Integrated Stormwater Management Research Articles

Benefits of synergy of urban green infrastructure and integrated stormwater management approaches: theoretical perspective and examples from Vienna

This paper deals with multiple benefits and outcomes at a lower spatialfunctional city levels generated by the synergy of Urban Green Infrastructure approach and integrated stormwater management approaches, resulting from their simultaneous application in the process of urban planning and design. The conducted research examines and analyzes key characteristics of Green Infrastructure and integrated stormwater management approaches, as well as their relationship in terms of principles, spatial-functional forms, types and benefits of their implementation. Since both of them are based on supporting and mimicking the natural environment in urban conditions, which makes them environmentally friendly and allows a greater presence of nature in many urban circumstances, the focus is on investigation of two common main principles and benefits of their implementation - closer connection with nature and increase of biodiversity in urban environment. The research platform consists of selected examples from Vienna which represent different types of lower spatialfunctional levels in which both approaches are applied, making them suitable for examining the effects of their synergy.

Traffic contribution to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in road dust: A source apportionment analysis under different antecedent dry-weather periods

Road dust (RD) and its adsorbed pollutants have been regarded as a leading source of diffuse stormwater pollution. Therefore, a source-oriented mitigation strategy of pollutants in RD is important for an integrated stormwater management. In this study, a total of 66 RD samples were collected from 22 asphalt roads with five traffic load categories under different antecedent dry-weather periods (ADPs) in the city of Dresden, Germany. The surface loads (0.1–30.91 μg m−2) and solid-phase concentrations (0.95–27.83 μg g−1) of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in RD were determined. The results show that the Σ16PAHs contents decreased with increasing distance from the city center to the city border. One-way ANOVA indicated that surface load was significantly dominated by ADPs and solid-phase concentration was statistically traffic-load dependent. According to the positive matrix factorization (PMF) receptor model, gasoline- and diesel-powered engine emissions always accounted for the highest proportions of total PAH contents. However, with an increasing ADP, the PAHs contents attributed to the incineration and tire debris became evident. The source-specific risks posed by PAHs were further estimated by the incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) analysis. Traffic contributed to the majority of the carcinogenic substances. Moreover, the hazard quotient (HQ) and mean hazard quotient (MHQ) for the ecological risk assessment suggest that PAHs in RD had a 21% probability of being toxic to benthic organisms and aquatic environments. CapsuleΣ16PAH content decreased with an increasing distance from the city center to border, and an increasing number of PAH sources was identified with an increasing residual time.

Nitrogen Biogeochemistry of an Urban Rooftop Farm

Intensive agriculture represents a recent extension of green roof technology. Perceived ecosystem services provided by rooftop farming include stormwater management and the production of affordable and nutritious vegetables for local consumption. However, intensive agriculture can increase nutrient loads to surface water, yet there is little empirical data from full-scale operational rooftop farms. This study reports the N balance and N management efficiency of the Brooklyn Grange Navy Yard Farm, a 0.61-ha farm atop an 11-story building in New York City USA. We monitored atmospheric N deposition, soil N concentration, N output by harvest, N leaching from soil, and drainage N output, in addition to estimating net N mineralization and the N load to sewers during the combined sewer overflows. We found that the annual drainage N output was 1100% of the atmospheric bulk N deposition, and was 540% of the estimated total atmospheric N deposition, which makes the Brooklyn Grange a net N source in the urban environment. Annual N leaching from soil was 97% of fertilizer N input, and the efficiency of N management can be lower than in conventional vegetable production. For the Brooklyn Grange to integrate stormwater management and intensive agriculture, it will be important to use soil with greater water holding capacity within the range of readily available water, and to recycle drainage. This case study shows how the intensification of agriculture on rooftops should be managed for both the yield and quality of crops and to reduce N loss to storm drains, which affects aquatic ecosystems and water quality.

