Evaluating the performance of low impact development practices in urban runoff mitigation through distributed and combined implementation

Abstract Rapid urbanization and increasing impervious surfaces in cities lead to a serious reduction in infiltration rate of the surface and cause challenges in stormwater management. The Low Impact Development (LID) concept is considered as a potential solution for sustainable urban growth by contributing in urban flood mitigation. However, its effects on hydrologic response of the urbanized catchments, especially in broad scale implementation, are not fully understood and practically examined. In this study a hydrologic-hydraulic model of a small catchment was developed in EPA storm water management model (SWMM) program and calibrated and validated through field measurements. The hydrologic response of the catchment was investigated after replacing proportions of impervious surfaces with combinations of LID practices such as green roof, permeable pavement and bio-retention cell, through four land cover conversion scenarios and under five different designed storm events. The simulation results which are derived by comparison of outflow hydrographs between each scenario and conventional drainage system indicated that implementing 5–20% of LIDs has a noticeable impact on runoff peak flow and volume reduction, especially in storm events with shorter return periods. Also the runoff reduction trends show a linear response due to the increase in LID implementation ratio in the study area.

Download Full-text

Toward More Resilient Urban Stormwater Management Systems—Bridging the Gap From Theory to Implementation

Frontiers in Water ◽

10.3389/frwa.2021.671059 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 ◽

Author(s):

Bert van Duin ◽

David Z. Zhu ◽

Wenming Zhang ◽

Robert J. Muir ◽

Chris Johnston ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Critical Infrastructure ◽

Low Impact Development ◽

Drainage System ◽

Risk And Resilience ◽

Storm Events ◽

Original Design ◽

Rapid Urbanization ◽

System Sensitivity

Many publications include references to reliability, risk and resilience, specifically within the context of climate change and rapid urbanization. However, there is a considerable gap between theory and actual implementation by drainage professionals. As such, most drainage professionals will not have an appreciation of a drainage system's response to events in excess of its original design event. This gap is compounded by the desire toward evaluating components such as “critical infrastructure” for events significantly more severe than ever contemplated. This paper, reflecting the combined wisdom and thoughts of various drainage professionals across Canada involved with the creation of the Canadian drainage standards (CSA W204 and W210), provides a treatise of risk and resilience based on the application of the dual drainage principle. It provides a discussion of key factors including climate change; densification; shape, intensity, duration and spatial extent of storm events, as a function of the normalized capacity or drain down/emptying time of the various components of the drainage system. Commentaries are offered, highlighting the role of appropriate setbacks and freeboard, and focusing on those aspects that have historically been ignored. Avenues to increase system resilience are presented including an evolution in passive and active flow controls, the potential beneficial role of natural systems and low impact development practices as a function of system sensitivity, discussing how options may vary across Canada.

Download Full-text

Effectiveness of low impact development for urban inundation risk mitigation under different scenarios: a case study in Shenzhen, China

10.5194/nhess-2017-402 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Jiansheng Wu ◽

Rui Yang ◽

Jing Song

Keyword(s):

Local Governments ◽

Risk Mitigation ◽

Low Impact Development ◽

Impervious Surfaces ◽

Rapid Urbanization ◽

Urban Flood ◽

Storm Water Management Model ◽

Inundation Depth ◽

Hazard Level ◽

Hazard Levels

Abstract. The increase in impervious surfaces associated with rapid urbanization is one of the main causes of urban inundation. In order to eliminate the adverse effects caused by impervious surfaces, many scholars have begun to research the use of low impact development (LID) practices to mitigate urban inundation risk. This study proposes a hydrodynamic inundation model, coupling SWMM (Storm Water Management Model, 1D) and IFMS Urban (Integrated Urban Flood Modelling System, 2D), to simulate inundation depth, area, and time of stormwater inundation on an urban watershed scale, as well as to assess the effectiveness of two LID practices, permeable pavement (PP) and green roof (GR), under 25 % GR + 25 % PP, 50 % GR + 50 % PP, 75 % GR + 75 % PP, 100 % GR + 100 % PP, 100 % PP, 100 % GR scenarios, and Low, Medium, High hazard levels. The results show the following. 1) LID practices can effectively eliminate inundation risk for most areas under Low hazard level for urban inundation. They can ease the inundation risk for places under higher hazard levels for urban inundation under different scenarios. More specifically, the maximum inundation depth was reduced by 14–29 %, inundation areas were reduced by 34–55 %, and average inundation time was reduced by 0–43 % in six scenarios. 2) In this study, the performance of PP is better than that of GR under different scenarios and hazard levels. 3) The scenario of 100 % PP + 100 % GR has the best effectiveness for inundation reduction, but that of 25 % PP + 25 % GR is more efficient when considering cost-effectiveness. The results of this study can serve as a reference to local governments, and provide suggestions regarding urban inundation control, disaster reduction, urban renewal, and so on.

