Determination of the Optimal Location for Developments to Minimize Detention Requirements

A methodology is presented to determine the optimal locations to place various types of developments in a watershed to reduce the changes in flow rates and volume from natural to developed conditions. An optimization model is developed which incorporates the hydrology (based upon rational method computations and a lag routing method) as constraints. The non-linear programming (NLP) model can be solved using Microsoft Excel (generalized reduced gradient (GRG)) procedure, or other NLP software. This model is meant to serve as a planning tool to help develop best management practices for regulatory agencies and to reduce cost of drainage facilities for developers. The model was applied to two examples to show its applicability and usefulness using Excel NLP software, which should enhance the availability of the modeling approach.