Hydrology of the Brooklyn Grange, an urban rooftop farm

Intensive agriculture is an emerging theme of green roof technology. Production of affordable, nutritious vegetables for local consumption and stormwater management are among the ecosystem services emphasized in studies of rooftop farming. However, intensive vegetable production requires irrigation, which can reduce stormwater retention, and there is little empirical data from full-scale operational rooftop farms. In this paper, we report the hydrologic performance of the Brooklyn Grange Navy Yard Farm, a 0.61-ha rooftop farm atop an 11-story building in New York City USA. We monitored soil water content, precipitation, irrigation, drainage, and crop yields to provide water balance and water use efficiency. We found cumulative discharge exceeded precipitation by 11% during the entire study period, hence the farm was a net source of water in the urban hydrologic cycle. Depending on crop types, water use efficiency at the Grange was lower than in-ground agriculture in dry regions with high irrigation demands. For the Brooklyn Grange to integrate stormwater management and water-efficient crop production, it will be important to increase soil water storage, to reduce irrigation demands and drainage loss of water while maintaining average soil moisture levels in the range of readily available water between 10 and 100 kPa of soil water tension.

Integrating Stormwater Management with Coastal Flood Protection

Integrating Stormwater Management with Coastal Flood Protection

Integrated Urban Stormwater Management and Planning for New Township Development in Malaysia

The on-going Kwasa Damansara Township development is aspire to be a township development with an initiative to unlock the land value and spur development in the region, and demands a high quality built environment. The township development strategy has considered a number of sustainable elements such as landscape and ecology, water, waste, green infrastructure, green buildings, green mobility and green energy. The key design objective for the proposed development is to create a new focal point that reflects the township of a 21st Century; one that is green, connected and has a sense of place making. The Urban Design Guidelines was prepared to guide and assist all the stakeholder contribution towards a well coordinated development and high quality public realm and build environment. In doing so, one of the initiatives was to formulate the long term solution for the flooding, drainage and stormwater related issues by urban stormwater management. By integrating stormwater management planning with landscape and environmental planning, it will add aesthetic and recreational values to the water amenities. The township development is planned to become a showpiece of the urban stormwater management for the region.

A National Review of Innovative and Integrated Stormwater Management Initiatives

A National Review of Innovative and Integrated Stormwater Management Initiatives

The influence of land use on source apportionment and risk assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in road-deposited sediment

The pollution load of urban runoff is boosted due to the washing away of road-deposited sediment (RDS). Therefore, a source-oriented mitigation strategy is essential to integrated stormwater management. This study showcases the influence of land use dependent source apportionment and risk assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in RDS. Samples were collected from areas of different land uses, including commercial city centre, highway, residential rural and campus areas. According to the positive matrix factorisation (PMF) receptor model, different primary sources were identified at different land use areas. Generally, potential sources of gasoline- and diesel-powered engine emissions and other pyrogenic sources of biomass, coal, and wood combustions were identified as main sources of PAH content in RDS. The source specific risks posed by PAHs at different land uses were further estimated by the incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR). This shows that the mean ILCRs of the total cancer risk for children and adults at the given land uses were lower than the baseline value of an acceptable risk. However, the potential exposure risk to RDS adsorbed PAHs for children was considerably higher than that for adults. Vehicular emissions and wood combustion were the major contributors to the cancer risk with average contributions of 57 and 29%, respectively.

“Sponge” Concept -Discussion on the Theory of Stormwater Management Construction in Urban Area

In recent years, many cities and rural areas are facing frequent waterlogging, run-off pollution, huge loss of rainwater resources, damaged ecosystem and many more rain water problems. In regional perspective, how to construct a sustainable stormwater management measure have been presented as an important issue in many cities and urban agglomeration in China. This paper attempts to explain the “big sponge” conceptual point of view through the proposed concept, main construction method and elements, ecological diversity and other perspectives of sponge cities, to provide a basis for the theoretical research of integrated stormwater management construction in regional city group.

