, the patterns of fecal Bacteroides spp. concentrations generally increased over the duration of the storms, whereas E. coli and Enterococcus sp. concentrations generally followed the patterns of the hydrograph, peaking early and tailing off. Given the greater source-specificity and limited persistence of fecal Bacteroides spp. in oxygenated environments, differences in these patterns suggest multiple delivery modes of fecal contamination (i.e. landscape scouring versus groundwater discharge).

In the New River Estuary (NRE) in eastern North Carolina (NC), fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) levels exceed water quality standards, leading to closure of estuarine waters for shellfishing and classification of parts of the estuary as "impaired" per the Clean Water Act section 303(d) list. As a means to investigate fecal contamination and loading of FIB to the NRE, a continuous automated sampler (ISCO) outfitted with flow modules and water quality probes was placed in four first-order tidal creek headwaters. Total storm discharge and bacterial load for Escherichia coli (EC) and Enterococcus spp. (ENT) were calculated using graphical volumetric flow calculations and interpolation of FIB measurements over each storm's duration for 10 storms. Mean total load of 10(9)-10(12) EC and ENT cells (MPN) occurred over the course of each storm. Total storm loading, averaged across all storms, was as much as 30 and 37 times greater than equivalent duration of baseflow loading for EC and ENT, respectively. Within the first 30% of creek storm volume for all storms and all creeks combined, a mean cumulative load of only 37% and 44% of the total EC and ENT cells, respectively, was discharged, indicating these creeks are not demonstrating a 'first flush' scenario for FIB. The median storm Event Mean Concentrations (EMCs) were 6.37 × 10(2) and 2.03 × 10(2) MPN/100 mL, for EC and ENT, respectively, compared with median baseflow concentrations of 1.48 × 10(2) and 4.84 × 10(1) for EC and ENT, respectively, and were significantly different between base and storm flow events. FIB was correlated with TSS (weak), flow rate (strong), and different stages (base, rising, peak, and falling) of the hydrograph (strong). Pollutographs indicate large intra-storm variability of FIB, and the need for more intensive sampling throughout a storm in order to attain accurate FIB contaminant estimates. Instream sediment concentrations ranged from 5 to 478 (MPN/g) and 13 to 776 (MPN/g) for EC and ENT, respectively, indicating sediment as a source, but a minor reservoir. This overall approach for calculating loading in headwater tidal creeks is detailed. Accurate loading characterization of FIB during storms and dry weather conditions, and understanding intra-storm FIB concentrations, is imperative for understanding patterns of water quality impairment, establishing management planning, and developing appropriate mitigation strategies.