Hydrologic Design of Urban Flood Control Detention Ponds

Abstract

Three different approaches can be used for the hydrologic design of flood control detention ponds that service urban catchments: (1) design storm approach; (2) continuous simulation approach; and (3) analytical probabilistic approach. In this study, the three approaches were compared for the first time using a hypothetical catchment in Chicago, Illinois. While all three approaches can generate similar results, the results from the design storm approach were shown to vary by 40% to 50% depending on the choice of models and design storms. An appreciation of this level of variation of the results and the development of procedures for the reduction of this variation are recommended for better application of the design storm approach. The results presented in this paper further verify the suitability of the analytical probabilistic approach for the hydrologic design of urban flood control detention ponds.