Optimal implementation of low impact development for urban stormwater quantity and quality control using multi-objective optimization.

Multiobjective optimization of low impact development stormwater controls

Pokhara City, in Nepal, experiences heavy rainfall during four months of monsoon, causing stress on drainage infrastructures. This situation is exacerbated by poor drainage systems, ineffective urban planning, and rapid urbanization. This study aims to develop mitigation strategies for urban roadside flooding in the Barahi Chowk region in Pokhara City. The focus is to identify the causes and potential solutions for the recurring issue of urban roadside flooding. For this purpose, the study utilizes Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) computer modeling to analyze the hydraulic capacity of existing drainage systems during peak flows. The SWMM modeling reveals that the current drainage usage is between 80% and 100% during peak times, leading to flooding. Consequently, resizing or expanding various drainage sections using SWMM modeling is suggested. The study introduces Low Impact Development (LID) controls, such as rain gardens and permeable pavements, to manage surface runoff. Implementing rain gardens on just 3% of the impervious area in each sub-catchment showed an average 21.5% reduction in peak runoff and an average 6.68% reduction in the total runoff while implementing 5% in each sub-catchment, permeable pavements reduced peak runoff by 22-26% and total runoff by 8-11%. The research explores the impact of land use and land cover change and unplanned urban growth on roadside flooding, resulting in impermeable urban surfaces that disturb the natural drainage system and infiltration pattern. Thus, the outcomes of this study should be carefully considered by policymakers and stakeholders to address issues through sustainable urban planning and infrastructure development. Also, implementing measures like resizing drains and LID controls appears to be effective in controlling flooding during the study period and should be considered for future studies as well.

Surrogate-based multiobjective optimization to rapidly size low impact development practices for outflow capture

Developing sustainable strategies by LID optimization in response to annual climate change impacts

LID (Low impact Development) has been widely promoted as a measure against urban flooding which has been recently increasing due to urbanization and climate change. However, studies that consider the combined effects of spatially distributing multiple LIDs simultaneously in an urban area of specific size as urban planning scenarios are few. In this study, two cases of past rainfall data (short duration and long duration heavy rainfall), are used to simulate the effects of 3 different urban planning scenarios of distributed LID (i.e. combined LIDs implementable at the 1) building-level, 2) in open spaces, and 3) combined implementation of both 1&2), in addition to simulating for separate implementation of each LID type using the Storm Water Management Model (SWMM). The results show that in the case of short duration heavy rainfall, all 3 LID scenarios provide a greater decrease in the rate of flood volume with comparison to the case of long duration heavy rainfall. This points to the fact that LIDs have a high potential to mitigate flood volumes resulting from short duration heavy rainfall - the type of rainfall which has become more frequent recently. Furthermore, the paper also organizes the LID types according to their implementability under different urban planning scenarios, and shows that such combined use of LIDs results in higher flood mitigation efficacy.

The present study investigated the storm wise runoff collected in farm pond with the runoff estimated by Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) and Soil Conservation Service (SCS-CN) models. The SWMM and SCS-CN models estimated runoff depth storm wise. The runoff depths correspond to the catchment area given the runoff volume from the catchment. The runoff depth estimated from the Storm Water Management Model and Soil Conservation Service model was compared against the depth of runoff estimated from the Water balance model. For small rainfall depths, the runoff estimated from the Storm Water Management Model was at par with the actual runoff volume stored at the pond. It is necessary to know the watershed runoff contribution to the river or streams due to rainfall in order to determine environmental risk or flood potential. In larger rainfall depth, the runoff volume estimated from the SWMM model was less than the stored runoff volume at Farm Pond. The Soil Conservation Service Model gave better results for larger rainfall depth compared to Storm Water Management Model. SWMM was able to simulate runoff depth for small rainfall depths of 2mm. The peak runoff depths were produced by rainfall depths of 35.5mm. Initial abstractions of the study area for antecedent moisture content i.e. AMC I, AMCII and AMCIII are 53.2, 23.91 and 10.43mm, respectively. The comparison showed that both SWMM and SCS-CN models gave better runoff quantification results.

Low Impact Development (LID) is one of the current research interests toward green infrastructures and urban flood control that have the capability to return developed watersheds to pre-development hydrological conditions, bringing numerous water quantity and quality benefits, while being cheaper than their traditional counterparts. However, there is a current research gap about LIDs within tropical regions. This study aims to evaluate the cost efficiency of LID scenarios in varying surface areas through a cost-effectiveness (C/E) analysis and to assess flow reduction and infiltration improvement of the cost-effective LID scenarios using US EPA Stormwater Management Model (SWMM) in a tropical residential catchment receiving an annual rainfall of 1780.5 mm (70.1″), under a Type 1 Philippine Climate. Results have shown that the Weibull plotting position generated the largest rainfall amounts. A total of 2112 manually simulated LID scenarios were modeled to obtain the cost-effective or optimal LID scenarios, where they can generate a maximum of 38.67% flow reduction and 29.73% peak flow reduction, all observed in the multiple LID scenarios. At high rainfall amounts, the multiple LID scenarios can also peak at a 1113% increase in total infiltration in the given sub-catchments. Determining the target capture goal, applicable LID types, and cost estimations from a pilot project are vital components in the future application of LIDs in these regions.

