Sustainable Stormwater Management Research Articles

Sustainable stormwater management under the impact of climate change and urban densification

The demand for living space is rising in growing cities. To restrict urban expansion in the outskirts, a common strategy is to densify existing neighbourhoods. Densification implies the increase of water impervious area which increases the vulnerability to flooding during extreme precipitation events. Sustainable urban drainage systems are considered as a strategy to handle stormwater runoff locally and thus relieve the sewage system. This study investigates the combined quantitative hydrological impact of densification and sustainable stormwater management measures in a residential neighbourhood in Munich, Germany. The living-lab approach pursues the application of nature-based solutions in a real planning case to achieve positive climate effects while densifying the neighbourhood. The study is based on single event simulations of three return periods with the physically based software PCSWMM. The events are implemented for both current and climate change precipitation intensities of the RCP 8.5 projection for 2040–2069. Three scenarios are implemented: a status quo, a business as usual scenario (additional buildings without compensation measures) and a best-case scenario (one additional floor with green roofs disconnected from the sewers in combination with rain gardens and porous pavements on the land parcels). The comparison between the different scenarios focuses on three main aspects of the water balance, namely, infiltration, runoff and storage. The results show that measures for sustainable stormwater management are crucial elements to cope with an increasing number of heavy precipitation events due to climate change. The best-case scenario significantly outperforms the other two concerning water infiltration, surface runoff and storage. Most notably is the impact of climate change projection rainfall intensities for 2040–2069. The outcomes for these intensities clearly show the positive impact of sustainable water-sensitive design. The results demonstrate that it is in fact possible to enhance the water balance and gain new living space simultaneously if a sustainable urban planning strategy is implemented that includes future-oriented stormwater management.

Multiscale watershed landscape infrastructure: Integrated system design for sponge city development

Conventional centralized drainage systems are not only expensive, but their mono-function to discharge surface runoff also imposes a negative effect on the local environment while compounding regional watershed dysfunction. Sponge city initiative promoted by the Chinese government is a broader sustainable stormwater management concept that aims to use more nature-based solutions, reduce urban flooding and runoff pollution, and increase rainwater resource usage. As part of decentralized and cost-effective solutions, green infrastructure (GI) is considered in the Sponge City development across China. Although GI has been successfully implemented through a range of small-scale projects, the GI approach has not been adopted widely, which is because the GI approach is micro-scale techniques and the local government is skeptical about the efficiency of GI to mitigate stormwater on a large scale. Although some researchers have explored the effectiveness of GI to reduce stormwater in small catchments, only a limited number of studies have examined the efficacy of GI at the watershed scale. Moreover, there is lack of a system and cross-scale approach in sponge city practices. To understand the effect of GI on the watershed scale, this paper proposed a comprehensive approach using ArcGIS and SWMM platforms to study the spatial configuration and implementation of multi-scale stormwater management. The approach is to apply a three-step sequence of catchments, sub-catchments, and micro-catchments for the urban watershed through designing interconnected network of landscape infrastructure (LI) systems. The design scenarios and performance of LI system-based approach with different combinations and sizes of the sponge facilities were analyzed based on the Old Town district of Hefei City, China. This study demonstrated that the inherent capacity of the landscape can act as the conduit for multifunctional, flexible, localized, and synergistic infrastructural systems, in which cross watershed holds promise to decrease both runoff volumes and peak flows while providing ecosystem services, such as enhancing neighborhood aesthetics and cultural/health benefits through shared public green spaces. Thus, Sponge City Development here as green concepts and techniques for nature-based solutions enhances the function and value of green infrastructure with benefits of ecological, economic and social significances, which presents a new approach for sustainable city making.

