Seneshaw Tsegaye

@fgcu.edu

Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental and Civil Engineering
Florida Gulf Coast University

Seneshaw Tsegaye


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https://researchid.co/seneshaw

EDUCATION

Ph.D., University of South Florida, Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2013
31

Scopus Publications

Scopus Publications

  • Turning Organic Waste into Energy and Food: Household-Scale Water–Energy–Food Systems
    Seneshaw Tsegaye, Terence Wise, Gabriel Alford, Peter R. Michael, Mewcha Amha Gebremedhin, Ankit Kumar Singh, Thomas H. Culhane, Osman Karatum, Thomas M. Missimer
    Sustainability Switzerland, 2025
    Population growth drives increasing energy demands, agricultural production, and organic waste generation. The organic waste contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and increasing landfill burdens, highlighting the need for novel closed-loop technologies that integrate water, energy, and food resources. Within the context of the Water–energy–food Nexus (WEF), wastewater can be recycled for food production and food waste can be converted into clean energy, both contributing to environmental impact reduction and resource sustainability. A novel household-scale, closed-loop WEF system was designed, installed and operated to manage organic waste while retrieving water for irrigation, nutrients for plant growth, and biogas for energy generation. The system included a biodigester for energy production, a sand filter system to regulate nutrient levels in the effluent, and a hydroponic setup for growing food crops using the nutrient-rich effluent. These components are operated with a daily batch feeder coupled with automated sensors to monitor effluent flow from the biodigester, sand filter system, and the feeder to the hydroponic system. This novel system was operated continuously for two months using typical household waste composition. Controlled experimental tests were conducted weekly to measure the nutrient content of the effluent at four locations and to analyze the composition of biogas. Gas chromatography was used to analyze biogas composition, while test strips and In-Situ Aqua Troll Multi-Parameter Water Quality Sonde were employed for water quality measurements during the experimental study. Experimental results showed that the system consistently produced biogas with 76.7% (±5.2%) methane, while effluent analysis confirmed its potential as a nutrient source with average concentrations of phosphate (20 mg/L), nitrate (26 mg/L), and nitrite (5 mg/L). These nutrient values indicate suitability for hydroponic crop growth and reduced reliance on synthetic fertilizers. This novel system represents a significant step toward integrating waste management, energy production, and food cultivation at the source, in this case, the household.
  • Understanding Nutrient Loading in a Hydrologically Sensitive Coastal Watershed. The Peace River Watershed, Florida, USA
    Mebrahtom G. Kebedew, Seneshaw Tsegaye, Andrew James, Adelbert Del Bottcher, Kevin K. Albrecht, Rachel Rotz
    Environmental Processes, 2025
  • Enhancing Disaster Resilience Through Mobile Solar–Biogas Hybrid PowerKiosks
    Seneshaw Tsegaye, Mason Lundquist, Alexis Adams, Thomas H. Culhane, Peter R. Michael, Jeffrey L. Pearson, Thomas M. Missimer
    Sustainability Switzerland, 2025
    Natural disasters in the United States frequently wreak havoc on critical infrastructure, affecting energy, water, transportation, and communication systems. To address these disruptions, the use of mobile power solutions like PowerKiosk trailers is a partial solution during recovery periods. PowerKiosk is a trailer equipped with renewable energy sources such as solar panels and biogas generators, offering a promising strategy for emergency power restoration. With a daily power output of 12.1 kWh, PowerKiosk trailers can support small lift stations or a few homes, providing a temporary solution during emergencies. Their key strength lies in their mobility, allowing them to quickly reach disaster-affected areas and deliver power when and where it is most needed. This flexibility is particularly valuable in regions like Florida, where hurricanes are common, and power outages can cause widespread disruption. Although the PowerKiosk might not be suitable for long-term use because of its limited capacity, it can play a critical role in disaster recovery efforts. In a community-wide power outage, deploying the PowerKiosk to a lift station ensures essential services like wastewater management, benefiting everyone. By using this mobile power solution, community resilience can be enhanced in the face of natural disasters.
