Conventional and decentralized urban stormwater management: A comparison through case studies of Singapore and Berlin,Germany

Urban stormwater runoff is both a significant pollution source and a potentially valuable resource. This study compares stormwater management in two cities: Singapore and Berlin, Germany. In comparing the strategies for stormwater management, we illustrate how differences in geography (e.g., land and water availability), urban infrastructure, regulatory regimes, legislation and intensives between the two cities have led to different solutions for stormwater management. Singapore, faced with a serious issue of water scarcity, has placed an increasing emphasis on stormwater management through developing a comprehensive network of drains and canals, mainly with the aim of controlling flooding and potable water supply. In contrast, in Berlin, concerns for the protection of surface water quality and non-potable water supply in the urban areas have resulted in a shift in management goals towards a low impact solution based on source control. The cost analysis indicated that the decentralized rainwater harvesting as practiced in Berlin leads to a higher economic efficiency where potable water can be substituted by stormwater, compared to the centralized drainage system in Singapore. Additionally, green roofs result in energy savings by serving as mitigation strategies against the effect of urban heat islands and global warming. In the near future, it is envisioned that a combination of both conventional and decentralized urban stormwater management will prove to be the most practical solution for most cities.     

Analysis and predictive models of stormwater runoff volumes,loads, and pollutant concentrations from watersheds in the Twin Cities metropolitan area,Minnesota, USA

Urban nonpoint source pollution is a significant contributor to water quality degradation. Watershed planners need to be able to estimate nonpoint source loads to lakes and streams if they are to plan effective management strategies. To meet this need for the twin cities metropolitan area, a large database of urban and suburban runoff data was compiled. Stormwater runoff loads and concentrations of 10 common constituents (six N and P forms, TSS, VSS, COD, Pb) were characterized, and effects of season and land use were analyzed. Relationships between runoff variables and storm and watershed characteristics were examined. The best regression equation to predict runoff volume for rain events was based on rainfall amount, drainage area, and percent impervious area (R2 = 0.78). Median event-mean concentrations (EMCs) tended to be higher in snowmelt runoff than in rainfall runoff, and significant seasonal differences were found in yields (kg/ha) and EMCs for most constituents. Simple correlations between explanatory variables and stormwater loads and EMCs were weak. Rainfall amount and intensity and drainage area were the most important variables in multiple linear regression models to predict event loads, but uncertainty was high in models developed with the pooled data set. The most accurate models for EMCs generally were found when sites were grouped according to common land use and size.     

Using satellite imagery for stormwater pollution management with Bayesian networks

Urban stormwater runoff is the primary source of many pollutants to Santa Monica Bay, but its monitoring and modeling is inherently difficult and often requires land use information as an intermediate process. Many approaches have been developed to estimate stormwater pollutant loading from land use. This research investigates an alternative approach, which estimates stormwater pollutant loadings directly from satellite imagery. We proposed a Bayesian network approach to classify a Landsat ETM(+) image of the Marina del Rey area in the Santa Monica Bay watershed. Eight water quality parameters were examined, including: total suspended solids, chemical oxygen demand, nutrients, heavy metals, and oil and grease. The pollutant loads for each parameter were classified into six levels: very low, low, medium low, medium high, high, and very high. The results provided spatial estimates of each pollutant load as thematic maps from which the greatest pollutant loading areas were identified. These results may be useful in developing best management strategies for stormwater pollution at regional and global scales and in establishing total maximum daily loads in the watershed. The approach can also be used for areas without ground-survey land use data.     

Advancing assessment and design of stormwater monitoring programs using a self-organizing map: characterization of trace metal concentration profiles in stormwater runoff

Stormwater runoff poses a great challenge to the scientific assessment of the effects of diffuse pollution sources on receiving waters. In this study, a self-organizing map (SOM), a research tool for analyzing specific patterns in a large array of data, was applied to the monitoring data obtained from a stormwater monitoring survey to acquire new insights into stream water quality profiles under different rainfall conditions. The components of the input data vectors used by the SOM included concentrations of 10 metal elements, river discharge, and rainfall amount which were collected at the inlet and endpoint of an urban segment of the Yeongsan River, Korea. From the study, it was found that the SOM displayed significant variability in trace metal concentrations for different monitoring sites and rainfall events, with a greater impact of stormwater runoff on stream water quality at the upstream site than at the downstream site, except under low rainfall conditions (≤4 mm). In addition, the SOM clearly determined the water quality characteristics for “non-storm” and “storm” data, where the parameters nickel and arsenic and the parameters chromium, cadmium, and lead played an important role in reflecting the spatial and temporal water quality, respectively. When the SOM was used to examine the efficacy of stormwater quality monitoring programs, between 34 and 64% of the sample size in the current data set was shown to be sufficient for estimating the stormwater pollutant loads. The observed errors were small, generally being below 10, 6, and 20% for load estimation, map resolution, and clustering accuracy, respectively. Thus, the method recommended may be used to minimize monitoring costs if both the efficiency and accuracy are further determined by examining a large existing data set.     

