Stormwater Management Approaches Research Articles

State of a sustainable drainage system at end-of-life: assessment of potential water pollution by leached metals from recycled pervious pavement materials when used as secondary aggregate.

Sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) have emerged as an effective and attractive approach for stormwater management, prevention of water pollution and flood control due to its sustainable, environmentally friendly and cost-effective approaches. One of the SuDS devices widely used to infiltrate, store and treat surface runoff which allows it to recharge groundwater is the pervious paving systems (PPS). Previous studies have demonstrated relatively high pollution removal efficiencies typically ranging from 98.7% for total hydrocarbons to 89% of COD. Although a small number of the studies have assessed the performance characteristics of the PPS system in long-established installations in terms of retention of pollutants, hydrological features, biodegradation of pollutants etc., none has assessed the risk of potential groundwater and soil pollution by pollutants such as metals retained in the PPS materials either as a disposed waste material (in the case of used geotextiles) or during re-use as secondary aggregates. Thus, this study evaluated potential risks associated with the decommissioning and beneficial use of wastes produced during the disassembly of a PPS. The authors believe that this was the first PPS to be addressed in this way. The method involved the determination of leachable concentrations of 14 metals in the PPS samples made up of extracts from the model profile which included the geotextile fibre (G), dust alone (D), aggregates and dust (AD), aggregates alone (AA) and pavement blocks (P) which were analysed and compared with two different groups of regulatory threshold limits. The results showed that the measured concentrations of all the metals were below the appropriate threshold values for irrigation purposes as specified by FAO and USEPA. Furthermore, results all indicated that the dismantled materials were all below EU LFD WAC limits for inert waste, indicating relative ease of disposal and suitability for use as recycled aggregate. This, admittedly limited data, indicates that recycling of aggregates from demolition wastes arising from end of life PPS would not be limited by the potential leaching of heavy metals, including re-use within another PPS. This would minimise dependence on virgin aggregates and hence reduce rate of exploitation of natural resources and improve sustainability score card of SuDS.

Policies for sustainable drainage systems in urban contexts within performance-based planning approaches

In the context of increased urban pluvial flooding risk associated with climate changes and urbanization processes there is a rising demand for a shift from storm-water management approaches that rely on conventional systems, to those aimed at mitigating the eco-hydrological impacts of urban development by the use of Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS).Current planning approaches and policies should effectively deal with environmental challenges, especially when looking at the sustainable storm-water management.Policies for SUDS can find a fertile ground in performance-based planning which aims at achieving a set of planning objectives without imposing specific binding indications, but allowing for flexible solutions. Starting from the identification of a set of “performance-based criteria”, this paper discusses different approaches concerning the adoption of SUDS in cities by examining various policy tools. Exemplifying cases of these policies application across international cities are reviewed to evaluate their prevalent performance-based character. The introduced criteria are also used to analyse criticalities, challenges and general implications about the implementation of the different kind of policies in new and existing urban developments. Results suggest that policies cannot be considered purely performance-based but rather have a hybrid character and can be implemented also under mainly conformative planning systems.

Hybrid Stormwater Management Approaches in a High-Plateau Watershed in Southwest China

Urbanization is known to have adverse hydrologic and water quality impacts to natural runoff conditions. Conversion of pervious land to impervious surfaces leads to increased runoff volume, peak flow rate, and pollutant load, as well as reduced groundwater recharge. The last two decades has witnessed a paradigm shift in stormwater management, with the traditional “end-of-pipe” stormwater best management practices (BMPs) being replaced with green infrastructures (GIs). Using low impact development (LID) practices to treat runoff at its source, the goal for GI design is to mimic pre-development runoff conditions. This study evaluates and compares several stormwater management alternatives in a high-plateau watershed in southwest China, where unique landscape, climate, and eco-sensitive locations make sustainable stormwater a challenging task. Two GI-only, one gray-only, and one hybrid stormwater management designs were assessed for the watershed. The results indicate that while the gray-only scenario is relatively effective in reducing post-development peak flow rates (around 30%), it is much less effective (12%) in reducing runoff volume. In comparison, the GI-only scenario is less effective in reducing peak flow rates (11% to 29%). The hybrid stormwater management approach, however, is able to strike a balance between reducing post-development runoff volume (66%), peak flow rate (36% to 68%), and pollutant load (over 80%), and at the same time encouraging groundwater recharge and rain water reuse.

