Low Impact Development Research Articles

Studying rainfall characteristics affecting low-impact development runoff control measures via numerical simulation

ABSTRACT To gain a comprehensive understanding of the intricate interplay between rainfall characteristics and the effectiveness of runoff control, this study focuses on a representative urban district equipped with low-impact development (LID) features within the Xi'an New Area, China. By utilizing a diverse range of rainfall profiles and employing the GPU-Accelerated Surface Water Flow and Transport Model (GAST), a sophisticated two-dimensional hydrodynamic model was developed to simulate surface runoff dynamics. Our findings highlighted the substantial influence of rainfall intensity, duration, and peak coefficients on the efficiency of runoff control. Specifically, we observed that a rainfall event with a duration of 2 h and a peak coefficient of 0.2 resulted in a runoff control rate varying from 86.17 to 45.44%, depending on the specific rainfall conditions. Furthermore, when rainfall intensity was varied from 19.20 to 87.22 mm, while maintaining a peak coefficient of 0.5, the runoff control rate fluctuated between 82.70 and 44.97%. This investigation reveals a quantifiable framework that elucidates the intricate relationship between rainfall attributes and runoff control effectiveness, providing crucial insights into the development of informed urban flood management strategies.

Efficacy of underground aggregate infiltration beds under a permeable pavement system

Pervious concrete (PC) pavement systems with their underlying aggregate storage beds provide potential strategies to mitigate stormwater runoff and associated flooding issues. Of particular interest is the efficacy of the infiltration capabilities into the soil of the underground storage bed, especially in areas with slow draining soils. This study uses real-time data on the water levels in the storage beds to determine soil infiltration rates at two test sites in Southeast Texas. One of the sites is connected to a rain garden system, with the potential for taking advantage of the low impact development (LID) processes of both systems. It was found that the combined systems allowed water to flow between them possibly adding additional storage during a storm event with the PC system’s void spaces and allowing for additional evaporative processes from the rain garden post the event. The other site has the PC raised above the surrounding grade, which represents potential applications where structures are raised above base flood elevations with connecting paved areas also raised. It was found that this raised system provided both infiltration into the soils from the underground bed and some detention capabilities in the raised portion of the system. These results aid in designing these LID systems in flat areas subject to flooding with slow draining soils such as in much of the coastal Gulf region.

Flood mitigation performance of low impact development practice in a coastal city from the perspective of catchment scale

Climate change and urbanization have imposed significant stress on urban drainage systems, resulting in hydraulic overloading and urban flooding. The implementation of Low Impact Development (LID) practices exhibits promising potential in mitigating these impacts. In this study, a modeling task was proposed for the drainage district of Haikou City, Hainan Province, China. The tracer-aided urban flood model was employed to conduct 64 simulation scenarios, aiming to evaluate the hydrological response of LID strategies under varying rainfall intensity, spatial distribution, and initial saturation level. The results have demonstrated the significant utility of the tracer-aided urban flood model in assessing the hydrological impact of LID practices, particularly in accurately identifying both the source area and hazard area affected by flooding. Notably, rainfall intensity plays a crucial role in influencing the hydrological response of LID practices. With the increase in rainfall intensity, the efficacy of LID strategies in mitigating value of peak flood volume gradually intensifies, but the reduction rate of peak flood volume diminishes progressively. In terms of LID strategies with varying spatial distributions, the upstream strategy outperforms both midstream and downstream strategy. Nevertheless, the correlation between reduction value of flood volume across different catchments suggests a complex synergistic effect among them. The reduction value of LID practices on flood volume will gradually decrease as the initial saturation increases, indicating that careful consideration should be given to the impact of rainfall patterns on their initial saturation when incorporating LID practices into an urban flood mitigation strategy. This study provides valuable insights into sustainable stormwater management by examining the effectiveness and influencing factors of LID practices.

