Urban runoff quality and quantity control: a functional comparison of various types of detention basins

Abstract

ABSTRACT Hydraulic behavior and pollutant removal efficiency of three stormwater end-of-pipe control structures were evaluated and compared. Three detention basins (wet, dry, and semi-dry, i.e. dry with a wet central channel) were monitored within three sites of Southern Quebec, Canada. Water samples were collected upstream and downstream of the basins and analyzed for total suspended solids (TSS), nitrogen, total phosphorous, and ions related to de-icing salts. Generalized linear models and hydrological/hydraulic (SWMM) models were developed to compute the long-term TSS and total phosphorous load removal efficiency for two of the studied basins. Results indicate that even when considering uncertainties, removal rates are the highest for the wet basin and the lowest for the dry one. The addition of a wet channel in the semi-dry basin leads to higher removal efficiency than in the dry basin (e.g. median TSS concentration removal of 69% and 14%, respectively, for the semi-dry and dry basins).