Mitigating the environmental impacts of combined sewer overflow by web-based share-vision modelling

Abstract

Storm water overflow from a combined sewer system might result in a sudden devastating impact to part of the urban region and the local ecosystem in an urban river environment. In order to assess the overflow pollution load during tropical rainfall events and provide a capacity of real-time emergency response planning, a web-based share vision modelling system is designed for different decision-makers based on environmental and ecological information, knowledge, vision, and concepts simultaneously. The study area covers the estuarine region in the Love River system in South Taiwan. It aims at the development of a generic platform that allows decision-makers in cooperation with other stakeholders to carry out disaster management duty during storm events. The main task of the platform concerns the management of rain/runoff, the assessment of water quality impacts, and the control of interceptor system along the river corridor. The architecture of such a Decision Support System (DSS) requires applying, integrating, and linking the web-based database, two water quality simulation models, and one optimisation model in an Internet Geographic Information System (IGIS) environment. By properly sharing information, knowledge, vision, concept, and modelling outputs among different levels of decision-makers via a web-based platform, it clearly indicates that a more efficient emergency management action is achievable during relentless storm events in response to mitigating possible ecological risk in the estuarine rehabilitation process. This would also contribute to a sustainable development plan within the urban region in the long run.