Estimation of stormwater interception ratio for evaluating LID facilities performance in Korea

Abstract

To minimize the impact of urbanization, accurate performance evaluation of Low Impact Development (LID) facilities is needed. In Korea, the method designed to evaluate large-scale non-point pollution reduction facilities is being applied to LID facilities. However, it has been pointed out that this method is not suitable for evaluating the performance of relatively small-scale installed LID facilities. In this study, a new design formula was proposed based on the ratio of LID facility area and contributing drainage area, for estimating the Stormwater Interception Ratio (SIR) for LID facilities. The SIR was estimated for bio-retentions, infiltration trenches and vegetative swales, which are typical LID facilities, under various conditions through long-term stormwater simulation using the LID module of EPA SWMM. Based on the results of these numerical experiments, the new SIR formula for each LID facility was derived. The sensitivity of the proposed SIR formula to local rainfall properties and design variables is analysed. In addition, the SIR formula was compared with the existing design formula, the Rainfall Interception Ratio (RIR).