  • Application of Virtual Reality for Sustainability Education
    International Journal of Engineering Education, 2025
  • Remote sensing-based estimation of Chlorophyll-a concentrations in a water hyacinth-infested tropical headwaters lake: a study of Lake Tana, Ethiopia
    Bekalu W. Asres, Mebrahtom G. Kebedew, Meareg D. Nerae, Seneshaw Tsegaye, Fasikaw A. Zimale
    Frontiers in Water, 2025
    Intensified agriculture practices contribute to nutrient enrichment in freshwater lakes, causing eutrophication, algal blooms, and water hyacinth infestations. Eutrophication in Lake Tana, the source of the Blue Nile in Ethiopia, necessitates effective monitoring due to rapid infestation of water hyacinths. While traditional monitoring is costly and limited in spatial and temporal coverage, remote sensing offers a promising alternative. This study develops a regression model to estimate Chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentration using in situ and remote sensing reflectance data. Field measurements from 143 locations across Lake Tana were used to validate the correlation equations. Results show that the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) in near-infrared reflectance exhibits the strongest linear relationship with in situ Chl-a measurements for August 2016 ( r 2 = 0.53), December 2016 ( r 2 = 0.56) and March 2017 ( r 2 = 0.61). The developed models were validated with a root-mean-square error of 2.76 μg/L, 5.89 μg/L, and 8.04 μg/L for August, December, and March, respectively. Applying the developed model from 2008–2018, the Chl-a concentration of the lake indicated an increasing trend, likely driven by non-point sources from surrounding watersheds, causing infestation of the lake by hyacinths since 2011. The agreement between MODIS and in situ Chl-a data, coupled with the satisfactory performance of the linear regression model, underscores that developing a regression model for Chl-a estimation from remote sensing in water hyacinth-infested lakes is a useful method in tracking spatiotemporal variations. This study will serve as a foundation for future Chl-a variation studies in Lake Tana and other similar lakes.
  • Scenario-Based Mitigation of Nutrient Hotspots in Coastal Watersheds: The Peace River Watershed, Florida
    Seneshaw Tsegaye, Mebrahtom G. Kebedew, Andrew James, Adelbert Bottcher, Kevin K. Albrecht, Rachel R. Rotz
    Earth Systems and Environment, 2025
  • A comprehensive approach to an urban water reuse system to meet irrigation demand and conserve water: City of Cape Coral, FL, USA
    Jeffery Pearson, Seneshaw Tsegaye, Thomas M. Missimer
    Water Reuse, 2024
    Maximizing the reuse of domestic wastewater is a critical objective, spurred by the pressing need to avoid water loss, reduce environmental discharges, and manage irrigation water demand. In the City of Cape Coral (FL, USA), thousands of old-fashioned and inefficient irrigation systems have been installed over the past 50 years. The city has adopted year-round external water use restrictions, but demands continue to increase. In 2020, peak 24-h irrigation water demands exceeded 177,914 m3. In response to recurrent dry seasons and growing demand over the past 20 years, the city has diversified its water resources. The city uses brackish groundwater with reverse osmosis treatment to produce drinking water and reuses 100% of its wastewater effluent for irrigation by blending the treated wastewater with fresh water from 483 km of freshwater canals. To promote efficient irrigation water use among consumers, a new approach has been adopted to automate private irrigation systems. The Environmental Resource Assessment and Management System Integrated Urban Water Model was used to simulate water management scenarios. The simulation showed that increasing automatic irrigation efficiency can save millions of cubic meters of irrigation water and help the city meet the future build-out peak-day demand of 219,758 m3/d, as estimated by the Blaney–Criddle method.
  • Evaluating Stormwater Infiltration Systems in High Water Table Areas: Insights from Southwest Florida
    John P. Herman, Seneshaw Tsegaye, Thomas M. Missimer
    Water Switzerland, 2024
