Urban Stormwater Management Research Articles

Ecological Wisdom and Inheritance Thinking of the Traditional Village’s Water Resources Management in Taihang Mountains

ABSTRACT In the context of China’s rapid urbanization, the landscape texture and ecosystem of traditional villages are being constructively damaged, especially the water ecosystem responsible for maintaining the sustainable development of villages. It is urgent to explore the green construction technology of traditional villages. However, some traditional villages in Taihang Mountain area exist and develop in the environment of drought and flood, which contains rich ecological water resources management wisdom. Therefore, in this paper, Taihang Mountain is selected as the research area to collect data through literature analysis, field research, and in-depth interviews. This study uses ArcGIS spatial analysis and statistical functions to analyze the acquired data and explore the water resources management practices of traditional villages based on three aspects: safety, function, and spirit. Then it summarizes four key inspirations for contemporary water resources management: “adapt to local conditions, pay equal attention to water use and prevention”; “division of labor and cooperation complement each other”, “low cost, low technology, low maintenance” and “make the best use of materials and compound functions”. These advantageous insights can be offered for the preservation of traditional villages, the enhancement of the living environment, and the management and growth of urban stormwater.

Green infrastructure optimization considering spatial functional zoning in urban stormwater management

Green infrastructure (GI) is used as an alternative and complement to traditional urban drainage system for mitigating urban stormwater issues mainly caused by climate change and urbanization. The combination of hydrological model and optimization algorithm can automatically find the optimal solution under multiple objectives. Given the multi-functional characteristics of GI, choosing the optimization objectives of GI are critical for multiple stakeholders. This study proposes a GI optimization method considering spatial functional zoning. Based on the basic conditions, the study area is divided into the flood risk control zone (FRCZ) and the total runoff control zone (TRCZ). The integrated model coupling hydrological model and optimization algorithm is applied to obtain the Pareto fronts and corresponding non-dominated solutions. The Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method is used to support the decision-making process. The optimal solution obtained for the FRCZ achieves a flood risk reduction rate of 60.49% with an average life cycle cost per year of 0.20 × 108 Chinese Yuan (CNY); The optimal solution obtained for the TRCZ achieves a total runoff reduction rate of 22.83% with an average life cycle cost per year of 0.17 × 108 CNY. This study provides a reference for stakeholders in GI planning and design.

Exploring an Integrated System for Urban Stormwater Management: A Systematic Literature Review of Solutions at Building and District Scales

Climate change has aggravated the frequency and severity of extreme weather events, particularly in flood-related hazards. Cities nowadays face significant challenges in stormwater management from frequent heavy rainfalls. Traditional urban drainage systems can no longer cope with large amounts of surface runoff; cities are searching for new ways to deal with urban stormwater. Green roofs and other nature-based solutions have been widely used for stormwater management by combining water purification and retention functions but have not yet fully solved the flood problems. This article aims to (1) explore the different aspects of urban water management, particularly the urban stormwater topic, and (2) identify the existing solutions and discuss the potential and barriers to integrated solutions implementation. By introducing the concept of four domains and finding the overlapping area to investigate, we analyzed different solutions to reduce rainwater runoff from the roof and ground level, aiming at building and district scales. This paper proves that further research direction could constitute an integrated system to work together for urban stormwater management.

Influences of urban stormwater management ponds on wetlandscape connectivity

Wetlands have been degraded and destroyed in many human-dominated landscapes worldwide, threatening vital ecosystem services. Landscape connectivity is critical for wetland biota, but is often reduced among remaining wetlands. With urban development, stormwater management (SWM) ponds are installed to hold runoff and associated contaminants. Unfortunately, SWM ponds do not adequately replace the ecosystem services and functions provided by a connected wetlandscape. We use a graph theory approach to analyze landscape connectivity of wetlands and stormwater management ponds in seven municipalities in southern Ontario, Canada. We analyze changes in connectivity through time, alongside potential effects of SWM pond creation on connectivity. We calculate the number of links (NL) and components (NC) at the landscape-level (i.e. connectivity within a municipality), and the probability of connection and two of its components (i.e. dPCflux and dPCconnector) at the habitat-level (i.e. contributions of individual wetlands and SWM ponds to landscape connectivity). Our results suggest that landscape connectivity has decreased with wetland loss, while SWM pond construction has improved connectivity. Wetlands appear to be more connected over the landscape, while SWM ponds might act as stepping-stones for species moving between wetlands. Our results point towards the need to protect and restore wetlands to safeguard critical ecosystem services. Stormwater ponds may not provide habitat of equivalent quality to wetlands; however, their strategic placement within urban areas could improve wetlandscape connectivity.