Sustainability assessment of low-impact development methods for urban stormwater management: A multi-criteria decision-making approach

Low-impact development (LID) methods are used in urban areas as sustainable stormwater management solutions. However, previous studies often lack situational scenario-based assessments and cover a limited range of criteria and indices, overlooking key factors, especially in developing countries facing significant sustainability challenges. This study addresses these gaps by assessing the sustainability of four LID alternatives, including novel combinations of rain barrels (RBs), rain gardens (RGs), permeable pavements (PPs), infiltration trenches (ITs), and vegetative swales (VSs), for inside and outside the house in a case study located in Tehran, Iran. In addition, 22 quantitative/qualitative indices were selected across environmental, social, economic, and technical criteria. The three-phase indices evaluation involved 1) simulating the study area by the stormwater management model (SWMM), 2) collecting quantitative data, and 3) scoring qualitative indices through questionnaires. A modified analytical hierarchy process model was employed to rank LID alternatives in difficult, poor, transition, satisfied, and ideal scenarios. Considering situational scenarios, the results showed that IT and VS for outside the house consistently performed best, adding novel contributions. Sensitivity analysis confirmed the robustness of this finding despite changing criteria weights. This study provides a new framework for urban decision-makers in developing countries to adopt resilient stormwater solutions.

Pervious Concrete Incorporating Manufacturing Sand as a Partial Replacement for Coarse Aggregate

Pervious concrete has recently acquired popularity as a low-impact development strategy in pavements due to its structural, economic, and road-user benefits. The use of a single cement replacement material improved the performance of pervious concrete compared to replacing cement with fly ash or using cement alone. The most effective way for increasing the mechanical, hydraulic, and durability performance of pervious concrete was to replace both cement and aggregates with fly ash and produced sand. Replacement of 25% FA with cement was considered viable for cement replacement, while replacement of coarse aggregate with M-sand by 5%, 10%, or 15% was considered practical for aggregate replacement. The PC specimen had a cube size of 150mm x 150mm x 150mm and was cured in water for 7, 14, 28 days. The compressive strength test is performed in a laboratory after curing. The compressive strength of the pervious concrete is then compared to that of the M15 grade of concrete. The PC specimens had cylinder dimensions of 150mm dia by 300mm height and were cured in water for 28 days. Permeability testing is performed in a laboratory after curing. Key Words: Pervious Concrete (PC), Fly ash (FA), Manufacturing sand (M- Sand), Compressive strength, Permeability.

A SWMM-based evaluation of the impacts of LID and detention basin retrofits on urban flooding

ABSTRACT Different stormwater management practices have been used to mitigate the impacts of urbanization and attenuate urban flooding risk. However, there is a lack of studies on the comparison between conventional stormwater control measures such as detention basins, their retrofits, and low impact development (LID) practices, especially from the perspective of their impacts on erosive flow attenuation and flood control. The aim of this study is to compare the effects of two detention basins and their outlet retrofits with LID, in an urbanized catchment under designed storm events with different return periods, using a Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) modeling approach. The results show that detention basins are effective in decreasing peak flow and delaying peak time. Detention basin retrofits could significantly reduce the frequency and duration of erosive flows in Sub A detention basin compared with LID, especially in smaller rainfall events. LID outperforms the detention basin retrofits in reducing peak flow from larger storms.

PENDEKATAN PEMBANGUNAN DAMPAK RENDAH UNTUK SUMUR RESAPAN DAN ANALISIS BIAYA INVESTASINYA DI WILAYAH PERKOTAAN

<p class="Abstract"><em>Flood, economic and environmental problems in the implementation of sustainable drainage systems in developing countries are very complex. The use of infiltration wells as an alternative method to infiltrate groundwater as one of the low-impact developments. Infiltration wells function to accommodate and absorb water into the soil. The high growth of the population led to an increase in development. Development that has an impact on the reduction of catchment areas, this research aims to approach the low-impact development strategy (LID) in urban areas in developing countries. Sustainable drainage development is still limited to the regional budget. Cost analysis was carried out by hydrological modeling for infiltration well planning. Infiltration wells are chosen as sustainable drainage. Infiltration wells can reduce the risk of flooding and drought. Discharge analysis with the Rational Method. The planning of the dimensional infiltration well was calculated using the Sunjoto formula and the basic design using filitration. The infiltration well model is planned with a depth of 1.7 m and a diameter of 1 m. The cost of making an infiltration well is Rp 2,125,500 for one well. This research is expected to help decision-making in sustainable urban water management. Flood and drought mitigation balancers and costs. </em><em></em></p>