针对城市雨洪控制利用的不同目标合理设计调蓄设施

我国城市非点源污染、径流排放量增加、洪涝频繁等雨洪问题突出,传统的城市雨水排放设计理念已远远不能符合"绿色基础设施"理念的新型城市雨水系统的设计要求."调蓄"是城市雨洪控制利用系统中十分重要且广泛应用的一类措施,实践中需要根据项目的具体条件和雨洪控制利用系统的设计要求,针对控制径流污染、利用雨水、削减径流排放和控制洪涝等不同目标设计调蓄设施.介绍了调蓄的概念、设施的种类及其应用,据此分析说明了不同控制目标的调蓄设施设计原理及标准,为科学合理地设计城市雨洪控制利用系统及调蓄设施的设计提供参考.     

雨水径流携带污染负荷对水体影响的评价方法

分析了城市排水系统规划中对雨水径流所携带污染负荷进行评价的必要性,介绍了在德国ATV规范框架下雨水径流所携带污染负荷对水体影响的评价思路,提出了雨水径流所携带污染负荷对水体的影响以及雨水设施处理效果的量化评价方法。     

Modelling on-site detention on a catchment-wide basis

Many countries are either currently using or considering the use of on-site detention (OSD) as a structural flood mitigation method. On-site detention is a structural element of a property drainage system that limits the site discharge of stormwater using outlet restriction devices. The excess stormwater runoff is temporarily stored on site in underground tanks or above-ground storage areas until the storm event recedes.

Sydney, Australia, has a stormwater system that is completely separate from the sewerage system. The stormwater systems are mainly managed by the 43 local councils and most of these use OSD as a means of reducing site discharge of stormwater, thereby relieving catchment flooding. Sheas Creek is an urbanized catchment that lies within the South Sydney City Council Local Government Area. Since 1984 an OSD policy has been implemented in the Sheas Creek catchment. The associated design code, like most others in Sydney, is based on discharge from individual properties without consideration of runoff from other parts of the catchment. This design code is therefore not based on a total catchment approach.

The objective of this study is to assess the effectiveness of OSD in a catchment-wide manner. More specifically, to see how existing and planned OSD affects flooding in the Sheas Creek catchment, and to test the effectiveness of the current rate of permissible site discharge (PSD). The study also looks at the effectiveness of OSD when different spatial distributions are used across a catchment. The methodology involved using a computer rainfall–runoff model, OSDSAX, which is based on the ILLUDAS model. This was configured for the Sheas Creek catchment and was calibrated to match flood level data recorded during four large storm events. The model was then adopted to investigate the impact of OSD. Various scenarios were tested to satisfy the objectives of the study. Some of the results challenge conventional wisdom and these arise from catchment-specific characteristics. The analysis shows that the perceived beneficial effects of OSD are in some cases unrealistic and that catchment modelling is required to test and quantify the actual impacts for specific catchments.     

Effects of urbanisation on the quality of the urban runoff for Delhi watershed

The current paper is the first study to report quality of urban runoff, focusing on the diffuse sources contributing to pollutant loads in the Delhi watershed. The quality of stormwater runoff from the urban watershed of Delhi was evaluated to assess the effects of different land-use practices on pollutant concentrations. Six sites within the Delhi watershed with different land-use characteristics were selected. The microbial quality of the urban runoff from sub-catchments of Delhi watershed is very poor with Faecal Coliform (FC) levels varying between 6 and 7 log orders. There was a good correlation between the chemical and biological quality of urban runoff with land-use characteristics such as impervious land and population density. Except for chemical oxygen demand all other parameters in urban runoff were found to exceed the effluent discharge standards set by the National River Conservation Directorate (NRCD), India. The public health risks associated with exposure to urban runoff via different routes have also been qualitatively estimated.     