Hydrologic-hydraulic assessment of SUDS control capacity using different modeling approaches: a case study in Bogotá, Colombia.

Urban flooding has increased in response to impervious surface intensification, the loss of green areas, and high-intensity rainfall associated with climate change. Sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS) are an appealing option for stormwater management; however, their hydraulic control capabilities have received little attention. We developed a comparative model-based approach with 24 scenarios to contrast the hydrologic and hydraulic response of a highly discretized (HD) 1D model and a coupled 1D-2D model, considering the impact of rainwater harvesting systems and tree pits. An additional scenario was modeled including attenuation storage tanks, green roofs, and pervious pavements. A heavily urbanized flood-prone catchment with severe land-use constraints in Bogotá, Colombia, was selected for analysis. The findings revealed that SUDS can contribute to reducing the number of flooded junctions, overloaded conduits' length, overloading time, nodal inundation depth, and waterlogging extent. Furthermore, the HD 1D model can reproduce the coupled 1D-2D model results in terms of hydrologic response and some hydraulic control indicators. Further research is needed for an accurate description of the internal hydraulic mechanisms of SUDS interacting with overland flow. The key findings of this study provide model-based evidence to support urban stormwater management decision-making in data-scarce environments.

What contributes to local-level institutional adaptation under climate change? A configurational approach based on evidence from China's Sponge City Program

Unrestrained human industrial and agricultural production activities exacerbate climate change and environmental pollution. Climate change leads to an increase in flood risks and the spread of water and soil pollution, resulting in challenges in urban stormwater management. Institutional adaptation to climate change is vital for realizing effective local urban stormwater management. However, the accumulated knowledge on climate adaptation over the past decade has been concentrated at the technical and economic levels, with limited research on institutional adaptation. The Sponge City Program in China selects 30 pilot cities to promote a novel stormwater management approach that combines the reliability of traditional gray infrastructures made of concrete materials with the adaptability and sustainability of green-blue infrastructures based on natural-based solutions, but the extent of institutional adaptation in this process varies considerably across pilot cities. To explain what drives institutional adaptation, a configurational analysis of pilot cities is conducted using the fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis method. Based on data from 628 official reports and 36 interviews, we demonstrate local governments are significant institutional entrepreneurs, and high institutional adaptation occurs with the combined effects of institutional capacity, financial resources, and reputational incentives. There are three types of paths driving institutional adaptation: “strong institutional capacity-strong financial resource-low reputational reserve,” “strong institutional capacity-strong financial resource-high reputational competition,” and “strong institutional capacity-weak financial resource-low reputational reserve.” These three paths account for 72% of the instances of high institutional adaptation outcomes, and 90% of cases share a given configuration of conditions associated with an outcome. Our conclusion advances a theoretical understanding of the drivers of institutional adaptation and provides guidelines for future climate adaptation practices.

Urban resilience and stormwater management: Lessons learnt from New Cairo, Egypt

Urban resilience and stormwater management: Lessons learnt from New Cairo, Egypt

Toward a comprehensive functional typology of stormwater control measures for hydrological and water quality modeling purposes

AbstractStormwater control measures (SCMs) are designed according to different urban stormwater management criteria. These criteria are usually the basis for the conception of SCM typologies. Although these typologies are useful, there is currently no typology that can generically describe all the diversity of SCMs and that is adapted for modeling. Thus, a new typology is proposed here. This typology is based on two criteria commonly used in stormwater management: the hydrological function and the type of structure. These two criteria are combined through a cross table. This combination yields the identification of 16 groups of SCMs represented graphically by physical compartments. These groups make it possible to represent a large diversity of existing SCMs. The new typology also allows a more adequate identification and conceptualization – via a reservoir-type approach – of the different hydrological and reactive processes occurring at the SCM level.

Nature-based solutions for urban stormwater management: an overview

The coupled effect of urbanization and climate change led to several environmental and socioeconomic impacts, such as the impoverishment of ecosystems, flooding risk, water quality deterioration, air pollution, urban heat island effect, and other socio-environmental. From a hydraulic perspective, the constant loss of natural areas was reflected in a drastic alteration of the hydrological cycle that, combined with the growth of extreme rainfall frequency, increased the city’s vulnerability to flooding risk, highlighting the inadequacy of traditional urban drainage systems. In this context, a transition towards sustainable and resilient urban drainage systems becomes essential. Thus, this paper aims to present an overview of Nature-based solutions, which, due to their capacity to reduce surface runoff and increase evapotranspiration and infiltration rates, represent valuable options for stormwater management and hydrological cycle restoration in urban areas. In this regard, the paper is conceived and structured by considering first a general introduction to nature-based solutions. The general design features of some nature-based solutions (green roofs, green walls, rain gardens, and permeable pavements) are shown, and finally, the hydrological effectiveness of these systems is discussed by considering the results found in the literature.

