Minimum‐Impact Modeling of Nonpoint‐Source Ground‐Water Pollution

Abstract

A new nonpoint source pollution management model is presented and applied to ascertain scenarios of expanding residential/commercial land uses to minimize impacts on ground‐water quality. The model is a linear program (LP), which can relate distributions of regional ground‐water quality to corresponding development scenarios at optimality. This is achieved by including equations from a numerical steady‐state transport model in the LP constraint set. The model is applied to 1980 and projected conditions for a subarea of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Elemental water quality, elemental housing density, nondegradation water quality standards, the 1980 land‐use pattern, and a projected development population are incorporated as constraints. The analysis elucidates optimal development distributions that produce a minimum ground‐water‐quality impact. The dual variables generated from binding continuity, water quality, and development density constraints are particularly valuable for the information they provide on the impacts of relaxing land‐use and water‐quality limitations.