Determination of water quality in Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), Kota Kinabalu: The effectiveness of stormwater management systems

Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) campus in Kota Kinabalu consists of a large detention pond that stores the stormwater and limits the outflow rate into Likas' estuary. It is no doubt the detention pond has been designed per the Urban Stormwater Management Manual (USMM) requirement in terms of quantity control, however rapid development and changes in surrounding landscapes may affect the water quality. This study investigates the stormwater quality from the UMS detention pond and drainages within the campus. Water sampling was primarily taken during the dry period to justify worst-case scenarios without dilution from the rainfall season. Then the water quality parameters were tested using standard laboratory procedures mainly for Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Ammoniacal Nitrogen (AN), and Total Suspended Solids (TSS) with a minimum of a triplicate experimental run at the Environmental Laboratory, Faculty of Engineering, UMS. The determined water quality was compared with the National Water Quality Standards (NWQS) from the Department of Environment Malaysia. Overall the stormwater quality obtained for Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), AN and pH is within Class II to III, which is slightly polluted. However, the TSS from ponds near to main road and construction areas exceeds Class IV, indicating polluted conditions. There is a slight increase for BOD and AN parameters when comparing samples between June 2020 (post-MCO) and January 2017, which was suspected briefly due to fertilizing work for the campus landscapes. Although the TSS value is low, the TSS volume would increase over a period, raising the temperature while reducing the DO concentration and endanger the aquatic species and the ecosystem. Hence, it is recommended for a future study to emphasize TSS value as it would contribute significantly in designing sustainable stormwater management, particularly for the stormwater treatment, such as when optimizing for the utilization of alternative filter media, which reduces the maintenance and increasing the lifespan of the system.

Assessment framework to select sustainable storm water management options for urban areas

Bhumi is published by the Town & Country Planning Research Institute of the University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka and the La Trobe University, Australia.Bhumi serves a wide range of subject areas directly and indirectly related to Urban and Rural Planning, Economics, Development, Governance, Urban Management, Environmental Planning, Resource Management, Construction, Housing, Infrastructure, Urban Design, Politics, Technology etc.

Analysis of Alternatives for Sustainable Stormwater Management in Small Developments of Polish Urban Catchments

Sustainable stormwater management approaches in accordance with the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) allow a source control to handle the quality and quantity of the runoff at local level or near the source. The most popular technologies applied in Europe are green roofs, porous pavements, retention basins and bioswales/raingardens. In this article, two of these solutions (retention tank with reuse, and rain garden, respectively), applied to single dwelling case studies in a suburban area in the Silesia Region (Poland), are illustrated and analyzed. The selected cases consider technical and economic aspects as the most important factors for decision on the selection of onsite stormwater management approach. Both systems have been operational for approximately two years. The retention tank proved a good solution, reducing stormwater overflows and allowing local water reuse for lawn irrigation; however, investment and maintenance costs in this case are relatively higher. The raingarden proved to work efficiently in this small scale implementation and implied much lower initial investment and costs. The economic sustainability of these interventions at single dwelling scale was analyzed, showing interesting returns, with outcome depending on the degree of possible water reuse (lower water bills) and availability of fiscal or fee incentives. Introduction of financial incentive schemes will encourage homeowners and developers to implement stormwater control solutions, allowing rapid amortization of investment costs with additional benefits to the community, such as reduced environmental impact of stormwater overflows and possible economies in the construction and management of stormwater systems.

Low impact development strategies for a low-income settlement: Balancing flood protection and life cycle costs in Brazil

Due to economic, environmental, and other wider social issues, implementing sustainable urban drainage systems in developing countries is particularly complex. This study aimed to assess the adoption of low impact development (LID) strategies for a low-income settlement in São Carlos, Brazil, with the additional challenges presented by high-density, small lots, and social-economic constraints. A life cycle cost (LCC) analysis was conducted along with hydrological modeling for three scenarios. The business-as-usual (BAU) scenario: typical urban design and conventional drainage system (CDS). The infiltration well (IW) scenario: typical urban design and CDS associated with lots disconnection with IWs. The LID scenario: infiltration devices (swales and swale-trenches) associated with urban changes to achieve 100 % of runoff source control. A sensitivity analysis was carried out considering variations in the maintenance routine. The LCC revealed that the IW scenario had the higher overall costs: 15 % higher than BAU, and 5–22 % than LID. However, when the scenarios were assessed using a performance-based unit (costs/locally managed stormwater volume), the perspective changed: the LID scenario costs were the lowest (271–507 USD/m³), and BAU were the highest (926–1487 USD/m³). This joint assessment is expected to better assist the decision-making processes for sustainable stormwater management, balancing flood protection and costs.

