Water Conservation and Green Infrastructure Adaptations to Reduce Water Scarcity for Residential Areas with Semi-Arid Climate: Mineral de la Reforma, Mexico

Carlos Alfredo Bigurra-Alzati,Liliana Lizárraga-Mendiola,Ruperto Ortiz-Gómez,Luis D López-León,Gabriela A Vázquez-Rodríguez

doi:10.3390/w13010045

Carlos Alfredo Bigurra-Alzati, Liliana Lizárraga-Mendiola + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/w13010045

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Journal: Water	Publication Date: Dec 29, 2020
Citations: 16	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo

Abstract

The increasing population and urban sprawl will continue to add significant pressure to natural resources in arid and semi-arid zones. This study evaluates the theoretical effectiveness of adapting resilient strategies such as water conservation and green infrastructure to mitigate the water scarcity faced by the inhabitants of a residential area with a semi-arid climate. Three scenarios were analyzed at a micro-basin level to determine the mitigation of surface runoff and the volume that can be theoretically intercepted for further use: (a) unaltered natural watershed (scenario 1), (b) currently urbanized watershed (scenario 2), and (c) watershed adapted with resilient strategies (scenario 3). For this last scenario, the annual usable volume of rainwater intercepted on the dwelling rooftops was obtained. The runoff and peak flow in the natural watershed were lower than in the other two scenarios. In contrast, a decrease in the runoff was observed in scenario 3 concerning scenario 2, which indicates that the interception of rainwater on house roofs and the adoption of green infrastructure solutions would significantly reduce the diameter of urban drainage pipes required in new developments, as well as the dependency of inhabitants on potable water services. In sites with semi-arid climates, it is possible to take advantage of the rainwater harvested on rooftops and the runoff intercepted through green infrastructure to mitigate local water scarcity problems, which should be considered and adopted in new residential developments.

Highlights

Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.Around the world, the population inhabiting arid and semi-arid areas faces water scarcity problems, among other severe problems, due to low rainfall that prevents the recharge of aquifers or their surface storage [1]
From the Gumbel distribution function, the r1a0ionff1a9ll employed for the rainwater watershed analysis was determined, which corresponds to a probability of exceedance of 50% (R50), 60% (R60), and 75% (R75)
It is clear that urban waterproofing of surfaces negatively affects the hydrological cycle, it is vital to determine the potential of urban infrastructure to mitigate surface runoff

Summary

Introduction

Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.Around the world, the population inhabiting arid and semi-arid areas faces water scarcity problems, among other severe problems, due to low rainfall that prevents the recharge of aquifers or their surface storage [1]. In addition to the lack of rain, the urban sprawl in these areas produces impervious surfaces that alter surface runoffs’ hydrological nature by preventing the infiltration of surface water into the ground and increasing stormwater in terms of volumes and peak flow [5]. It is essential to implement resilient strategies such as rainwater harvesting (RWH) and green infrastructure (GI) to help in the restoration of the urban hydrological cycle [6]. These strategies could help mitigate the lack of water and reduce stormwater problems [6,7]

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