Stormwater Management Benefits Research Articles

A review on green pavement hydrological design and recommended permeable pavement with detention storage

This paper reviews innovation of green pavement technology for storm water management in an urban environment. This can be related with hydrological performance and assessments of the permeable pavement. Features of the typical permeable pavement are presented and discussed. Topics covered include recognizing important of permeable pavement, stormwater management benefit and detailed hydrological properties and design. The information in this paper provides stakeholders with an overview of research and development of green pavement. In particular, it discussed the benefit and advantages of the green pavement in current use. On the other hand, the permeable pavement with subsurface detention namely StormPav is presented. The hydrological design modification and innovation, as well as hydrological design and stormwater management benefits have been summarised. Therefore provided another option for green pavement infrastructure series to be used in roadworks.

Using Irrigation to Increase Stormwater Mitigation Potential of Rainwater Harvesting Systems

AbstractRainwater harvesting (RWH) systems used for irrigation often provide fewer stormwater management benefits than systems used for year-round, nondiscretionary purposes because there is dimini...

Experimental investigation on the flexural behavior of pervious concrete beams reinforced with geogrids

Abstract Pervious concrete has been widely used due to the environmental and stormwater management benefits. However, its susceptibility to cracking and low flexural strength limited the widespread use for vehicular traffic pavement. This paper focuses on the flexural behavior of pervious concrete beams reinforced by geogrids with different layer number at various positions. The influences of the embedded geogrids on effective porosity, strength and cracking behaviors are studied. The load-vertical displacement curves are obtained by four-point bending tests to describe the toughness and post-cracking performance of pervious concrete beams. Meanwhile, the acoustic emission (AE) and digital image correlation (DIC) techniques are used to monitor the internal fracture characteristics, strain fields and crack propagation. The experimental results indicate that the compressive strength and flexural strength of pervious concrete can be improved owing to the embedded geogrids. Notwithstanding an increased porosity is induced, the reinforced beams demonstrate significantly superior post-crack performance. Furthermore, the embedded geogrids in pervious concrete restrain the generation and propagation of the crack, resulting in a low strain field level as well as showing a short crack length and a small crack mouth opening displacement (CMOD). Embedding the geogrids at both one-third depth and two-thirds depth of the thickness provides the optimal performance.

Evaluating the shading effect of photovoltaic panels on green roof discharge reduction and plant growth

The hydrology and stormwater management benefits of green roofs (GRs) when integrated with photovoltaic (PV) arrays are currently not well understood. This study is the first quantitative study of an integrated full-scale GR-PV system in Canada. In this project, two GR-PV systems, with low (0.6 m) and high (1.2 m) differential height (LDH and HDH) between the GR surface and PV panels have been compared with a GR test module for storm water retention and biomass. Over 51 rainfall events in summer and fall 2016 and spring 2017, rainwater retention, peak flow reduction, NRCS curve number, and biomass of GR-PV and GR systems were examined. Rainwater retention and peak flow reduction were not significantly different between the LDH and HDH systems. Vegetation growth was 47% greater in the HDH system compared to the LDH system. This was attributed to greater solar radiation and rain exposure of vegetation in the HDH system due to the greater vertical distance between the PV panels and the GR modules.

Using carbon fiber composites for reinforcing pervious concrete

Pervious concrete (PC) pavement applications are growing in popularity due to the environmental and stormwater management benefits that PC can offer. However, relatively low mechanical properties and durability of PC, comparing to conventional Portland cement concrete (PCC), limit its use for vehicular applications. In this study, different size fractions of cured carbon fiber composite material (CCFCM) pieces were incorporated into a PC mixture (rPC) in three volume fractions. The goal was to determine the physical and mechanical properties of rPC in comparison to the corresponding properties of plain PC (control). Seven mixture designs were prepared in order to investigate the effect of CCFCM volume fractions as well as CCFCM particle sizes. The test results indicated that CCFCM addition enhanced the workability of the PC mixtures. rPC mixtures presented higher average infiltration rates when compared to the control mixture. Improvements in mechanical properties were seen on 28-day compressive strength (4–11%), 7-day tensile strength (11–46%) and in modulus of elasticity (6–45%). In terms of resistance to mass loss in Cantabro and surface abrasion, rPC mixtures presented various behaviors, with one mixture containing the highest volume fraction and a combined size fraction, outperforming the control in both tests. Overall, the results of this study indicate that incorporation of CCFCM is promising in improving physical and mechanical properties of PC.