Quantification of uncertainty in modelled partitioning and removal of heavy metals (Cu,Zn) in a stormwater retention pond and a biofilter

Strategies for reduction of micropollutant (MP) discharges from stormwater drainage systems require accurate estimation of the potential MP removal in stormwater treatment systems. However, the high uncertainty commonly affecting stormwater runoff quality modelling also influences stormwater treatment models. This study identified the major sources of uncertainty when estimating the removal of copper and zinc in a retention pond and a biofilter by using a conceptual dynamic model which estimates MP partitioning between the dissolved and particulate phases as well as environmental fate based on substance-inherent properties. The two systems differ in their main removal processes (settling and filtration/sorption, respectively) and in the time resolution of the available measurements (composite samples and pollutographs). The most sensitive model factors, identified by using Global Sensitivity Analysis (GSA), were related to the physical characteristics of the simulated systems (flow and water losses) and to the fate processes related to Total Suspended Solids (TSS). The model prediction bounds were estimated by using the Generalized Likelihood Uncertainty Estimation (GLUE) technique. Composite samples and pollutographs produced similar prediction bounds for the pond and the biofilter, suggesting a limited influence of the temporal resolution of samples on the model prediction bounds. GLUE highlighted model structural uncertainty when modelling the biofilter, due to disregard of plant-driven evapotranspiration, underestimation of sorption and neglect of oversaturation with respect to minerals/salts. The results of this study however illustrate the potential for the application of conceptual dynamic fate models base on substance-inherent properties, in combination with available datasets and statistical methods, to estimate the MP removal in different stormwater treatment systems and compare with environmental quality standards targeting the dissolved MP fraction.     

Simulating the effects of climate change,economic and urban planning scenarios on urban runoff patterns of a metropolitan region

Urban development and climate change are expected to have significant effects on urban stormwater runoff. In this study, the Dynamic Urban Water Simulation Model (DUWSiM) is applied to Dublin, Ireland, to explore urban runoff patterns under varying urban growth and climate scenarios. Results show that annual urban runoff could decrease by 3.0% from climate change and monthly runoff could increase by 30% in winter and decrease by 28% in summer. Results also indicate that urban growth could increase annual runoff by up to 15%. The combined effect of climatic and land-use change generated runoff may potentially increase annual totals from between 2.9% to 21%. Monthly changes in runoff totals could increase by up to 57%. Accommodating these variations in runoff between the scenarios, flexible decentralised systems such as green roofs and pervious pavements, have a vital role in increasing the adaptability and long term sustainability of water infrastructure.     

Multivariate analysis for assessing the quality of stormwater from different Urban surfaces of the Patiala city,Punjab (India)

Land use modifications associated with urbanization, such as clearance of vegetation, replacement of previously pervious areas with impervious surfaces and drainage channel modifications, result in increased runoff volumes, which often create flooding hazards and increase pollutant transport. An attempt has been made in the present study to investigate stormwater quality from five different urban sub-watersheds (that differ in land use and development activities) in the city of Patiala, India. The five sub-watersheds have similar geological, topographical and climatic conditions and were chosen to minimize the effect of these characteristics on stormwater quality and quantity. Stormwater samples were collected during six storm events between April 2010 and March 2011 and analyzed for BOD₅, COD, TSS, TDS, Oil and Grease, TKN, Total P, Coliforms and Heavy Metals (Zn, Cd, Ni, Pb, Fe and Cu). Results of the investigation indicate a strong correlation between land use and development activities and the resulting stormwater quality. TSS, COD and Oil and Grease were found to be major pollutants in surface runoff generated from commercial and urbanized catchments (all exceeded the surface water quality standards developed by Central Pollution Control Board, India). The water quality of the smaller residential catchment was better as compared to other catchments. Principal component analysis was investigated to identify linkages between stormwater quality and urban surface types. It was also confirmed through regression analysis that both antecedent dry period and rainfall intensity have telling influence on stormwater quality. Results obtained can provide practical information for improved stormwater management.     

Perfluoroalkyl acids in urban stormwater runoff: Influence of land use

Perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) are persistent organic pollutants in the environment and have been reported to have nonpoint sources. In this study, six PFAAs with different chain lengths were monitored in stormwater runoff from seven storm events (2009–2011) at various outfall locations corresponding to different watershed land uses. We found PFAA(s) in 100% of stormwater runoff samples. Monitoring results and statistical analysis show that PFAAs in stormwater runoff from residential areas mainly came from rainfall. On the other hand, non-atmospheric sources at both industrial and commercial areas contributed PFAAs in stormwater runoff. The mass flux of PFAAs from stormwater runoff in the Twin Cities (Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN) metropolitan area is estimated to be about 7.86 kg/year. In addition, for the first time, we monitored PFAAs on the particles/debris in stormwater runoff and found high-level PFOS on the particulate matter in runoff collected from both industrial and commercial areas; the levels were so high that the finding could not be explained by the solid–water partitioning or adsorption. PFOS on the particulate matter is suspected to have originated from industrial/commercial products, entering the waste stream as PFOS containing particles.     

