Abstract
Low impact development (LID) techniques are increasingly used as a stormwater management strategy to maintain the hydrological conditions of developed areas and mitigate the negative consequences of stormwater runoff and nonpoint source pollution. Although LID techniques have been commonly used in moderate to humid areas, further information is needed on their effectiveness in semi-arid and arid regions. This study aims to examine and compare the effectiveness of LID techniques in arid and semi-arid climate conditions. First, a comprehensive study was conducted to rank LID techniques based on literature reviews while also incorporating different stakeholder priorities. Then, the city of Varamin, Tehran, Iran, was chosen as a low slope arid and semi-arid study region to assess the applicability of the best three high-ranked LID techniques using the storm water management model (SWMM). The results indicated that rainwater harvesting is the most effective technique in terms of stormwater quality and quantity management. The implementation of the rainwater harvesting technique across the case study is likely to decrease the average discharge, peak discharge, total volume, total runoff, and total suspended solids (TSS) by respectively 31.2%, 12.7%, 40.71%, 40.77% and 37.91%. Besides, rainwater tanks were projected to provide the water demands of home gardens during the five dry months, in addition to other domestic needs for water conservation objectives. The application of LID techniques in such water-limited regions can be useful for both stormwater management and water conservation.
Highlights
Urbanization can transform natural and vegetated areas into urban landscapes that are dominated by impervious surfaces such as roofs, roads, driveways, parking lots, and sidewalks [1,2]
The results show that the best performance is provided by the implementation of the third phase of the first scenario and the application of rainwater harvesting tanks across the study area
The characteristics of hot and arid areas may affect the performance of Low impact development (LID) techniques
Summary
Urbanization can transform natural and vegetated areas into urban landscapes that are dominated by impervious surfaces such as roofs, roads, driveways, parking lots, and sidewalks [1,2]. This transformation can lead to serious negative consequences on water and energy balances, such as increasing stormwater, urban heat island (UHI) [3,4], increasing water demand [5,6,7] and pressures on water resources [8,9,10,11]. Many agreed that all techniques are feasible if used in the intended climate and for proper functions [33]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