Optimal Sizing of Green Infrastructure Treatment Trains for Stormwater Management

Green Infrastructure (GI) practices are widely used as source control measures in treating the stormwater. When treating stormwater, application of several GI practices in series as a treatment train has become popular over the implementation of a single treatment measure due to several advantages. However, the optimum sizing of the treatment trains has become an ongoing challenge for stormwater professionals due to various treatment measures and their different sizing combinations producing similar stormwater management benefits. Therefore, the present study proposes a novel methodology to optimize the sizing of GI treatment trains by formulating the problem as a single objective optimization. Minimization of Equivalent Annual Cost (EAC) was used as the objective function, while the target pollution reduction levels and available land area were used as constraints. Although the results of the single objective optimization should produce a single optimum result, this study has produced a set of treatment train sizing combinations which are close to the minimum cost, but with vastly different sizes of individual treatment measures in the treatment train. These sizing combinations had produced varied values for performance measures related to environmental, economic and social objectives, which made the selection of an optimum treatment train sizing combination difficult, for a particular study area. The methodology was demonstrated by using a sample treatment train, for a case study area in Melbourne, in Australia.

Enhancing Stormwater Management Benefits of Rainwater Harvesting via Innovative Technologies

AbstractRainwater harvesting (RWH) systems provide the dual, but often opposing, benefits of acting as alternate water supply sources and providing detention/retention of roof runoff that would otherwise become stormwater runoff. A major challenge that exists when using a RWH system to simultaneously accomplish stormwater and water-conservation benefits in nonarid regions is that these systems are often underutilized, thus remaining full a large portion of the time. For a system to mitigate stormwater runoff, however, there must be sufficient room available in the tank to store a runoff event. Two novel approaches were implemented to improve the ability of RWH systems to serve as both water-conservation practices and stormwater-management practices: an active release technology and a passive release technology. Two locations in Craven County, North Carolina, had RWH systems installed to capture roof runoff and store it for nonpotable uses. One system was equipped with the passive release mechanism, which ...

The pollution removal and stormwater reduction performance of street-side bioretention basins after ten years in operation

This study evaluated the pollution removal and hydrologic performance of five, 10-year old street-side bioretention systems. The bioretention basins were subjected to a series of simulated rainfall events using synthetic stormwater. Four different pollution concentrations were tested on three of the bioretention basins. The four concentrations tested were: A) no pollution; B) typical Australian urban pollutant loads; C) double the typical pollution loads, and; D) five times the typical pollution loads. Tests were also undertaken to determine the levels of contaminant and heavy metals build-up that occurred in the filter media over the 10year operational life of the bioretention systems. Although highly variable, the overall hydrological performance of the basins was found to be positive, with all basins attenuating flows, reducing both peak flow rates and total outflow volumes. Total suspended solids removal performance was variable for all tests and no correlation was found between performance and dosage. Total nitrogen (TN) removal was positive for Tests B, C and D. However, the TN removal results for Test A were found to be negative. Total phosphorus (TP) was the only pollutant to be effectively removed from all basins for all four synthetic stormwater tests. The study bioretention basins were found to export pollutants during tests where no pollutants were added to the simulated inflow water (Test A). Heavy metal and hydrocarbon testing undertaken on the bioretention systems found that the pollution levels of the filter media were still within acceptable limits after 10years in operation. This field study has shown bioretention basin pollution removal performance to be highly variable and dependant on a range of factors including inflow pollution concentrations, filter media, construction methods and environmental factors. Further research is required in order to fully understand the potential stormwater management benefits of these systems.

Characterizing Rainwater Harvesting Performance and Demonstrating Stormwater Management Benefits in the Humid Southeast USA

AbstractRainwater harvesting (RWH) has traditionally been implemented in areas with (semi) arid climates or limited access to potable water supplies; however, recent droughts in the humid southeastern United States have led to increased implementation of RWH systems. The objectives of this study were twofold: (1) present usage characteristics and performance results for four RWH systems installed in humid North Carolina (NC) as compared with systems located in arid/semiarid regions and (2) identify system benefits and modifications that could help improve the performance of RWH systems installed in humid regions of the world. For this study four RWH systems were installed in NC. Their usage was monitored for at least one year and compared with similar studies. Results revealed that dedicated water uses and usage characteristics for RWH systems in NC differed from those previously reported in the literature. Two of the systems studied met 100 and 61% of the potable water demand with designated uses of animal kennel flushing and greenhouse irrigation, respectively. The designated uses yielding the greatest potable water replacement were often seasonal or periodic, thus necessitating the need for identifying and implementing secondary objectives for these systems, namely, stormwater management. Otherwise, the expense and effort required to implement RWH systems in humid areas will most likely preclude their use.