A smart predictive framework for system-level stormwater management optimization

This study presents a global real-time control (RTC) approach for sustainable and adaptive management of stormwater. A network of inter-connected devices are assumed to dynamically generate the required set-points for the system actuators at the remote control center where global optimization algorithms calculate real-time operational decision-making target values. These target values activate the local controllers to manipulate the spatially distributed detention basin's outlets enabling a smart catchment scale optimal control. A real world watershed with four outlets to a nearby watercourse is chosen to test the applicability and efficiency of the proposed dynamic control approach, based on model simulation results. Results show that the proposed autonomous control approach has the ability to enhance the global performance of the stormwater management system in terms of quality and quantity to balance the network flow dynamics and environmental demands, while reducing the potential for erosion of receiving water bodies. Climate change is specifically discussed as a challenge for the designed control framework. Although, the performance criteria are shown to be affected by the increased rainfall intensities compared to actual rainfall scenarios, the proposed methodology still improves the peak flow reduction and detention time of water, at global scale, up to 54% and 14 h respectively under climate change conditions.

Middle-Term Evolution of Efficiency in Permeable Pavements: A Real Case Study in a Mediterranean climate.

Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) are solutions used to reduce the effects of soil sealing and to contribute to sustainable storm water management. In recent years, many projects have been implemented in Europe, the United States, and Australia, but most of them have either not been monitored at all or have only been monitored in the short-term, so there is little information on the evolution of efficiency and clogging. Experiences in the Mediterranean are even rarer, so the main purpose of this research is to provide information about the long-term behavior of one kind of SuDS, the permeable pavements, in the middle-term under Mediterranean climatic conditions. This work shows the results of a real project developed in southern Spain, which has been monitored for five years. The evolution of efficiency in permeable pavements and their relationship with saturation are analyzed and discussed in this research. These results will help to manage and maintain permeable pavements in areas with a Mediterranean climatology.

Effective Management of Storm water in Ibeju–Lekki Local Government Area of Lagos State, Nigeria

In recent years, many cities and rural areas are facing frequent waterlogging, run-off pollution, huge loss of resourceful rainwater, damaged ecosystem and many more rain water related problems. In regional perspective, how to construct a sustainable storm water management measures have been presented as an important issue in many cities and urban agglomeration in Nigeria. Ibeju Lekki area is usually faced with the problem of rain water leading to incessant flooding. This study therefore assesses storm water management in Ibeju-Lekki Area, Lagos state. The research employs a random sampling technique in selecting 204 (0.07  ) respondents for questionnaire administration. Descriptive and inferential statistical tools were employed in the analysis of the data. Pearson product moment correlation was used to test the relationship between the gradient analysis and vulnerability to runoff of Ibeju-Lekki. Also, the slope analysis of the study area was carried out using slope calculation. Findings revealed that natural green space, public parks and gardens and drainage system were the most available storm water management infrastructure in the area. The result of correlation analysis with r = 0.971 shows a strong positive correlation between gradient and vulnerability to runoff. The study concluded that physical planning policies such as thorough monitoring of building plan before approval and institution of effective development control agencies among others should be put in place to ensure proper management of storm water in Ibeju-Lekki local government area of Lagos state

MAKING SMART URBAN DECISIONS: THE NICHE OF A PARAMETRIC SPATIAL MODEL TO BALANCE THE NEEDS OF URBAN STORMWATER MANAGEMENT AND HUMAN WELLBEING

