Land use influence on the quantity and quality of runoff along Israel’s coastal strip

Abstract

This study presents an analysis of the quantity and quality of urban runoff from various land uses by remote sensing and GIS technology coupled with hydrological and chemical monitoring. The study areas were located in the cities of Herzliya and Ra’anana, in Israel’s coastal plain, where extensive urbanization has taken place over the last 30 years. Within the research framework, land use in urban basins were analyzed, rain and runoff were measured and sampled at measurement stations for different land uses (residential, industrial, commercial, roads, gas station). The research purposes were to analyze land uses by different remote sensing techniques, to evaluate the quality and quantity of urban storm water from various land uses, and to verify a method for predicting the impact of urban land uses on quantity and quality of urban storm water. The quality of urban storm water from residential areas was very high, and the water is suitable for reuse or direct recharge into the local aquifer.