Water Supply and Stormwater Management Benefits of Residential Rainwater Harvesting in U.S. Cities

AbstractThis article presents an analysis of the projected performance of urban residential rainwater harvesting systems in the United States (U.S.). The objectives are to quantify for 23 cities in seven climatic regions (1) water supply provided from rainwater harvested at a residential parcel and (2) stormwater runoff reduction from a residential drainage catchment. Water‐saving efficiency is determined using a water‐balance approach applied at a daily time step for a range of rainwater cistern sizes. The results show that performance is a function of cistern size and climatic pattern. A single rain barrel (190 l [50 gal]) installed at a residential parcel is able to provide approximately 50% water‐saving efficiency for the nonpotable indoor water demand scenario in cities of the East Coast, Southeast, Midwest, and Pacific Northwest, but <30% water‐saving efficiency in cities of the Mountain West, Southwest, and most of California. Stormwater management benefits are quantified using the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Storm Water Management Model. The results indicate that rainwater harvesting can reduce stormwater runoff volume up to 20% in semiarid regions, and less in regions receiving greater rainfall amounts for a long‐term simulation. Overall, the results suggest that U.S. cities and individual residents can benefit from implementing rainwater harvesting as a stormwater control measure and as an alternative source of water.

EXPANDING THE GREEN BUILD-OUT MODEL TO QUANTIFY STORMWATER REDUCTION BENEFITS IN WASHINGTON, DC

EXPANDING THE GREEN BUILD-OUT MODEL TO QUANTIFY STORMWATER REDUCTION BENEFITS IN WASHINGTON, DCThe original Green Build-out Model was developed as part of a collaborative effort between LimnoTech and Casey Trees under a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Its intent was to estimate the stormwater management benefits of certain low impact development (LID) practices, namely additional tree cover and green roof conversion, in the Nation's capital. The Green Build-out Model...Author(s)Michael SullivanBrian BusiekHeather WhitlowMeredith UpchurchJenny MolloySourceProceedings of the Water Environment FederationSubjectSession 10: Green Infrastructure Tools and ApproachesDocument typeConference PaperPublisherWater Environment FederationPrint publication date Jan, 2008ISSN1938-6478SICI1938-6478(20080101)2008:6L.615;1-DOI10.2175/193864708790894331Volume / Issue2008 / 6Content sourceSustainability ConferenceFirst / last page(s)615 - 625Copyright2008Word count419

Green Site Design: Strategies for Storm Water Management

Increasingly, proponents of green building are realizing the potential of green site development strategies on the future sustainability of urbanized areas. In particular, alternative strategies for stormwater management are being implemented and show significant promise (US EPA 2003). As the global population becomes more urban, the increase of impermeable surfaces has deleterious effects on water quality and amounts of urban runoff. Traditional approaches to development and stormwater management have resulted in stormwater systems becoming a rapid conduit for delivery of contaminated runoff to rivers and streams. Volumes have increased, concentration times reduced, and natural filtering processes have been bypassed. The result is increased flooding, polluted rivers and streams, health threats, habitat degradation, and increasing expense to maintain inadequate systems. Many municipalities and other government agencies in the US and abroad are attempting to address this issue through regulation and incentive. The United States Green Building Council LEED system recognizes and addresses this problem and the potential for more sustainable stormwater management practices.The benefits of green stormwater management strategies vary depending on the circumstances of each condition, but examples of lower cost and environmentally superior approaches are found in cities in the US and around the world. Integrating green strategies into new development projects, from planning stages through implementation, is the most cost effective and yields the most efficient and beneficial systems. Retrofitting existing stormwater management systems in cities can be more costly and provide more limited environmental benefits, but antiquation of existing systems creates opportunities to adapt and include green strategies as systems are rebuilt, updated, and improved (Kloss and Calrusse 2006).It is best to think of green stormwater management strategies holistically, allowing the most efficient opportunities for integration of techniques into the planning, design, and implementation process. These approaches are sometimes represented as green infrastructure (Dunn and Stoner 2007). They are cost effective, sustainable, and environmentally friendly. In general, green infrastructure uses natural systems to the greatest extent possible, but also uses engineered systems that mimic natural systems to collect, treat, and reduce stormwater runoff using plants, soils, and microbes. At broader scales, green infrastructure can consist of a set of connected natural and human-created open space elements that may include forests, flood plains and riparian corridors, wetlands, parks, and more. In addition to the stormwater management benefits provided, recreational activities and wildlife habitat are often accommodated.