Abstract. Rapid urbanization has resulted in high-density construction, more impervious area and with increasing threats of urban stormwater, drought and negative influences on human wellbeing. Although there has been progress in sustainable stormwater management and the promotion of human wellbeing with green space, the research has been conducted from a mono-disciplinary perspective and has brought potential conflicts in the utilisation of green space in an urban area. Since smart city proposed, researchers are exploring informational and integrated urban management to face this type of development conflicts and achieve a harmonious and sustainable future. This research proposes a parametric spatial model to integrate stormwater management and human recreation needs based on the understanding of the relationship between them on the same urban green space. We expect that this integrated parametric spatial model will help residents to interact with functional green space and provide options to organize the urban green space smarter and more effectively. This paper presents: (1) A review of the main sustainable stormwater management measures with principles, models and facilities to reveal an overlooked but important relationship between space and stormwater management. (2) Investigation of the research on the benefits of green space on human wellbeing. The study argues that the participation of green space cannot be effectively and accurately analysed with the current main analysis measures which relying on satellite-based vegetation indices or land-use database. This research is intended to set smarter decision making on urban green spaces which connects sustainable stormwater management with human wellbeing via visualised parametric spatial model.

Identification and Pre-Assessment of Former Watercourses to Support Urban Stormwater Management

The application of blue and green infrastructure in urban stormwater management has attracted increasing interest in recent years. At the same time, one can observe a heavy modification of urban watercourses by land reclamation measures aiming at canalizing, straightening, and draining existing water systems at many places around the world. In the context of sustainable urban development, the question arises, whether the reactivation of former watercourses could be an additional option to support urban stormwater management. This article introduces a process to identify former watercourses and to pre-assess their suitability to support urban stormwater management considering different hydraulic functionalities and stormwater related criteria. To prove the practicability of the approach, it was applied in a case study. Our investigations revealed that the reactivation of former watercourses can provide additional opportunities towards more nature-based and sustainable stormwater management in the urban fabric.

Opportunities and challenges in water sensitive industrial development: an Auckland case study, New Zealand

ABSTRACT Internationally cities are increasingly applying Sustainable Stormwater Management (SSM) to mitigate urban stormwater problems caused by rapid urban sprawl and climate change. However, a gap exists in specific guidance and supporting case studies for SSM (termed Water Sensitive Design or WSD in New Zealand) at industrial sites. This paper uses a two-step New Zealand case study to identify priority issues to address when formulating guidelines for industrial SSM. The first step, in this paper, reports on semi-structured, in-depth interviews with Auckland’s stormwater professionals to gain insight into the practice, motivation, and the benefits and barriers, of applying Industrial WSD (IWSD). The analysis showed that although IWSD could mimic and retain nature to mitigate impacts of changes to stormwater contaminants, flows and volume, as well as enhance aesthetic amenity, comfort level, and human health. The key challenges revealed reasons for these low levels of application were space shortage, lack of cognition and knowledge, lack of official regulations and compliance structure, and maintenance uncertainty. In conclusion, the successful application of IWSD is likely to be a slow process, that requires knowledge and awareness transformation, establishment of a sound regulation and governance structure, and the valuing of WSD in planning and design stages with specific consideration of industrial environments. These findings will inform a second step of this research, formulating guidelines on the application of WSD (and so SSM) to industrial sites and precincts.

A framework to explain the role of boundary objects in sustainability transitions

Our modern society is characterized by increasing diversity and complexity, leading to overwhelming challenges like climate change or environmental degradation. These problems are posing impracticable ethical dilemmas and conflicts of interest among an expanding range of institutional logics. While this cognitive, ideological, scientific, and political diversity can represent a major barrier for the collaborative work that sustainability transitions require, it is also a necessary resource for innovation and adaptation. It is then natural to wonder how diversity and collaboration among institutional logics can be accommodated and balanced. In this article, we develop a framework to explain the role of boundary objects in sustainability transitions (BOIST framework), which describes how ambiguous artefacts (boundary objects) can be deliberately employed by actors to drive transitions through bridging conflicting logics without constraining their diversity. The applicability of the framework is demonstrated with an in-depth case study of the Copenhagen municipality’s transition to more sustainable stormwater management.