Download Full-text

The Relevance of Grated Inlets within Surface Drainage Systems in the Field of Urban Flood Resilience. A Review of Several Experimental and Numerical Simulation Approaches

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13137189 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (13) ◽

pp. 7189

Author(s):

Beniamino Russo ◽

Manuel Gómez Valentín ◽

Jackson Tellez-Álvarez

Keyword(s):

Overland Flow ◽

Drainage System ◽

Critical Conditions ◽

Hydraulic Efficiency ◽

Storm Events ◽

Urban Resilience ◽

Urban Flood ◽

Drainage Systems ◽

Surface Drainage ◽

Intense Storm

Urban drainage networks should be designed and operated preferably under open channel flow conditions without flux return, backwater, or overflows. In the case of extreme storm events, urban pluvial flooding is generated by the excess of surface runoff that could not be conveyed by pressurized sewer pipes, due to its limited capacity or, many times, due to the poor efficiency of surface drainage systems to collect uncontrolled overland flow. Generally, the hydraulic design of sewer systems is addressed more for underground networks, neglecting the surface drainage system, although inadequate inlet spacings and locations can cause dangerous flooding with relevant socio-economic impacts and the interruption of critical services and urban activities. Several experimental and numerical studies carried out at the Technical University of Catalonia (UPC) and other research institutions demonstrated that the hydraulic efficiency of inlets can be very low under critical conditions (e.g., high circulating overland flow on steep areas). In these cases, the hydraulic efficiency of conventional grated inlets and continuous transverse elements can be around 10–20%. Their hydraulic capacity, expressed in terms of discharge coefficients, shows the same criticism with values quite far from those that are usually used in several project practice phases. The grate clogging phenomenon and more intense storm events produced by climate change could further reduce the inlets’ performance. In this context, in order to improve the flood urban resilience of our cities, the relevance of the hydraulic behavior of surface drainage systems is clear.

Download Full-text

Evaluation of the Main Function of Low Impact Development Based on Rainfall Events

Water ◽

10.3390/w12082231 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (8) ◽

pp. 2231

Author(s):

Meiyan Feng ◽

Kwansue Jung ◽

Fengping Li ◽

Hongyan Li ◽

Joo-Cheol Kim

Keyword(s):

Low Impact Development ◽

Hydrological Process ◽

Main Function ◽

Storm Events ◽

Rapid Urbanization ◽

Rainfall Events ◽

Hydrological Balance ◽

Storm Water Management Model ◽

Cycle System ◽

Positive Effect

Low Impact Development (LID) is one of the sustainable approaches to urban stormwater management in areas with rapid urbanization. Although LID has been shown to have a positive effect in flood reduction, the hydrological balance regulation effect of LID under a variety of rainfall events is not fully understood. In this study, we assessed the hydrological efficiency of LID at two residential–commercial mixed sites in Korea to investigate the main function of LID in terms of diverse rainfall characteristics. Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) was constructed to simulate the hydrological process numerical simulations in the pre-development, post-development and LID design scenarios, respectively. The model was calibrated and validated by using five observed rainfall–runoff events. Then, four single and four multiple LID practices (LIDs) were used to estimate their effectiveness under seven different designed rainfall events. The results indicate that LIDs substantially influence the hydrology cycle system, while the regulating effect varies with rainfall amounts. The efficiency of LIDs in flood reduction is proved to be more effective during lower storm events. However, LIDs should be designed to primarily prioritize the restoration of hydrological balance when the rainfall return period is longer.

Download Full-text

Interpretation and application of Sponge City guidelines in China

Philosophical Transactions of The Royal Society A Mathematical Physical and Engineering Sciences ◽

10.1098/rsta.2019.0222 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 378 (2168) ◽

pp. 20190222 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

James Griffiths ◽

Faith Ka Shun Chan ◽

Michelle Shao ◽

Fangfang Zhu ◽

David Laurence Higgitt

Keyword(s):