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.

Regenerative stormwater conveyance (RSC) for reducing nutrients in urban stormwater runoff depends upon carbon quantity and quality

Regenerative stormwater conveyance (RSC), a relatively new stormwater management approach, is extensively implemented throughout the mid-Atlantic for nutrient control, but little is known of its pollutant reduction capabilities and controlling factors. This study examined effects of organic carbon (C) quantity and quality on stream water quality and nutrient retention at two RSCs near Annapolis, Maryland, USA by comparing longitudinal changes in water quality at paired restored and unrestored stream reaches, and conducting lab experiments simulating RSC processes. Results showed that RSCs consistently had lower dissolved oxygen saturation (DO%) and pH relative to nearby unrestored streams, probably due to release of labile dissolved organic carbon (DOC). At one RSC, with high nitrate (NO3−) inputs, retention of N (16–37%) and release of DOC (18–54%) were observed with the highest retention of N during summer, and the rates of N retention and DOC release were larger than that of the adjacent unrestored tributary (N: 5–8%, DOC: <18%). At another RSC site with lower NO3− concentrations, N retention and DOC release were not apparent. Mesocosm experiments showed that NO3− retention varies with organic C quantity and quality depending on incubating temperature; retention of total N did not increase with organic C due to release of other N species (e.g., organic N). Lab mesocosms showed an increase in the release of soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) with increasing organic C quantity and quality. However, field measurements did not show any evidence of SRP release at RSCs. The changes in SRP concentrations in streams seemed to be a function of iron levels and leaf litter inputs, but control factors for SRP warrant further investigation. This study suggests that RSC as a restoration approach may be effective for reducing N depending upon C quantity and quality as well as water temperature and N levels.

Storm water management approach to increase the quality of urban streetscape in Sudirman Street, Bogor City

The storm water management approach is still scarce in developing countries. Streetscape is one of the city’s elements that suitable for storm water management because of the dominance of impervious surface. Storm water runoff will cause damage of streetscape facility and river biodiversity in the long term due to the pollutant consist on it. This study focuses on the use of hydrological analysis to determine the main problem regarding the drainage capacity and the design solution with storm water management approach. The case study takes place in Sudirman Street, Bogor City. There are two types of drainage basins in Sudirman Street and delineated to two different catchment areas. The result of study shows that both of existing channels have enough capability to accommodate peak runoff until 5-year storm, yet the flash flood still occurs during the heavy rain. This is leading to conclusion that the existing inflow design is not effective to convey the runoff into existing drainage. So, the design solution is utilizing green area in the streetscape as a green infrastructure that give a multiple benefit to the environment such as filter, infiltrate, and convey storm water runoff slowly to the main drainage.

Bringing people closer to water: integrating water management and urban infrastructure

New stormwater management approaches that integrate water management with urban planning and design increasingly encompass social objectives. However, the principles and concepts upon which they are based do not provide sufficient guidance and analysis on how water is perceived as a sociological factor. The objective of the paper is to develop a Sociological Framework for evaluating and guiding the incorporation of sociological dimensions into water sensitive design programmes and projects, and demonstrate the applicability of the framework through the evaluation of the Bedok Reservoir project under Singapore's ABC Waters Programme. The framework covers the domains of awareness and behaviour, social cohesion, and interactions. The framework can assist researchers and policy-makers in better understanding and integrating sociological dimensions in water sensitive design.

Green infrastructure and its catchment-scale effects: an emerging science.

