Abstract
A quantitative comparison of total costs between the traditional approach and the optimization approach for stormwater management is presented in this study. As the uniform sizing method is always associated with the traditional stormwater management practices, the optimization approach is well suited for the more recent stormwater management paradigm of low impact development (LID) practices. In the case study conducted for the town of Franklin in the Upper Charles River Watershed, Massachusetts, USA, the optimization method is able to identify stormwater management alternatives that cost 60% less than the traditional approach for meeting the Phosphorus loading reduction targets. The study highlights the comprehensive benefits from coupling optimization with the LID practices in stormwater management: 1. The LID practices’ focus on restoring the predevelopment runoff conditions ensures sustainable stormwater management, and 2. The optimization technique guarantees that the most cost-effective LID practices are selected throughout the decision-making process. The approaches outlined in this study can be very informative to many Asian countries that are under fast development and are in urgent need of scientific and sound approaches for achieving sustainable watershed management.
Published Version
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