Enhancing urban flood resilience – a case study for policy implementation

Climate change, urbanisation and ageing infrastructure are major challenges to the water sector, community and environment. The effects of these challenges are increasing surface runoff and insufficient drainage capacities, resulting in flooding, pollution and degradation of ecological and biological systems. Compared with traditional flood defence-oriented approaches, the concept of resilience enhances overall community capacity with regard to risk management through hazard and vulnerability assessment, and implementation of technical and non-technical adaptation measures. Fredrikstad, like many municipalities in Norway, faces significant water-related challenges; however, unlike many other municipalities, Fredrikstad has taken proactive action by introducing stormwater management into urban planning and development, guiding public and private sectors and end users to take integrated stormwater management measures through the implementation of a municipal master plan (2008–2028). This paper presents a multilevel approach to enhance municipal flood resilience from strategies to practices. The Fredrikstad case study could provide examples of political implementation and recommendations for other municipalities in Norway and worldwide for adaptation to climate change and urbanisation.

Decision Support System (DSS) for MSMA Integrated Stormwater Management Ecohydrology for Sustainable Green Infrastructure

Rapid urbanization has known to have several adverse impacts towards hydrological cycle due to increasing impervious surface and degradation of water quality in stormwater runoff. In the past, urban waterways have been confined to narrow river corridors with the channels canalised and concrete and other synthetic materials forming the bed and banks of the river. Apart from that, stormwater pollutants such as litter, debris and sediments in drainage system are common problems that can lead to flooding and the degradation of water quality. To solve this problem, implementing stormwater Best Management Practices (BMPs) proves very promising due to its near natural characteristics and multiple effects on the drainage of stormwater runoff in urban areas. This judgment of using BMPs depends on not only relevant theoretical considerations, but also a large amount of practical experience and the availability of relevant data, as well. To fulfil this task, the so-called Decision Support System (DSS) in MSMA Design Aid and Database system are able to assist engineers and developers in management and improvement of water quantity and quality entering urban rivers from urban regions. This system is also helpful when an expert level judgment procure some repetitive and large amount of cases, like in the planning of stormwater BMPs systems for an entire city catchment. One of the advantages of an expert system is that it provides automation of expert-level judgement using availability of checking tools system.

Integrated Stormwater Management for the Water-Sensitive Retrofit of Cites

Integrated Stormwater Management for the Water-Sensitive Retrofit of Cites

Stony Industrial West Integrated Stormwater Management and Wetland Preservation Concept

Stony Industrial West Integrated Stormwater Management and Wetland Preservation Concept

A scenario-based approach to integrating flow-ecology research with watershed development planning

The ability to anticipate urbanization impacts on streamflow regimes is critical to developing proactive strategies that protect aquatic ecosystems. We developed an interdisciplinary modeling framework to evaluate the effectiveness of integrated stormwater management (i.e., integration of strategic land-use organization with site-scale stormwater BMPs) or its absence, and two regional growth patterns for maintaining streamflow regimes. We applied a three-step sequence to three urbanizing catchment basins in Oregon, to: (1) simulate landscape change under four future development scenarios with the agent-based model Envision; (2) model resultant hydrological change using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT); and (3) assess scenario impacts on streamflow regimes using 10 flow metrics that encompass all major flow components. Our results projected significant flow regime changes in all three basins. Urbanization impacts aligned closely with increases in flow regime flashiness and severity of extreme flow events. Most changes were associated with negative impacts on native aquatic organisms in the Pacific Northwest. Scenario comparisons highlighted the importance of integrated stormwater management for reducing flow alterations, and secondarily, compact growth. Based on a flow metric sensitivity typology, six flow metrics were insensitive to development in multiple basins, and four were sensitive to development and manageable with mitigation in multiple basins. Only three metrics were ever sensitive to development and resistant to mitigation, and only in one basin each. Our findings call for regional flow-ecology research that identifies the ecological significance of each flow metric, explores potential remedies for resistant ones and develops specific targets for manageable ones.