Urbanizing environments alter the hydrological cycle by redirecting stream networks for stormwater and wastewater transmission and increasing impermeable surfaces. These changes thereby accelerate the runoff of water and its constituents following precipitation events, alter evapotranspiration processes, and indirectly modify surface precipitation patterns. Green infrastructure, or low-impact development (LID), can be used as a standalone practice or in concert with gray infrastructure (traditional stormwater management approaches) for cost-efficient, decentralized stormwater management. The growth in LID over the past several decades has resulted in a concomitant increase in research evaluating LID efficiency and effectiveness, but mostly at localized scales. There is a clear research need to quantify how LID practices affect water quantity (i.e., runoff and discharge) and quality at the scale of catchments. In this overview, we present the state of the science of LID research at the local scale, considerations for scaling this research to catchments, recent advances and findings in scaling the effects of LID practices on water quality and quantity at catchment scales, and the use of models as novel tools for these scaling efforts.

Intergrated Water Management in the Wood Manufacturing Industry

Industrial wastewater management is still neglected in a dominating part of the companies in Sweden and it is not considered as a threat to health of man and environment. The Environmental Science &amp;Engineering Research Group (ESERG) at LNU has under financial support of KK-foundation and large/medium-size companies in Southern Sweden been studied. Even though the problem has been studied for half a century there is knowledge missing and the stormwater is still a growing problem. Every time rain falls, it washes off oils, microorganisms, litter, sediments, fertilizers, and foreign chemicals from streets, parking lots, lawns, dumpster pads, metal roofs as well from landfill, industrial and harbour sites. Industrial facilities with large impervious surfaces for different types of handling of materials are generating stormwater effluents of different qualities which vary during different time periods and same stands for process water generated of a variety of volumes and often of high pollutant concentrations. In some catchment areas, industrial and small business activities can release a significant portion of some pollutants that ends up directly into receiving waters but also at the municipal wastewater treatment plant. Small businesses and enterprises do not pay attention to routine operations and neither have they had the economic resources to implement preventive measures, treatment facilities or to employ expertise on their particular environmental issues. The project “Development of an Integrated Approach for Industrial Wastewater and Stormwater Management in the Wood Industry Sector” has generated new knowledge about industrial waste water treatment that will be presented at the Linnaeus Ecotech 10 international conference.

Localized flooding and autonomous adaptation in peri-urban Bangkok

Peri-urban areas of mega-cities in lower-middle income countries face many environmental management challenges, including localized flooding caused by inefficient management and inadequate stormwater infrastructure. A case study analysis was conducted in Bangkok’s rapidly developing urban fringe, where residents have been experiencing localized flooding after normal rainfall. This paper explores the drivers of this flooding and its impacts for local communities, and explains how autonomous adaptation affects community stormwater drainage systems. The study found a mismatch between limited authority and transboundary problems of stormwater management, and calls for an integrated urban stormwater management approach. The findings imply the need to address autonomous adaptation as an integral part of adaptation measures at the broader scale of Thailand’s urban climate governance under the current threat of climate change.

Variation in rocky shore assemblages and abundances of key taxa along gradients of stormwater input

Stormwater brings freshwater and terrestrially derived contaminants into coastal systems and is predicted to increase with climate change. This study aimed to characterise variation in rocky shore assemblages in relation to stormwater pollution. Intertidal assemblages were sampled in similar habitats at a range of distances (0 m, 10 m, 20 m, 60 m, and 100 m) from stormwater outfalls on three rocky shores north of Dublin. In general, taxon richness and algal cover increased after 20 m from a stormwater outfall. Limpet population structure and condition index showed no consistent patterns among shores. Assemblage structure at or near stormwater sites differed from that at sites 100 m away. These findings, ideally supplemented by experimental research, may be used to inform stormwater management and remediation approaches.