Case Study: Impact Analysis of Roof-Top Green Infrastructure on Urban System Sustainability in San José, CA

This paper presents results from a case study focusing on analyzing impacts of Green Infrastructure (GI) on sensible and latent heat fluxes, urban microclimate and the subsequent water–energy nexus components of an urban infrastructure system. The case study, focusing on the campus of a public university in San José, CA, aimed to quantify the pre- and post-conditions for a hypothetical GI implementation, which is in support of San José State University’s (SJSU) robust sustainability initiatives, which are also aligned with Silicon Valley’s broader strategic goals. The results revealed that a reduction of 0.3 °C in the average daily peak maximum temperature on campus could be achieved by the GI implementation. Air-conditioning related energy use was projected to decrease by 1.28%, monthly water use by 7052 m3, and it would result in an estimated reduction of approximately 2800 kWh in the water–energy nexus. In addition to lowering the campus’s carbon footprint, GI therefore offers significant economic and environmental benefits in terms of reductions in the urban air temperature, energy usage and water demand. This study provides valuable information for policy makers and low impact development water infrastructure managers considering GI implementation.

Evaluating priority strategies for decarbonising offshore wind turbine blades through lifecycle assessment

Abstract While offshore wind is at the early stage of expansion, global capacity is expected to increase rapidly, reaching 330 GW by 2031. This work uses lifecycle assessment (LCA) to evaluate the opportunity for offshore wind energy decarbonisation through wind blade sustainable developments. The findings from the LCA are used to give informed recommendations towards priority areas of development across the blade lifecycle, that are critical to accelerate the sector’s transition towards net-zero targets. The production of raw materials was found to be the largest contributor to cradle-to-gave global warming potential (GWP). The sector should prioritise the utilisation of more sustainable materials, with an emphasis on the decarbonisation of carbon fibre production. Waste produced during blade manufacturing alone accounts for 10% of the blade’s GWP; therefore, increasing the material efficiency in this phase of the lifecycle is a significant opportunity for blade decarbonisation and should be a focus for the sector going forward. O&M was found to be the second largest contributor to GWP, with full decarbonisation of O&M practices potentially realising an 8% reduction in GWP. A range of alterative blade material scenarios were analysed, finding that recyclable resin systems have the greatest potential to decarbonise offshore blades. There are currently no commercial recycling operations for these resins therefore scale up of the recycling technologies is needed before they can be recycled in practice. Additionally, the development of low impact, economically viable circular solutions for legacy blade waste must be an immediate priority for the wind energy sector, given the anticipated exponential growth in global wind turbine blade waste generation. Graphical abstract

Effects of low impact development on runoff pollution and water quality resilience in an urbanized estuary area