Characterisation of diffuse pollutions from forested watersheds in Japan during storm events - its association with rainfall and watershed features

Forest areas have been identified as important sources of nonpoint pollution in Japan. The managers must estimate stormwater quality and quantities from forested watersheds to develop effective management strategies. Therefore, stormwater runoff loads and concentrations of 10 constituents (total suspended solids, dissolved organic carbon, PO(4)-P, dissolved total phosphorus, total phosphorus, NH(4)-N, NO(2)-N, NO(3)-N, dissolved total nitrogen, and total nitrogen) for 72 events across five regions (Aichi, Kochi, Mie, Nagano, and Tokyo) were characterised. Most loads were significantly and positively correlated with stormwater variables (total event rainfall, event duration, and rainfall intensity), but most discharge-weighted event concentrations (DWECs) showed negative correlations with rainfall intensity. Mean water quality concentration during baseflow was correlated significantly with storm concentrations (r=0.41-0.77). Although all pollutant load equations showed high coefficients of determination (R(2)=0.55-0.80), no models predicted well pollutant concentrations, except those for the three N constituents (R(2)=0.59-0.67). Linear regressions to estimate stormwater concentrations and loads were greatly improved by regional grouping. The lower prediction capability of the concentration models for Mie, compared with the other four regions, indicated that other watershed or storm characteristics should be included in the prediction models. Significant differences among regions were found more frequently in concentrations than in loads for all constituents. Since baseflow conditions implied available pollutant sources for stormwater, the similar spatial characteristics of pollutant concentrations between baseflow and stormflow conditions were an important control for stormwater quality.     

Split-flow theory: Stormwater design to emulate natural landscapes

This article reviews the development and application of existing stormwater management theories with a focus on emulating natural on site hydrological processes and discusses the design intentions, merits, and weaknesses of each theory. A new stormwater management theory is then proposed using elements found in each of these existing theories. This new theory proposes to systematically split runoff into three volumes and evaporate, infiltrate and discharge; and manage these volumes in ways that emulate natural hydrological site processes, thereby creating stormwater management systems that are more ecologically based. The intent is to provide a stormwater management theory that can be used to emulate natural processes of evapotranspiration, infiltration, and runoff and, by extension, emulate pre-development stormwater rate, quality, frequency, duration, and volume. The article then discusses limitations of this theory, including lack of established methods, need for evaluation against existing methods, obstacles to implementation under current regulations, and suggested additional research.     

In Situ Performance Monitoring of an Infiltration Drainage System and Field Testing of Current Design Procedures

Sustainable urban drainage systems offer a sustainable option for the disposal of stormwater runoff - reducing the risks of flooding and pollution of receiving watercourses. However, the adoption of such systems has been slow, with a lack of performance data identified as being one barrier. This paper presents in situ performance data from a perforated concrete ring soakaway which was installed to collect stormwater runoff from a school roof and paved area. Data on rainfall at the site and water depth in the soakaway were collected for a period of twenty months, and a number of rain events were studied in detail. Data from the soakaway were used to test the most recent design procedures for infiltration drainage systems, and it was found that the design equations gave reasonable predictions of system response to rainfall - especially when the observed runoff coefficients were taken into account.     

Evaluation of pollutant loads from stormwater BMPs to receiving water using load frequency curves with uncertainty analysis

This study examined pollutant loads released to receiving water from a typical urban watershed in the Los Angeles (LA) Basin of California by applying a best management practice (BMP) performance model that includes uncertainty. This BMP performance model uses the k-C* model and incorporates uncertainty analysis and the first-order second-moment (FOSM) method to assess the effectiveness of BMPs for removing stormwater pollutants. Uncertainties were considered for the influent event mean concentration (EMC) and the aerial removal rate constant of the k-C* model. The storage treatment overflow and runoff model (STORM) was used to simulate the flow volume from watershed, the bypass flow volume and the flow volume that passes through the BMP. Detention basins and total suspended solids (TSS) were chosen as representatives of stormwater BMP and pollutant, respectively. This paper applies load frequency curves (LFCs), which replace the exceedance percentage with an exceedance frequency as an alternative to load duration curves (LDCs), to evaluate the effectiveness of BMPs. An evaluation method based on uncertainty analysis is suggested because it applies a water quality standard exceedance based on frequency and magnitude. As a result, the incorporation of uncertainty in the estimates of pollutant loads can assist stormwater managers in determining the degree of total daily maximum load (TMDL) compliance that could be expected from a given BMP in a watershed.     