Stormwater Management: A Keystone for Sustainable Development

Sustainable development is a major goal of the 21st century, and there are many ways to ensure that one generation’s lifestyle and consumption habits do not comprise those of a future generation. It can be overwhelming to look at the many ways sustainable development can be achieved. In this paper, I focus on sustainable stormwater management practices, called Best Management Practices (BMPs). There are many different types of BMPs, and in this paper, I look at explore several popular options. I also look through several policies that impact sustainable water management and look to possible policy solutions for the future.

Framework, Procedure, and Tools for Comprehensive Evaluation of Sustainable Stormwater Management: A Review

To better evaluate and enhance the performance and benefit of sustainable stormwater management (SSWM) in developing countries, this study proposes a comprehensive evaluation framework based on thorough literature review. This framework re-classifies evaluation goals and indicators into four aspects—stormwater system, integrated management, social engagement, and urban development. The purpose of this review is to provide a guideline for decision makers to choose appropriate goals and indicators according to different regional context. Meanwhile, a structured procedure for comprehensive evaluation of SSWM is proposed to guide a well-organised decision-making process. Furthermore, pros and cons of eight decision support tools, as well as their functional focus, are compared, aiming to provide references for SSWM in developing countries. Outcomes presented in this review are expected to support decision makers in the process of screening optimal SSWM strategies and monitoring SSWM projects.

An analysis of important issues impacting the development of stormwater management systems in Poland

There is a clear trend in the world to increase the use of sustainable drainage systems. In Poland, it is not as much noticeable, and as a consequence, the conventional stormwater system remains the most common method of stormwater management. As part of the research, an assessment of the issues affecting the implementation of sustainable stormwater management systems in an engineering practices was performed. For that purpose the PESTLE analysis was applied. Its results indicate that legal factors are the key for the development of sustainable drainage systems in Poland. The scale of public support and availability of funding is also not without importance. The possibilities of the implementation growth of sustainable drainage systems should be sought in changes in legal regulations regarding stormwater management, while ensuring at the same time an appropriate level of financing for sustainable solutions. In the second stage of the research, stormwater management models used in Poland were identified. The strengths and weaknesses of these models were presented. There were also discussed the potential opportunities and threats associated with their implementation. The balances of positive and negative sides that were created through a SWOT analysis could be treated as the basis for the detailed analyses of the legitimate application of individual systems in specific areas. It is expected that the results of the research will allow formulating clear principles of an innovation policy in the field of stormwater management and appointing objective and transparent criteria for financing individual types of drainage investments.

Structural behavior of segmental tunnel linings for a large stormwater storage tunnel: Insight from full-scale loading tests

The deeply-buried tunnels serve as an effective method for the sustainable management of stormwater to mitigate the waterlogging and sewer overflow problems of modern cities in rainy seasons. This paper presents a series of full-scale structural loading tests on the segmental lining of a large deeply-buried stormwater storage tunnel considering the operation conditions, in which the cycle of water inflow and drainage was repeated. The testing results show that water inflow has notable influences on the mechanical and structural behaviors of segmental lining. The bending moment increases slightly but the axial force decreases significantly with the increasing inner hydrostatic water head. The convergence deformation develops during water inflow and recovers in the process of drainage, following a parabola pattern. However, the deformation cannot be fully recovered after complete drainage, mostly due to the residual deformation of segmental joints. The structural responses of the segmental lining remain approximately constant subjected to a limited number of loading cycles. The effects of water inflow on the distribution of internal forces and deformation deviate from the elastic solutions for homogeneous ring subjected to isotropic inner pressure. The influences of bending moment and axial force on joint behavior are unified through eccentricity. Three distinct zones associated with the interaction condition between adjacent blocks at the joint are identified for the relationship between joint deformation and eccentricity, and also for the relationship between joint rotational stiffness and eccentricity. The observations made in the current study may shed light on the design and construction of similar projects in pilot cities committed for the Sponge City policy of China.