In urbanized estuary areas, water quality often deteriorates due to the impact of surface runoff or overflow during heavy rainfall events. Low impact development (LID) can mitigate this impact and improve water quality resilience. However, there were few studies on quantifying this effect of LID, particularly in estuary areas. In this study, water quality resilience is expressed as the abnormal rate of water quality during rainfall events and the time required for water quality to recover from abnormality to normal. In this study, a coupled Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) and Environmental Fluid Dynamic Code (EFDC) model is used to examine the effects of LID on runoff pollution and water quality resilience in the Shenzhen River estuary (including Shenzhen River and Deep Bay) in China. The results indicate that (1) The inflow volume into the estuary is not only affected by the drainage area but also by the service area and capacity of the sewer interception system; LID can reduce not only the stormwater runoff but also the overflow from the interception systems along rivers. (2) The marginal benefit of the LID proportion increase in pollution load reduction diminishes as the proportion of LID implementation increases. (3) LID can reduce the high value of pollution concentration caused by rainfall runoff; and the reduction effect on the rivers is greater than that on the bay. (4) The rivers and the estuary have a much higher abnormal rate than the inner bay and the outer bay; however, the estuary and the inner bay have longer recovery time than the rivers and the outer bay. The maximum abnormal rate, average abnormal rate, and recovery time of different indicators in the entire estuary area are decreased by 10%-189%, 6%-71%, and 0.8–1.1 cycles when the runoff from 80% of built-up area is treated by LID facilities; LID can significantly reduce abnormal rate of the rivers and recovery time of the inner bay. Therefore, the proposed metric and model can fully reflect the spatial variations in water quality resilience, and LID can enhance the water quality resilience of the urbanized estuary areas under rainfall.

Assessment of the Impact of LID Techniques on Water Cycle Recovery in Industrial Complexes

Urbanization and industrialization have significantly disrupted the natural water cycle, leading to increased runoff, flooding, and groundwater depletion. Research on LID (Low Impact Development) techniques is ongoing in order to address these challenges. This study has analyzed the improvement in the water cycle system by applying LID techniques to the Daejeongcheon watershed in Ulsan. Using SWMM, this study has assessed the long-term effects of LID on runoff reduction and water cycle recovery rate improvement. Based on local climate data, topographical information, and regional characteristics, LID elements such as permeable pavements, green roofs, bioretention, and vegetative swales were applied. The results showed that the LID techniques reduced runoff by 8.44% and also improved the water cycle recovery rate by 13.52%. Additionally, the study confirmed that LID techniques effectively contributed to managing runoff from the 25.5 mm rainfall management target. LID techniques are expected to serve as sustainable water management strategies in urbanized and industrialized areas, offering effective restoration and management solutions.

A Study on the Analysis of Reduction Effects and Comparison of Economic Feasibility by Applying the LID Technique

This study conducted a comparative review of the effects and project costs of four different flood runoff reduction measures applied in the Dongnam District 1 watershed. Using the XP-SWMM model, the effects of three LID (low-impact development) technologies—infiltration trenches, permeable pavement, and green roofs—were analyzed. The results showed reductions in both peak flood discharge (32.65 m3/s → 27.85 m3/s) and total runoff volume (99,725 m3 → 86,814 m3). However, the application of LID technologies alone is insufficient for mitigating flood risks. Therefore, flood reduction measures were categorized into four CASEs, combining LID technologies with conventional stormwater management facilities. The cost comparison for each CASE was as follows: CASE 1 (LID + pump) at 22.3 billion KRW, CASE 2 (LID + stormwater storage facility) at 20.3 billion KRW, CASE 3 (pump) at 20.6 billion KRW, and CASE 4 (stormwater storage facility) at 21.0 billion KRW. Despite the use of LID technologies, the project costs for CASEs 3 and 4, which utilized existing reduction methods, were higher. This indicates that integrating LID technologies with conventional reduction measures is likely the most effective approach.

Case Study Analysis on the Flood Mitigation Effects of Improving a Drainage System Using Low Impact Development Techniques

Low-impact development (LID) techniques aim to minimize the hydrological and environmental impacts associated with watershed development by preserving the natural state as much as possible, reducing impervious surfaces, managing stormwater on a small scale at the point of generation, and promoting decentralized stormwater management. In this study, the flood reduction effects of LID techniques were analyzed using PCSWMM by comparing traditional development methods in the Songsan Green City development project. In this process, the LID technique considers nonstructural methods of diversifying drainage directions and structural methods of introducing vegetated swales to improve the drainage system. The results showed that the LID approach, introduced to improve the drainage system, had a significant effect on reducing floods and inundation compared to traditional development methods. The results of this study suggest the potential of using LID techniques in structural and nonstructural approaches to improve urban flooding and inundation problems.