Bibliometric analysis of global research on bioretention from 2007 to 2021.

Bioretention is a typical low impact development (LID) practice that helps reduce peak urban stormwater runoff and runoff pollutant concentrations (e.g., heavy metals, suspended solids, organic pollutants), which has become an important part of urban stormwater management over the past 15years. To understand the research hotspots and frontiers in the field of bioretention facility research and provide a reference for research into bioretention facilities, we conduct a statistical analysis of global bioretention literature published during 2007-2021 using the Web of Science core database and the data visualization and analysis software VOSviewer and HistCite. The number of published articles related to bioretention facilities shows a rising trend over the study period, with research from China contributing greatly to global research on bioretention facilities. However, the influence of articles needs to be increased. Recent studies mainly focus on the hydrologic effect and water purification effect of bioretention facilities and on the removal of nitrogen and phosphorus nutrients from runoff rainwater. Further studies should focus on the interaction of fillers, microorganisms, and plants in bioretention facilities and its impact on the migration, transformation, and concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus; the purification effect and mechanism of specific emerging contaminants in runoff; the selection and configuration optimization of filler materials and plant species; and the optimization of the design parameters of the model for bioretention systems.

Modelling urban stormwater management changes using SWMM and convection-permitting climate simulations in cold areas

Urbanization coupled with climate change is expected to put pressure on the urban stormwater network. To predict and mitigate the effects of these trends, accurate modeling of urban stormwater changes is required at scales and resolutions meaningful to stormwater management. Although numerous studies have analyzed the effect of climate change on urban flooding risk using the event-based approach, none have incorporated the continuous modelling approach to investigate the whole spectrum of changes in an urban catchment. This study analyzes seasonal changes in future urban hydrological behavior using a mini-ensemble of six state-of-the-art climate model projections and a calibrated hydrological-hydraulic Storm Water Management Model (SWMM). The modelling results show future changes in seasonal and monthly hydrological behavior. The notable winter warming is the major driver in the future snow processes, resulting in considerably less snow days and an increase in the flow events frequency during the winter months. The modelling results also suggest an increase in the annual maximum hourly flow in all seasons, with the clearest trend modelled in winter. Monthly average runoff during the cold period is modelled to increase, while no clear trends are detected for the rest of the year. There is a clear added benefit in using convection-permitting regional climate models throughout the year. Overall, the climate change mitigation and adaption strategies in urban catchments should focus more on the whole spectrum of changes rather than only on urban pluvial flooding risk. These findings call for a transition from traditional to a more advanced stormwater management.

Derivation of short-term design rainfall intensity from daily rainfall data for urban drainage design using empirical equations in robe town, Ethiopia

Flooding is a significant impact that regularly affects the majority of cities/towns in developing countries due to inadequate drainage systems that were designed without considering hydrological-hydraulic efficiency caused by design rainfall intensity. Design rainfall intensity is essential to urban stormwater management systems; however, obtaining long-term, short-term design rainfall in developing countries such as Ethiopia is challenging. As a result, this study is conducted to derive short-term design rainfall intensity from daily rainfall data for Robe town using three empirical equations for urban drainage design: Indian Meteorological Method (IMD), Modified Indian Meteorological Method (MIMD), and Ethiopian Road Authority Method (ERAM). The results show that the estimated design rainfall by IMD is greater than other methods; the relationship between IMD, MIMD, ERAM, and existing ranges from 0.57 to 1.001, 1.015 to 1.218, and 0.890 to 1.027, respectively. According to the findings of this study, the design rainfall intensity of all empirical equations is not the same in all return periods and durations. Furthermore, the peak stormwater that caused flooding will vary due to variations in rainfall intensity. Thus, this study strongly suggested that the experts consider each empirical equation and select the accurate design rainfall to design adequate stormwater drainage systems for Robe Town. To manage unexpected urban inundation caused by urban development, short-duration design rainfall and other sub-catchment characteristics will need to be considered.