Effects of PVC,cast iron and concrete conduit on concentrations of copper in stormwater

Architectural applications of copper on roofs, gutters and facades exposes it to weathering forces, such as wind and all forms of precipitation. This leads to the dissolution of copper from these surfaces and its introduction into local watersheds. The potential for exposure in local watersheds is a function of the amount of copper entering the watershed and the assimilation capacity of a wide variety of natural and manmade substrates that transform and sequester copper, thus reducing exposure of sensitive organisms to bioavailable copper. This study investigates one type of manmade substrate, stormwater conduit, commonly used to transport stormwater away from buildings. Conduits made of PVC and cast iron did not significantly remove copper from a synthetic stormwater spiked with copper averaging 2391 μg Cu/L. Concrete conduit significantly removed copper from the synthetic water and at high rates (12 – 18%) over a short distance (610 cm). A high percentage (81 – 100%) of the copper removed from the water was from the dissolved copper fraction. Once adsorbed to the concrete, copper did not readily leach back into copper-free water subsequently pumped into the conduit. These characteristics have significant implications for watershed management and best management practices for reducing concentrations of copper in stormwater runoff.     

Case study: the performance and design outline of a buffering stormwater drainage system for a low-lying area

Performance evaluation and safety assessment of a buffering stormwater drainage system (BSDS) for a low-lying area are discussed in this paper. Unlike a conventional pump drainage system, the BSDS, which drains stormwater runoff of a low-lying area to a nearby channel system through underground conduits with gravity, and then buffering peak flows with the storage capacity of a channel system, will discharge stormwater to rivers outside the low-lying area with pumps or flood gates if necessary. This kind of drainage system is considered to be environment friendly and economic both in terms of capital cost and operating & maintenance expenses. To investigate the design parameters and evaluate the performance and safety of BSDS, a hydraulic model coupling the conduit systems and a channel system was developed in this paper, and a case-study approach based on field investigation and simulation test was used. Moreover, the design requirements for safety of BSDS were drawn through a simulation test.     

A watershed at a watershed: the potential for environmentally sensitive area protection in the upper San Pedro Drainage Basin (Mexico and USA)

The watershed is advocated as an appropriate unit for ecological planning. Watersheds, or river drainage basins, can be understood through an ecological chorography. The upper San Pedro River basin of southern Arizona (USA) and northern Sonora (Mexico) is used as an example. This watershed is currently facing significant growth pressures. Rapid urbanization, cattle ranching, and irrigated agricultural pumping in the drainage basin are having negative environmental consequences, including water quality and supply problems, increased soil erosion, threats to wildlife habitats, and degradation of scenic resources. Copper mining, just outside the watershed, potentially impacts groundwater and the San Pedro riparian system. The protection of environmentally sensitive areas would help to maintain the biological integrity of the region. This paper focuses on the design of a framework for the identification of environmentally sensitive areas in the watershed and an analysis of existing government plans to protect such areas. The proposed framework can coordinate local, state, and federal efforts to achieve their protection objectives.     

山地城市小流域暴雨径流模型的研发及应用

采用ArcEngine二次开发包结合水力学基础算法,建立山地城市暴雨径流模型,以模拟山地城市降雨径流,分析山地城市排水系统的排放能力。应用该模型对重庆市北部新区盘溪河流域排水系统进行了预测和评估,结果表明,模拟结果与实测数据的效率系数Nash-Suttcliffe系数Ens为0.56~0.76,相对误差8.82%~11.8%。模型关键参数率定及敏感性分析表明,最敏感参数为径流宽度、坡度、曼宁系数和不透水面积率。针对排水管道内流量、充满度和溢流检查井个数等方面进行了排水系统排放能力的评估,结果表明,一年一遇暴雨下有0.52%的排水管道长时间处于满流状态,五十年和百年一遇的超载排水管道占排水管道总数5.86%和 8.20%;百年一遇暴雨下有0.72%的检查井发生溢流,一年一遇暴雨下有0.31%的检查井发生溢流。该模型实现了对山地城市暴雨径流的产汇过程模拟以及内涝点位置和数量的识别,为城市雨水管网管理提供决策支持。