Tree traits and meteorological factors influencing the initiation and rate of stemflow from isolated deciduous trees

AbstractTree canopy processes affect the volume and biogeochemistry of inputs to the hydrological cycle in cities. From June 2012 to November 2013, we studied stemflow production from 37 isolated deciduous park trees in a semi‐arid climate dominated by small precipitation events. To clarify the effects of canopy traits on stemflow metrics, we analysed branch angles, bark relief (one component of roughness), tree size, canopy and wood cover fraction, median leaf size, and branch and leader counts. High branch angles contributed to stemflow production in both single‐leader and multi‐leader trees. While bark relief was negatively correlated with stemflow rates in multi‐leader trees, it was positively correlated with rates for single‐leader trees, possibly reflecting the conducive role of linear furrows once bark of single‐leader trees is saturated. The association between numerous leaders, low stemflow initiation thresholds, and high rates deserves further study. Among meteorological variables, rain depth was strongly correlated with stemflow yields; rainfall inclination angle and wind speed were positively correlated with yields, while total intra‐storm break duration and vapour pressure deficit were inversely related. For rain depths <3 mm, greater stemflow was generally associated with leafless canopies. In support of integrated stormwater management, our results can inform climate‐sensitive selection and siting of urban trees with traits that tend to either promote or minimize stemflow, depending on infiltration potential. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The influence of rainfall depth class and deciduous tree traits on stemflow production in an urban park

The growing recognition of trees’ value in urban environments is resulting in increased investment in “green infrastructure.” However, generalizations that deciduous canopies reduce stormwater are based largely on closed-canopy forests, highlighting the need for more detailed study of isolated urban trees. We systematically studied the effect of canopy traits on stemflow percent and funneling ratios for isolated deciduous trees in a semi-arid climate characterized by mostly small precipitation events. High stemflow production was generally associated with high branch angles (single- and multi-leader trees) small diameter-at-breast-height (single-leader trees), furrowed bark in single-leader trees for rain events ≥ 10 mm, and smooth bark in multi-leader trees for all except the lowest rain depth class. Higher numbers of leaders converging at the base were associated with high stemflow yields. Individual-tree stemflow percent and funneling ratio values were variable, even for similar rain depths, suggesting that meteorological factors play a role. Event maximum stemflow percent was 22.8 % (25.6 mm rain depth) for a columnar English oak and event maximum funneling ratio was 196.9 (5.6 mm) for a Riversii European beech. Our findings highlight the importance of infiltration capacity at the base of urban trees and of designing for the rainfall regime when integrating stormwater management with vegetation and soils in cities.

Caring for Our Coastal Waters Through Integrated Stormwater Management

Caring for Our Coastal Waters Through Integrated Stormwater Management

Stormwater management and urban planning: Lessons from 40 years of innovation

Urban planning is widely advocated as an important way to encourage the more sustainable management of urban stormwater, using alternatives to piped systems. This paper explores the way in which Swedish water professionals have opportunities to influence stormwater planning and the barriers that limit their participation in this process. Empirical evidence has been obtained from in-depth semi-structured interviews with urban water professionals from nine Swedish municipalities. The paper shows that there is a perception of the legal requirements related to the provision of drainage services that inhibits the utilisation of non-piped solutions. There are also reservations about a dichotomy that inhibits actions – is stormwater an issue for the planning department or for the water department? It is concluded that water professionals have unique opportunities to integrate stormwater management approaches within wider urban planning practice and, hence, are able to encourage the use of alternative systems that are more sustainable than using traditional pipes or sewers.

Achieving Climate Change Resiliency Through Integrated Stormwater Management

Achieving Climate Change Resiliency Through Integrated Stormwater Management

Integrating Stormwater Management and Form-Based Codes in Dublin, Ohio Manuscript

Integrating Stormwater Management and Form-Based Codes in Dublin, Ohio Manuscript