Stormwater Green Infrastructure Resilience Assessment: A Social-Ecological Framework for Urban Stormwater Management

Urban areas are increasingly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Stormwater Green infrastructure (SWGI) is seen as an approach to increase the climate resilience of urban areas, because they can buffer precipitation changes brought on by climate change. However, SWGI features themselves need to be resilient to climate change to be able to contribute to the resilience of cities. Thus, we aimed to develop a SWGI resilience assessment framework that could be used to identify challenges and to inform decisionmakers’ efforts to enhance resilience. We developed a resilience assessment framework based upon a resilience matrix approach to recognize effective resilience categories for SWGI by reviewing the literature on critical functionality and barriers to implementation and operation. These categories for SWGI included policy, design, maintenance, economic factors and social factors that influence SWGI functionality. We then identified specific aspects under each category that could be used for assessing SWGI resilience, recognizing that SWGI has critical functionalities and factors controlling its viability. Unlike other SWGI assessment frameworks that are focused on ecosystem services as a final outcome, we worked from a socio-ecological perspective in order to include socio-economic and policy factors and design and planning aspects that affect service provision. Developing a resilience assessment framework is critical for management because it can reveal the specific challenges facing SWGI resilience that have traditionally been overlooked, such as maintenance and social factors. This specific framework can also lead to efficient planning and management by identifying interrelations and hierarchical relationships of categories that influence resilience. Application of this framework will rely upon expert input to connect broad dimensions with specific indicators for SWGI to local priorities in resilience planning.

Adaptation of SWAT Watershed Model for Stormwater Management in Urban Catchments: Case Study in Austin, Texas

Computer simulation models are a useful tool in planning, enabling reliable yet affordable what-if scenario analysis. Many simulation models have been proposed and used for urban planning and management. Still, there are a few modeling options available for the purpose of evaluating the effects of various stormwater control measures (SCM), including LID (low-impact development) controls (green roof, rain garden, porous pavement, rainwater harvesting), upland off-line controls (sedimentation, filtration, retention–irrigation) and online controls (detention, wet pond). We explored the utility and potential of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) as a modeling tool for urban stormwater planning and management. This study demonstrates how the hydrologic modeling strategies of SWAT and recent enhancements could help to develop efficient measures for solving urban stormwater issues. The case studies presented in this paper focus on urban watersheds in the City of Austin (COA), TX, where rapid urbanization and population growth have put pressure on the urban stormwater system. Using the enhanced SWAT, COA developed a framework to assess the impacts on erosion, flooding, and aquatic life due to changes in runoff characteristics associated with land use changes. Five catchments in Austin were modeled to test the validity of the SWAT enhancements and the analytical framework. These case studies demonstrate the efficacy of using SWAT and the COA framework to evaluate the impacts of changes in hydrology and the effects of different regulatory schemes.

Modeling of Controller Performance for Autonomous Smart Rain Barrel Systems as a Sustainable Solution for Urban Stormwater Management and Flooding Mitigation

Modeling of Controller Performance for Autonomous Smart Rain Barrel Systems as a Sustainable Solution for Urban Stormwater Management and Flooding Mitigation

INTEGRATED BLUE GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE APPROACH FOR STORM WATER MANAGEMENT

Due to urbanisation and climate change, stormwater management is an issue for cities throughout the world. Traditional techniques of stormwater management, such as grey infrastructure, are sometimes costly and offer little extra environmental advantages. This article presents an integrated blue-green infrastructure system for stormwater management, which mixes conventional grey infrastructure with natural green infrastructure. This strategy use a combination of manmade and natural systems to mitigate the environmental and health impacts of stormwater. The objective of the study article will be the success of this strategy in lowering stormwater runoff, boosting water quality, and enhancing urban green areas. The study will also address the economic and social benefits of this method, including lower infrastructure costs, greater property prices, and enhanced resident quality of life. The success of the integrated blue-green infrastructure concept will be demonstrated via case studies from cities that have implemented it. The study article finds that an integrated blue-green infrastructure strategy provides a more robust and sustainable solution for urban stormwater management. KEYWORDS : Stormwater management, Urbanization ,Climate change, Gray infrastructure ,Blue-green infrastructure, Urban green spaces