    Infiltration-based stormwater best management practices (BMPs) are progressively being utilized to mitigate issues such as increased runoff and poor water quality associated with urbanization. However, they are often difficult to accurately model due to the extensive design variables involved, particularly in high water table regions where groundwater mounding can cause primary infiltration to shift from vertical to horizontal. This study assessed an infiltration-based stormwater management system for a commercial property in Southwest Florida using integrated ArcMap 10.8.2 -ICPR4 software. A unique modeling technique captured the shift from vertical to horizontal infiltration in high water table conditions, employing ICPR4’s “percolation ring” and “percolation link”. The integration of GIS with the ICPR model enabled detailed modeling, assessment, and visualization of runoff in high water table areas. Three site-specific design storms were employed to analyze the pre- and post-developed conditions of the study area and assess whether existing BMPs met Environmental Resource Permit (ERP) requirements. While the system complies with ERP standards, it was found to be oversized based on storage basin stages and stormwater discharges from the simulated 100-year/24-h storm event. This is because 45–68% of the total volume entering the stormwater management basins infiltrated during the analysis period. The infiltration rate in the models was initially heavily dependent on vertical infiltration. However, horizontal groundwater flow substantially increased with the increasing water stage in the detention ponds after vadose zone saturation. These findings highlight the significance of modeling techniques in accurately capturing the performance of infiltration-based stormwater management systems in high water table conditions.
  • Design of water distribution systems
    Water Supply and Distribution Systems Second Edition, 2024
  • Evaluation of Seasonal Reservoir Water Treatment Processes in Southwest Florida: Protection of the Caloosahatchee River Estuary
    Thomas M. Missimer, Seneshaw Tsegaye, Serge Thomas, Ashley Danley-Thomson, Peter R. Michael
    Water Switzerland, 2024
    In southwest Florida, the Caloosahatchee River flows from Lake Okeechobee into a biologically productive tidal estuarine system. A combination of excess water during the wet season, insufficient fresh water in the dry season, and poor quality of the river water are damaging the estuarine ecosystem. To better control the quality and quantity of the water entering the estuary, reservoirs are being constructed to store excess, poor quality water during the wet season and return it to the river for discharge into the estuary at an appropriate time. This stored water is enriched in nutrients and organic carbon. Because of the subtropical nature of the climate in southwest Florida and potential increases in temperature in the future, the return flow of water from the reservoirs must be treated before it can be returned to the river. Hence, an experimental water treatment system was developed and operated to compare biological treatment processes consisting of solely wetland plants versus adding some engineered processes, including slow sand filtration and a combination of slow sand filtration and ultraviolet (UV) treatment. These three treatment trains were operated and monitored through a seasonal cycle in 2021–2022. All three treatment methods significantly reduced the concentrations of nutrients and total organic carbon. While the enhanced engineered wetlands’ treatment trains did slightly outperform the wetland train, a comparison of the three process trains showed no statistically significant difference. It was concluded that upscaling of the slow sand filtration and UV process could improve the treatment efficiency, but this change would have to be evaluated within a framework of long-term economic benefits. It was also concluded that the Caloosahatchee River water quality is quite enriched in nutrients so that reservoir storage would increase the organic carbon concentrations, making it imperative that it be treated before being returned to the river. It was also discovered that the green alga Cladophora sp. grew rapidly in the biological treatment tubs and will present a significant challenge for the treatment of the reservoir discharge water using the currently proposed alum treatment.
  • Distinct and combined impacts of future climate and land use change on the flow of river Rwizi in Uganda, East Africa
    Jotham Ivan Sempewo, Joseph Kyeyune, Philip M. Nyenje, Albert Nkwasa, Seith N. Mugume, Seneshaw Tsegaye, Jochen Eckart
    Journal of Water and Climate Change, 2024
  • Integrated GIS-hydrologic-hydraulic modeling to assess combined flood drivers in coastal regions: a case study of Bonita Bay, Florida