Best Practice ◽

Low Impact Development ◽

National Guidelines ◽

Rapid Urbanization ◽

Urban Flood ◽

Sponge City ◽

Surface Water Management ◽

Body Of Knowledge ◽

The Usa ◽

The Uk

‘Sponge City’ is the term used to describe the Chinese government's approach to urban surface water management. The concept was conceived in 2014 in response to an increasing incidence of urban flooding or water-logging in Chinese cities. While ambitious and far-reaching in its aim (of decreasing national flood risk, increasing water supply and improving water quality), the initiative must be implemented by individual subprovincial or municipal-level government entities. Thus, while the concept is similar to sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) in the UK (or low-impact development (LID) in the USA), it is developing with different regional characteristics, and during continuing rapid urbanization. Indeed, the increasing use of national rather than international examples of best practice reflects a growing body of knowledge that has evolved since the start of the Sponge City initiative. In this paper, interpretation and development of the national Sponge City guidelines are assessed for the Ningbo Municipality, an affluent and rapidly expanding city on China's low-lying east coast. While climate, geology and socio-economic factors can all be seen to influence the way that national guidelines are implemented, project financing, integration and assessment are found to be of increasing influence. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Urban flood resilience’.

Download Full-text

Identifying Urban Flood Regulation Priority Areas in Beijing Based on an Ecosystem Services Approach

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12062297 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (6) ◽

pp. 2297

Author(s):

Xiaoyong Li ◽

Wenhui Kuang ◽

Fengyun Sun

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Return Period ◽

Central Area ◽

Reduction Ratio ◽

Rapid Urbanization ◽

Urban Flood ◽

Priority Index ◽

Priority Areas ◽

Runoff Reduction ◽

Flood Regulation

Climate change and rapid urbanization have severe impacts on urban flood regulation ecosystem services (UFRES). Quantifying the UFRES has attracted increasing attention for urban sustainable development. However, few studies have focused on how to identify urban flood regulation priority areas. In this study, we simulated urban surface runoff by using the soil conservation services-curve number model, and quantified UFRES supply and demand by using relative indicators (i.e., runoff reduction ratio and urban vulnerability) at the subdistrict scale in Beijing, China. Then, an urban flood regulation priority index was developed by integrating UFRES demand and supply, and further used to identify priority areas. The results show that the mean runoff reduction ratio in Beijing decreased from 38.70% (for a 1-year rainfall return period) to 24.74% (for a 100-year rainfall return period). Subdistricts with low UFRES supply were mainly located in the urban central area and the southeastern zone, while subdistricts with high UFRES demand were mainly located in the urban central region. Meanwhile, places with high priority for flood regulation were mainly located in the inner city, and low priority areas were mainly located in northwestern, southwestern, and northeastern Beijing. Our results also imply that the urban flood regulation priority index is an effective indicator to identify urban flood regulation priority areas. These findings could provide urban planners with a comprehensive understanding of UFRES and scientific guidance to improve them.

Download Full-text

A Systematic Review Comparing Urban Flood Management Practices in India to China’s Sponge City Program

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13116346 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (11) ◽

pp. 6346

Author(s):

Nawnit Kumar ◽

Xiaoli Liu ◽

Sanjena Narayanasamydamodaran ◽

Kamlesh Kumar Pandey

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Management Practices ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Low Impact Development ◽

Flood Management ◽

Special Focus ◽

Rapid Urbanization ◽

Public And Private ◽

Urban Flood ◽

Sponge City

India and China are among the two most populous countries in the world that concomitantly incur substantial flood-related losses, and both countries are also experiencing rapid urbanization. This study was conducted to trace the major urban flooding cases in these countries between 2014 and 2020 and probe into their existing flood mitigation policies with special focus on China’s Sponge City Program (SCP). A systematic review using preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis protocols (PRISMA) was conducted. Results showed that both these countries experienced comparable challenges in terms of the need for localized low impact development (LID) planning given their extensive geographically induced diversities. Improved inter-governmental and inter-agential coordination, new avenues of funding involving public and private enterprises with accommodations to source local products and services to boost local economies, improved practical and technical understanding for working professionals and improved community acceptance and participation are also recommended. It is concluded that India should try to focus on holistic urban water resilience as China does with its Sponge City Program and that China should take a cue from India’s contractual and tender-based private service sourcing methods to tide over its financial setbacks in order to achieve its ambitious targets for 2030.