Inflow and outflow event mean concentration analysis of contaminants in bioretention facilities for non-point pollution management

In order to establish a sustainable stormwater management system, research has focused on Low Impact Development (LID) facilities. This study analyzed the runoff reduction efficiency and pollutant removal efficiency in Bioretention facilities. The results of the study were analyzed using long-term monitoring data over three years, and experiments were carried out using real rainfall and artificial rainfall to simulate various rainfall conditions. The Event Mean Concentration (EMC) is a pollutant concentration value for rainfall events. Based on the analysis of inflow and outflow EMC, TSS was found to have the largest reduction. The reduction ratio for efficiency about pollutant and run-off(%) was monitored for 3 years and more. The itemized data was plotted on chart annually. Based on the annual average pollutant removal efficiency values, all the pollutant removal efficiency values, except the runoff reduction efficiency, showed a decrease in efficiency over time. Based on the results of the study, the necessity for proper maintenance was confirmed. The results of this study are expected to inform further research on non-point pollution reduction facilities.

Integrating Sustainable Stormwater Management in Urban Planning: Ways Forward towards Institutional Change and Collaborative Action

Climate change impacts, ageing infrastructure and the increasing imperviousness of cities all raise enormous challenges to and call for new ways of planning for sustainable urban stormwater management. Especially, closer collaboration among a diverse set of actors involved has been pointed to as critical to enable the development of holistic and flexible approaches. However, the shift towards inclusive forms of planning has been slow, and characterized by technical and institutional lock-ins. Against this background, this study scrutinizes the challenges and developments perceived as central for improving stormwater planning, and analyzes how formal and informal institutional change could contribute to enhancing sustainability in this sector. Building on an analysis of data from workshops, interviews and a survey with Swedish planners and water managers, we suggest new strategies for integrating stormwater concerns into planning processes, overcoming silo structures, fostering cocreation cultures, and securing the continuation and implementation of stormwater management through various planning stages.

Green Infrastructure Practice and a Sustainability Key Performance Indicators Framework for Neighbourhood-Level Construction of Sponge City Programme

In recent years, the Sponge City program (SCP) of China, as a sustainable stormwater management approach, has been strengthened as a national strategic level program. The Green Infrastructure (GI), due to its multi-objective and multi-benefits, has been adopted as an important measure of this new nationwide initiative. However, there is a lack of a comprehensive quantitative evaluation system for neighbourhood scale SCP. Hence, in the process of GI plan optimization, selection of implementation methods to balance its multi-benefits has become one of the key obstacles in the practice of SCP. To support robust decision making on multi-objective GI planning and comprehensive assessment, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) has been used as a structural and systematic technique. In addition, a set of sustainability key performance indicators (KPIs) including requisite dimensions is the foundation for neighbourhood scale sustainability. Hence, AHP-based evaluation system including selection, weighting and ranking of the KPIs, is defined as a key performance indicator framework (KPIF), which is still in need for further development. Taking the GI planning for the Liangnong, Siming Lake sponge node restoration as an example, this paper develops KPIF with a comprehensive evaluation system for high-quality “Sponge Node” transitional construction. This KPIF consists of three basic criteria: “Environmental Performance”, “Economic and Adaptability Performance”, and “Social-cultural Performance and Wellbeing Performance”. In addition, 15 weighted KPIs are concluded and amongst them, the followings were relatively high: weight of the ATRCR, the promotion of biodiversity, the construction cost saving, the maintenance cost saving, and the level of recreational and wellbeing improvements for all people. In addition, the developed KPIF provides a reference for similar program’s decision-making, not only for the Jiangnan area of China, but also for quantitatively comprehensive evaluations of SCP in other regions.