    Seneshaw Tsegaye, Mebrahtom G. Kebedew, Kevin K. Albrecht, Thomas M. Missimer, Serge Thomas, Ahmed S. Elshall
    Frontiers in Water, 2024
  • Natural Background and the Anthropogenic Enrichment of Mercury in the Southern Florida Environment: A Review with a Discussion on Public Health
    Thomas M. Missimer, James H. MacDonald, Seneshaw Tsegaye, Serge Thomas, Christopher M. Teaf, Douglas Covert, Zoie R. Kassis
    International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2024
  • Data Science in the Civil Engineering Curriculum
    ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition Conference Proceedings, 2023
  • The Effect of McGraw-Hill Connect Online Assessment on Students’ Academic Performance in a Mechanics of Materials Course*
    International Journal of Engineering Education, 2023
  • Interdependencies of Lifelines: A Case Study of Transportation Infrastructure Under Hurricane Impacts
    Long D. Nguyen, Alexis Slobodzian, Claude Villiers, Seneshaw Tsegaye
    Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering, 2023
  • GIS-and ICPR-Based Approach to Sustainable Urban Drainage Practices: Case Study of a Development Site in Florida
    Daniel W. Schroeder, Seneshaw Tsegaye, Thomas L. Singleton, Kevin K. Albrecht
    Water Switzerland, 2022
  • Vulnerability of Southwest Florida Water Infrastructure under the Impacts of Hurricane
    Long D. Nguyen, Seneshaw Tsegaye
    Construction Research Congress 2022 Infrastructure Sustainability and Resilience Selected Papers from Construction Research Congress 2022, 2022
  • Case study for analyzing nutrient-management technologies at three scales within a sewershed
    Kevin D. Orner, Seneshaw Tsegaye, Hélène Kassouf, Komal Rathore, Aydin Sunol, Jeffrey A. Cunningham
    Urban Water Journal, 2021
  • Coping with future change: Optimal design of flexible water distribution systems
    Seneshaw Tsegaye, Kristopher C. Gallagher, Thomas M. Missimer
    Sustainable Cities and Society, 2020
  • Understanding transparent exopolymer particle occurrence and interaction with algae, bacteria, and the fractions of natural organic matter in the red sea: Implications for seawater desalination
    Abdullah H.A. Dehwah, Donald M. Anderson, Sheng Li, Francis L. Mallon, Zenon Batang, Abdullah H. Alshahri, Seneshaw Tsegaye, Michael Hegy, Thomas M. Missimer
    Desalination and Water Treatment, 2020
  • Integrated approaches toward sustainable urban water resources management
    Sustainable Water Resources Management and Challenges, 2020
  • A clustered, decentralized approach to urban water management
    Seneshaw Tsegaye, Thomas M. Missimer, Jong-Yeop Kim, Jason Hock
    Water Switzerland, 2020
  • Transitioning from gray to green (G2G)—A green infrastructure planning tool for the urban forest
    Seneshaw Tsegaye, Thomas L. Singleton, Andrew K. Koeser, David S. Lamb, Shawn M. Landry, Shen Lu, Joshua B. Barber, Deborah R. Hilbert, Keir O. Hamilton, Robert J. Northrop, Kebreab Ghebremichael
    Urban Forestry and Urban Greening, 2019
  • Transitioning from gray to green (G2G)—A green infrastructure planning tool for the urban forest
    J. Velázquez, P. Anza, J. Gutiérrez, B. Sánchez, A. Hernando, A. García-Abril
    Urban Forestry and Urban Greening, 2019
  • A new approach for using GIS to link infiltration BMPs to Groundwater Pollution Risk
    Kristopher C. Gallagher, Kamal Alsharif, Seneshaw Tsegaye, Philip Van Beynen
    Urban Water Journal, 2018
  • Integrated urban water management
    M. Figueroa, D. Kincaid
    Routledge Handbook of Water and Health, 2015
  • A paradigm shift in urban water management: An imperative to achieve sustainability
    Kala Vairavamoorthy, Jochen Eckart, Seneshaw Tsegaye, Kebreab Ghebremichael, Krishna Khatri
    Sustainability of Integrated Water Resources Management Water Governance Climate and Ecohydrology, 2015
  • Integrated urban water management
    K. Vairavamoorthy, J. Eckart, K. Ghebremichael, S. Tsegaye
    Routledge Handbook of Water and Health, 2015
  • A simple 2-D inundation model for incorporating flood damage in urban drainage planning
    A. Pathirana, S. Tsegaye, B. Gersonius, K. Vairavamoorthy
    Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 2011
  • Flexible design of urban water distribution networks
    Danguang Huang, Kalanithy Vairavamoorthy, Seneshaw Tsegaye
    World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2010 Challenges of Change Proceedings of the World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2010, 2010