Download Full-text

Effectiveness of Permeable Pavements and Vegetative Swales for Developing Sponge Cities

10.21203/rs.3.rs-501295/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

ARUNA V ◽

Suja R ◽

Rajalakshmi C R

Keyword(s):

Water Management ◽

Soil Type ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Low Impact Development ◽

Storm Water ◽

Small Catchment ◽

Storm Water Management ◽

Permeable Pavements ◽

Runoff Reduction ◽

The Impact

Abstract As communities grows, the area covered by rooftops and concreted surfaces increases. Rain water which would have infiltrated, flows across these impermeable surface carrying pollutants along the way. This causes frequent flash floods in urban areas. Effective storm water management is needed for the sustainable development of communities. In this study the runoff generation for a small catchment is quantified and the effectiveness of low impact development (LID) practices (permeable pavements (pp) & vegetative swales) in mitigating the runoff at the source itself is studied using Storm Water Management Model (SWMM). The most influential design storm and the soil type pertaining to the study area were the determining factors for evaluating the impact of LID’s. The steady flow model and Hortons’s infiltration parameters for the soil type in study area were adopted for the analysis. The permeable pavements and swales performed well in reducing the runoff but the swales were less efficient in reducing the runoff, and the runoff reduction potential of permeable pavements and swales are 4.48% and 2.05% respectively. Runoff reduction is more efficient in case of combination of permeable pavements and vegetative swales as LIDs. The percentage reduction in runoff is about 6.05% and the efficiency of the combination type LID is about 17%. The results from simulation show that the low impact development practices are efficient in mimicking the pre-development hydrologic conditions of the landscape to a great extent.

Download Full-text

Field Testing of Porous Pavement Performance on Runoff and Temperature Control in Taipei City

Water ◽

10.3390/w11122635 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (12) ◽

pp. 2635 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Yung-Yun Cheng ◽

Shang-Lien Lo ◽

Chia-Chun Ho ◽

Jen-Yang Lin ◽

Shaw Yu

Keyword(s):

Surface Temperature ◽

Large Scale ◽

Infiltration Rate ◽

City Government ◽

Pavement Performance ◽

Storm Events ◽

Peak Reduction ◽

Porous Asphalt ◽

Runoff Reduction ◽

Taipei City

The Taipei University of Technology, under contract from the Taipei City Government, completed a study on porous asphalt (PA) and permeable interlocking concrete brick (PICB) pavement performance with respect to stormwater runoff reduction and surface temperature mitigation. Additionally, the variation of infiltration rates against time of these pavements was monitored. The results show the following: (a) Runoff peak reduction ranged from 16% for large, intense storms to 55% for small, long-duration storms. Rainfall volume reduction ranged from 16% to 77% with an average of 37.6%; (b) Infiltration rate: for PICB, it decreased by 25% to 50% over a 15-month monitoring period, but the rate at one location increased significantly after cleaning; for PA, the rate remained high at one location, but decreased by 70%–80% after 10 months at two other locations, due mainly to clogging problems; (c) Surface temperature: during storm events, porous concrete bricks had on average lower temperatures compared to regular concrete with a maximum difference of 6.6 °C; for porous asphalt the maximum drop was 3.9 °C. During dry days, both PA and PICB showed a tendency of faster temperature increase as the air temperature rose, but also faster temperature decreases as the air cooled when compared to regular pavements. On very hot days, much lower surface temperatures were observed for porous pavements (for PA: 17.0 °C and for PICB: 14.3 °C) than those for regular pavements. The results suggest that large-scale applications of porous pavements could help mitigate urban heat island impacts.

Download Full-text

Large-Scale Application of Biofiltration Swale Runoff Management Practices

Water Practice & Technology ◽

10.2166/wpt.2007.049 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 2 (2) ◽

Author(s):

William C. Lucas

Keyword(s):

Large Scale ◽

Management Practices ◽

Peak Flow ◽

Low Impact Development ◽

Urban Runoff ◽

Management Model ◽

Check Dams ◽

Runoff Reduction ◽

Impervious Area ◽

Hydrologic Responses

Retaining rainfall where it lands is a fundamental benefit of Low Impact Development (LID). The Delaware Urban Runoff Management Model (DURMM) was developed to address the benefits of LID design. DURMM explicitly addresses the benefits of impervious area disconnection as well as swale flow routing that responds to flow retardance changes. Biofiltration swales are an effective LID BMP for treating urban runoff. By adding check dams, the detention storage provided can also reduce peak rates. This presentation explores how the DURMM runoff reduction approach can be integrated with detention routing procedures to project runoff volume and peak flow reductions provided by BMP facilities. This approach has been applied to a 1,200 unit project on 360 hectares located in Delaware, USA. Over 5 km of biofiltration swales have been designed, many of which have stone check dams placed every 30 to 35 meters to provide detention storage. The engineering involved in the design of such facilities uses hydrologic modeling based upon TR-20 routines, as adapted by the DURMM model. The hydraulic approach includes routing of flows through the check dams. This presentation summarizes the hydrological network, presents the hydrologic responses, along with selected hydrographs to demonstrate the potential of design approach.

Download Full-text