Sustainable urban drainage approach, focusing on lid techniques, applied to the design of new housing subdivisions in the context of a growing city

City growth must be carefully planned, in order to deal with the relevant hydrological changes, caused by urbanisation effects. Frequently, the increasing of the impervious surface areas is the major cause of urban fl oods aggravation. For this reason, new urban drainage design concepts have been researched in the recent decades, looking for a more sustainable stormwater management approach. The concept of sustainability in urban drainage implies that fl oods may not be transferred to downstream and that drainage systems must be planned considering urban development along time. Storage and infi ltration measures, distributed over the watershed and integrated with urban landscape, should be introduced to reduce fl ood peaks and reorganise fl ood fl ow patterns. Following this path, the concept of low impact development (LID) may be a reference for urban drainage projects of new housing subdivisions. This concept tends to produce built environments with minor hydrological changes, trying to preserve or recover natural fl ow conditions prior to the urbanisation. In this context, this paper aims to discuss the problems related to urban fl ood in a conceptual, but practical, perspective, comparing different alternatives of drainage design for urban areas in a development process. In particular, a case study in the neighbourhood of Guaratiba, at Rio de Janeiro City, Brazil, will be developed. This region is under an increasing urban growth pressure, but it is still possible to plan and design an alternative occupation. Basically, two approaches were compared: a traditional end of pipe design concept and an alternative sustainable design approach, based on the LID concept. The effects of the LID fl ood control measures were analysed and compared, applied in both public and private areas of a new urban subdivision project. A critical storm event was considered for the local scale and for Cabucu River, which is the receiving water body for the local drainage system. The combined use of infi ltration and storage measures was able to recover fl ood peaks. The pre-urbanisation values were approximately reproduced, both for the local and the basin scales, although peak times were not recovered.

City Growth and Urban Drainage Alternatives: Sustainability Challenge

Since the 1970s, growing concerns about urban development’s effects on the natural environment have been prompting efforts to find more sustainable solutions for the problems arising from the built environment. In this context, this work discusses the need to integrate innovative stormwater drainage practices with the urban planning process, especially regarding the limitation associated with the increase of impervious surfaces, while trying to handle the runoff generated by the urban sprawl. The interaction between urban growth and stormwater management is investigated, using a case study in the metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro to illustrate the main findings. To fulfill this objective, the present flooding scenario for this area is modified under two premises: considering a traditional drainage system approach, focusing on channelization measures, and a distributed stormwater management approach, based on the sustainable urban drainage system (SUDS) concepts. Then, these two solutions are tested for their effectiveness under three different scenarios of future urban growth and land-use changes, ranging from uncontrolled urbanization to planned urban growth with land-use control. The capacity of these two approaches to maintain their design functions is verified for the proposed future urban patterns. The quantitative evaluation of urban flooding prospective scenarios is supported by mathematical modeling. From the results of the conducted simulations, one can confirm the crucial importance of land-use planning in the urban flood control process. Decentralized stormwater controls, although more resilient than traditional channelization measures, tend to fail in the long term if land-use planning is not properly addressed. A key element for flood control is the integration of drainage solutions with urban development, in a systemic way and considering the basin scale as the planning and design reference.

How much is enough? Minimal responses of water quality and stream biota to partial retrofit stormwater management in a suburban neighborhood.

Decentralized stormwater management approaches (e.g., biofiltration swales, pervious pavement, green roofs, rain gardens) that capture, detain, infiltrate, and filter runoff are now commonly used to minimize the impacts of stormwater runoff from impervious surfaces on aquatic ecosystems. However, there is little research on the effectiveness of retrofit, parcel-scale stormwater management practices for improving downstream aquatic ecosystem health. A reverse auction was used to encourage homeowners to mitigate stormwater on their property within the suburban, 1.8 km2 Shepherd Creek catchment in Cincinnati, Ohio (USA). In 2007–2008, 165 rain barrels and 81 rain gardens were installed on 30% of the properties in four experimental (treatment) subcatchments, and two additional subcatchments were maintained as controls. At the base of the subcatchments, we sampled monthly baseflow water quality, and seasonal (5×/year) physical habitat, periphyton assemblages, and macroinvertebrate assemblages in the streams for the three years before and after treatment implementation. Given the minor reductions in directly connected impervious area from the rain barrel installations (11.6% to 10.4% in the most impaired subcatchment) and high total impervious levels (13.1% to 19.9% in experimental subcatchments), we expected minor or no responses of water quality and biota to stormwater management. There were trends of increased conductivity, iron, and sulfate for control sites, but no such contemporaneous trends for experimental sites. The minor effects of treatment on streamflow volume and water quality did not translate into changes in biotic health, and the few periphyton and macroinvertebrate responses could be explained by factors not associated with the treatment (e.g., vegetation clearing, drought conditions). Improvement of overall stream health is unlikely without additional treatment of major impervious surfaces (including roads, apartment buildings, and parking lots). Further research is needed to define the minimum effect threshold and restoration trajectories for retrofitting catchments to improve the health of stream ecosystems.