Analyzing urban water metabolism of Adama city using water mass balance method for advancing water sensitive interventions

Urban water metabolism focuses on measuring water inflows and outflows within a defined urban system. As an emerging concept, it provides valuable understandings into water flow dynamics, supporting evidence-based decision-making. One approach to quantify these flows is the urban water mass balance method, which accounts for both human-induced and natural water resources. By equating these flows, it identifies whether water movement within the system is linear or circular. The primary goal of water mass balance analysis is to assess how closely a city aligns with water-sensitive management approaches. However, urban metabolism studies are rare in developing countries, where cities often lack the experience to estimate water inflows and outflows for informed water-sensitive interventions. This study addresses this gap by analyzing Adama city in Ethiopia using the water mass balance method to measure its water metabolism. The result revealed that the city faces a negative water balance with outflows exceeding inflows by 46.89 million cubic meters annually. The results indicated that Adama’s water flow follows a linear “take-make-use-dispose” model. The imbalance in Adama’s water cycle is driven by urbanization, impervious surfaces, and climate change, which increase runoff and evaporation. The study found that 61.3% of the city’s water comes from a centralized system, with 90% sourced from distant rivers through a telecoupling system. In the city, inadequate water harvesting, high population density and intensive water use are worsening water scarcity. Urban water metabolism indicators reveal significant losses and indicating the need for water conservation efforts. Despite the reliance on centralized systems, the study identifies strong potential for decentralized solutions and alternative water harvesting. To tackle these challenges, the research recommends adopting water-sensitive strategies such as low-impact development, sustainable urban drainage systems, and water-sensitive urban design and planning. These approaches can reduce the negative effects of urbanization, mitigate urban water scarcity risks and improve water management through water sensitive management approach. The study also emphasizes the need for collaborative learning, community involvement, and innovative technologies, supported by legal frameworks to ensure effective water wise interventions. Shifting toward circular water management and decentralized water systems will boost Adama’s resilience and promote sustainable water resource management, making the city more internally self-sufficient.

Performance of infiltration trenches in different soils in native vegetation and urban area of the Federal District of Brazil

The increase in flooding events in major cities has driven the search for new strategies that incorporate Low Impact Development (LID) units into urban drainage. This research analyzes the performance of infiltration trenches to determine flow and infiltration physical parameters in different soil types in the Federal District of Brazil (FDB), comparing urban area and preserved Cerrado biome. The results show that most soils in the Federal District of Brazil have good infiltration conditions, particularly the Red Latosol and Red-Yellow Latosol. Infiltration trenches were effective in storing significant volumes of water, especially during initial runoff events where favorable soil moisture conditions exist. The Regolithic Neosol exhibited low infiltrability, making its use for infiltration trenches not recommended. Keywords: cerrado, infiltration trench, red latosol.

Analysis and Validation of Sponge City Construction in Mountainous Cities based on SWMM - Taking Nanan District of Chongqing as an Example

Sponge city construction is one of the key topics in today’s research. China’s sponge city construction has gradually entered the stage of optimization and effect evaluation. However, there are still some gaps in issues such as the verification of the effect of sponge cities. Therefore, in this paper, Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) is carried out by collecting data on surface runoff, waterlogging, peak flow, control rate, etc. in Nanan District of Chongqing City. At the same time, reasonable Low Impact Developments (LID) facilities such as rain gardens, permeable paving, bioretention tanks, rain barrels, rooftop rainwater harvesting and rooftop gardens are incorporated into the sponge city design and verified by using a typical rainfall process with a return period of 5a and a duration of 3 hours. The results of the study showed that the surface runoff drainage time in one catchment was 11.1% faster before and after the LID facilities were installed in contrast, the peak flow reduction rate of the main pipe was 71.55%, and the average runoff control rate in each catchment was around 40.57%. In conclusion, the LID facilities are not effective enough to reduce the rainfall runoff above the medium rainfall, while they are more effective below the medium rainfall.