A Bibliometric Review of Nature-Based Solutions on Urban Stormwater Management

Urban stormwater management is a critical challenge facing cities globally, with natural-based solutions (NBS) emerging as a promising approach for mitigating the impacts of urban stormwater runoff. This bibliometric review examined the research trends and hot topics related to NBS for urban stormwater management. The study utilized a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods to analyze 176 articles from the Web of Science database, covering the period from 2016 to 2022. Results showed that NBS is a widely researched topic with a growing trend in publications in recent years, led by the United States, China, and several European countries. The majority of NBS articles were research papers (82%) with a focus on environmental performance rather than social and economic dimensions. Quantitative methods were more frequently used in research articles, particularly statistical analysis/modeling. Interviews and discussions were the most common qualitative method used. The review identified the most relevant countries, affiliations, authors, and journals in the field. Furthermore, hot topics in NBS research were highlighted, including ecosystem services, climate change, and sustainability. The study also emphasized that future research perspective should focus on interdisciplinary and collaborative research, scaling up and mainstreaming NBS, and exploring new ways of integrating different disciplines and stakeholders in the research process. The findings of this review provided insights into the current state of NBS research and offer valuable information for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners in the field of urban stormwater management.

Assessing stormwater control measure inventories from 23 cities in the United States

Since the 1987 Clean Water Act Section 319 amendment, the US Government has required and funded the development of nonpoint source pollution programs with about $5 billion dollars. Despite these expenditures, nonpoint source pollution from urban watersheds is still a significant cause of impaired waters in the United States. Urban stormwater management has rapidly evolved over recent decades with decision-making made at a local or city scale. To address the need for a better understanding of how stormwater management has been implemented in different cities, we used stormwater control measure (SCM) network data from 23 US cities and assessed what physical, climatic, socioeconomic, and/or regulatory explanatory variables, if any, are related to SCM assemblages at the municipal scale. Spearman’s correlation and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests were used to investigate relationships between explanatory variables and SCM types and assemblages of SCMs in each city. The results from these analyses showed that for the cities assessed, physical explanatory variables (e.g. impervious percentage and depth to water table) explained the greatest portion of variability in SCM assemblages. Additionally, it was found that cities with combined sewers favored filters, swales and strips, and infiltrators over basins, and cities that are under consent decrees with the Environmental Protection Agency tended to include filters more frequently in their SCM inventories. Future work can build on the SCM assemblages used in this study and their explanatory variables to better understand the differences and drivers of differences in SCM effectiveness across cities, improve watershed modeling, and investigate city- and watershed-scale impacts of SCM assemblages.

Application of Analytical Probabilistic Models in Urban Runoff Control Systems’ Planning and Design: A Review

Urban stormwater is known to cause a myriad of problems, ranging from flooding to water quality degradations. This paper provides an extensive review of analytical probabilistic model (APMs) used in the design of urban runoff control systems. APMs are closed-form mathematical expressions representing a long-term system’s output performance derived from the probability distribution of the system’s input variables. Once derived, the APMs are easy to handle, allow for sensitive analysis, and can be co-opted into optimization frameworks. The implementation of APM in the planning and design of runoff control systems will not only help address the runoff quantity and quality problems of urban stormwater, but will also go a long way in optimizing the benefits derived from the systems. This paper reviews studies that document the negative impacts of urbanization on runoff quantity and quality, and the best management practices (BMPs) used to mitigate the impacts. Three design methodologies used in urban stormwater control systems were reviewed. A detailed review of research on the development and use of APMs in urban stormwater management in various runoff control systems is presented, and recommendations are proffered.

An Event-Based Stochastic Parametric Rainfall Simulator (ESPRS) for Urban Stormwater Simulation and Performance in a Sponge City

The temporal heterogeneity of rainfall is substantial in urban catchments, and it often has huge impacts on stormwater simulation and management. Using a design storm with a fixed pattern may cause uncertainties in hydrological modeling. Here, we propose an event-based stochastic parametric rainfall simulator (ESPRS) for stormwater simulation in a sponge city with green roofs, permeable pavements, and bioretention cells. In the ESPRS, we used five distributions to fit the measured rainfall events and evaluated their performance using Akaike’s Information Criterion, Anderson—Darling goodness-of-fit test, and p-values. The vast rainfall time series data generated using the ESPRS were used to run the storm water management model for outflow simulations in the catchment, thus revealing the influence of temporal rainfall characteristics on the hydrological responses. The results showed the following: (1) The ESPRS outperforms the Chicago method in predicting extreme precipitation events, and its control factors are the rainfall peak period, rainfall peak fraction, and cumulative rainfall fraction at the peak period. (2) The best-fit functions for the rainfall depth in each period have different distributions, mostly being in lognormal, gamma, and generalized extreme value distributions. (3) Rear-type precipitation events with high peak fractions are the most negative pattern for outflow control. The developed ESPRS can suitably reproduce rainfall time series for urban stormwater management.