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.

Land cover controls on summer discharge and runoff solution chemistry of semi-arid urban catchments

Summary Recharge of urban runoff to groundwater as a stormwater management practice has gained importance in semi-arid regions where water resources are scarce and urban centers are growing. Despite this trend, the importance of land cover in controlling semi-arid catchment runoff quantity and quality remains unclear. Here we address the question: How do land cover characteristics control the amount and quality of storm runoff in semi-arid urban catchments? We monitored summertime runoff quantity and quality from five catchments dominated by distinct urban land uses: low, medium, and high density residential, mixed use, and commercial. Increasing urban land cover increased runoff duration and the likelihood that a rainfall event would result in runoff, but did not increase the time to peak discharge of episodic runoff. The effect of urban land cover on hydrologic responses was tightly coupled to the magnitude of rainfall. At distinct rainfall thresholds, roads, percent impervious cover and the stormwater drainage network controlled runoff frequency, runoff depth and runoff ratios. Contrary to initial expectations, runoff quality did not vary in repose to impervious cover or land use. We identified four major mechanisms controlling runoff quality: (1) variable solute sourcing due to land use heterogeneity and above ground catchment connectivity; (2) the spatial extent of pervious and biogeochemically active areas; (3) the efficiency of overland flow and runoff mobilization; and (4) solute flushing and dilution. Our study highlights the importance of the stormwater drainage systems characteristics in controlling urban runoff quantity and quality; and suggests that enhanced wetting and in-stream processes may control solute sourcing and retention. Finally, we suggest that the characteristics of the stormwater drainage system should be integrated into stormwater management approaches.

Sustainability through Optimization: The Future of Watershed Management

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.

Conservation Subdivision: Construction Phase—Low Impact Development (LID) and Stormwater Treatment

Because so much area in subdivisions is covered by impervious surfaces such as roads, buildings, and driveways, stormwater runoff must be accounted for and treated to prevent flooding and to remove contaminates. Often, stormwater runoff impacts surrounding landscapes and water bodies due to nutrient loading. This 7-page fact sheet discusses the importance of using a more distributed stormwater treatment system that treats runoff closer to the source. Often called Low Impact Development (LID), this stormwater management approach is being used to more effectively remove pollutants from runoff. Written by Daniel Penniman, Mark Hostetler, and Glenn Acomb, and published by the UF Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, March 2012. WEC319/UW364: Conservation Subdivision: Construction Phase—Low Impact Development (LID) and Stormwater Treatment (ufl.edu)

New Urban Storm Water Management Approaches:Using the Water Generated by Cities for Ecosystem Services

New Urban Storm Water Management Approaches:Using the Water Generated by Cities for Ecosystem Services

Development of an Improved Approach for Selecting Storm-Water Best Management Practices

This paper discusses the development of a software-aided approach to best management practice (BMP) selection. Supported with input from a geographic information system (GIS), this software provides an algorithmic, mathematically based alternative to the inherently subjective approaches currently used to choose BMPs for management of storm-water runoff. The BMP selection software was applied to a study site located in the town of Blacksburg, Virginia. The software was utilized to identify BMP alternatives for a distributed storm-water management approach on the site. When compared with a base model with no runoff management, the traditional, detention-based management approach yielded 13.0% greater runoff rate reduction than did the distributed model. By contrast, the distributed storm-water management approach greatly outperformed the detention-based approach in removing pollutants from surface runoff. Although both runoff management strategies removed a significant portion of suspended sediment from the...