Modeling the effect of land-use change on runoff water quality in the urban watershed: a case study of Settat city, Morocco

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to create a model of the quantity and quality of runoff from the urban watershed. The modeling was performed using a personal computer stormwater management model (PCSWMM) tool and was based on washoff and buildup for total suspended solids (TSS), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP) measured in the field. In addition, low impact development (LID) was used under four different scenarios to improve runoff control of the urban hydrologic cycle and reduce pollutant concentrations. Model performance was analyzed using the R2 and NSE goodness-of-fit indices. Thus, three typical rainfall events, as well as field measurement parameters (TSS, TN, and TP), were used for the model's calibration and validation. The base scenario quantified the runoff volume and pollutant load without any intervention in the runoff process control. Scenarios S2 (BR: bioretention) and S3 (PP: permeable pavement) contributed, separately, in reducing runoff and pollutant load but with relatively small percentages. In addition, the results show that scenario S4 (BR and PP) has the most significant impact on flow reduction, by about 10% compared with the base scenario, as well as on the pollutant load reduction, by about 31, 29, and 40% for the parameters TSS, TN, and TP, respectively.

Comparative assessment of pollution control measures for urban water bodies in urban small catchment by SWMM

Under the current increasingly serious water pollution situation in urban, the comprehensive treatment and protecting measures in urban small catchment are the necessary step to the water pollution treatment, not only focus on the water bodies themself. In this paper, the Luojiagang river channel and its catchment in Wuhan, which has been heavily impacted by water pollution, are taken as an example for the comparative assessment of pollution control measures in order to explore the effective and sustainable schemes including the LID (Low Impact Development---LID) by using SWMM model (Storm Water Management Model---SWMM). Through the comparison of pollution treatment measures based on scenarios simulation with the baseline scenarios, it was found that the reduction effects of pollutant peak concentrations at the outlet node of Luojiagang River had the decreasing order of: the combined measures (COS) > LID control > the water diversion from Donghu Lake (WAD) > the sewage treatment (SET) > the sediment dredging (SED), and the reduction effects of total pollutant load had the decreasing order of: LID > COS > SET > SED > WAD. The results show that the control of non-point source pollution is the key for the improvement of water quality in Luojiagang River, and LID plays important role in the reduction of both pollutant peak concentrations and load. This study has the implication for the decision making of the water pollution controlling schemes in urban small catchment.

SWMMLIDopt: a tool for optimization of low-impact development (LID) measures using the SWMM model

ABSTRACT The present study introduces the SWMMLIDopt tool that aims to optimize the implementation of low-impact development (LID) measures for stormwater management. The developed tool utilizes the capabilities of the stormwater management model (SWMM) and provides a user-friendly interface for conducting multi-objective optimization of the selection and placement of LID measures in urban catchments. The features and capabilities of the developed optimization tool are demonstrated on two urban catchments in Northern Europe, Norway and Finland. The catchments exhibit different catchment sizes and characteristics, complexities and constraints demonstrating the flexibility of the tool. The selection and placement of LID measures within the study catchments were optimized according to two criteria: (1) minimizing the peak flow and (2) minimizing the cost. The generated Pareto-fronts for the study catchments allow for the evaluation of optimal scenarios based on the trade-offs between the two selected criteria. The results obtained using SWMMLIDopt demonstrate its efficacy in optimizing LID measures in urban stormwater management that will aid practitioners in designing cost-effective and climate resilient infrastructure.

Sub-catchment Prioritization in a Tropical Watershed for Stream Health Improvement and Low Impact Development Application Using Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis: A Case in Palo, Leyte, Philippines

Sub-catchment Prioritization in a Tropical Watershed for Stream Health Improvement and Low Impact Development Application Using Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis: A Case in Palo, Leyte, Philippines