Urban flooding poses a growing challenge, intensified by rapid urbanization and climate change, which strains traditional drainage systems. This study investigates the application of Low Impact Development (LID) techniques as a sustainable solution to enhance urban drainage system resilience. Using Gurugram, India, as a case study, the research evaluates the functional and structural resilience improvements achieved through LID implementation, alongside a Life Cycle Cost (LCC) analysis to assess cost-effectiveness.LID Performance Index (LPI) was employed to quantify the functional resilience – a  measure of system resilience under varying scenarios of urbanization and increased rainfall intensities. Structural resilience was analyzed by assessing reductions in vulnerable locations through one-at-a-time failure simulations. To effectively integrate the green roofs and rain gardens in the runoff management, the subcatchments with substantial impervious area and high runoff volume were designated as the potential subcatchments for LIDs’ application. The study examines four LID implementation scenarios, incorporating green roofs and rain gardens into 10% (S1), 25% (S2), 50% (S3), and 100% (S4) potential subcatchments.The finding reveals that incorporating LIDs into 10% of potential subcatchments (Scenario S1) enhances functional resilience by 21% and reduces vulnerable nodes by 8.7%. The corresponding Benefit-Cost Ratio (BCR) for Scenario S1 is 2.05 under a 5-year return period design storm, indicating its cost-effectiveness. While increasing LID coverage improves resilience, the cost-effectiveness diminishes due to higher implementation costs.The LCC analysis incorporates construction, maintenance, and salvage costs to evaluate the economic viability of LID practices. It highlights that LIDs are particularly effective for moderate storm events, with a noticeable decrease in effectiveness for extreme storms with higher return periods. The findings underscore the limitations of relying solely on LIDs for stormwater management, advocating for their integration with conventional drainage systems to address extreme scenarios effectively.The insights provided in study are valuable for urban planners, engineers, and policymakers aiming to develop sustainable and resilient urban drainage systems capable of mitigating urban flooding impacts.

With urbanization in many countries, many pervious areas are being converted into impervious areas. These land use changes cause many negative impacts on runoff and water quality in the areas. Especially runoff volume and peak runoff are increasing with urbanization. In addition to the increased runoff, more pollutant transports to the downstream areas. For these reasons, Low Impact Development (LID) are nowadays being introduced in urban planning. For environment-friendly and economical urban development, the LID Integrated Management Practices (IMPs) are applied in various urban development. However, exact effects on runoff and water quality of various LID IMPs are not assessed with proper LID evaluation technique. Thus, the SWMM (Storm Water Management Model) 5.0 model was slightly modified to simulate the effect of infiltration manhole on runoff and water quality. For comparison of runoff and TSS (Total Suspended Solids) from the study area (26.5 ha), three scenarios were made in this study. It was found that runoff volume, peak runoff, and TSS could be reduced with infiltration manholes and pervious pavements to some degree. Although, there are many limitations in the analysis of LID effects on runoff and TSS, similar trends shown in this study would be expected with site-specific LID IMPs. Thus, it is strongly recommended that various site-specific LID IMPs, such as infiltration facilities, should be applied as much as possible for environment-friendly urban planning.

Application of soil-based low-impact development system for Flash Flood management of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

The reliability of the low-impact development (LID) module of the widely used Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) for modeling the runoff reduction performance of permeable pavement systems was evaluated through example applications with rainfall data from Atlanta. The method of calculating infiltration through the pavement layers of permeable pavement systems of the LID module was found to be inadequate when the depths of the pavement layer are less than 120 mm and the computational time steps are longer than 30 min. An alternative method of representing permeable pavement systems as equivalent regular subcatchments is proposed. Using this method, the hydrologic operation of permeable pavement systems can be modeled by SWMM or other hydrologic models.

Green roofs significantly affect the increase in water retention and thus the management of rain water in urban areas. In Poland, as in many other European countries, excess rainwater resulting from snowmelt and heavy rainfall contributes to the development of local flooding in urban areas. Opportunities to reduce surface runoff and reduce flood risks are among the reasons why green roofs are more likely to be used also in this country. However, there are relatively few data on their in situ performance. In this study the storm water performance was simulated for the green roofs experimental plots using the Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) with Low Impact Development (LID) Controls module (version 5.0.022). The model consists of many parameters for a particular layer of green roofs but simulation results were unsatisfactory considering the hydrologic response of the green roofs. For the majority of the tested rain events, the Nash coefficient had negative values. It indicates a weak fit between observed and measured flow-rates. Therefore complexity of the LID module does not affect the increase of its accuracy. Further research at a technical scale is needed to determine the role of the green roof slope, vegetation cover and drying process during the inter-event periods.

Low Impact Development (LID) is an alternative to conventional urban stormwater management practices, which aims at mitigating the impacts of urbanization on water quantity and quality. Plot and local scale studies provide evidence of LID effectiveness; however, little is known about the overall watershed scale influence of LID practices. This is particularly true in watersheds with a land cover that is more diverse than that of urban or suburban classifications alone. We address this watershed-scale gap by assessing the effects of three common LID practices (rain gardens, permeable pavement, and riparian buffers) on the hydrology of a 0.94 km2 mixed land cover watershed. We used a spatially-explicit ecohydrological model, called Visualizing Ecosystems for Land Management Assessments (VELMA), to compare changes in watershed hydrologic responses before and after the implementation of LID practices. For the LID scenarios, we examined different spatial configurations, using 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% implementation extents, to convert sidewalks into rain gardens, and parking lots and driveways into permeable pavement. We further applied 20 m and 40 m riparian buffers along streams that were adjacent to agricultural land cover. The results showed overall increases in shallow subsurface runoff and infiltration, as well as evapotranspiration, and decreases in peak flows and surface runoff across all types and configurations of LID. Among individual LID practices, rain gardens had the greatest influence on each component of the overall watershed water balance. As anticipated, the combination of LID practices at the highest implementation level resulted in the most substantial changes to the overall watershed hydrology. It is notable that all hydrological changes from the LID implementation, ranging from 0.01 to 0.06 km2 across the study watershed, were modest, which suggests a potentially limited efficacy of LID practices in mixed land cover watersheds.

In recent years, urban flooding occurred frequently because of extreme rainstorms. Sponge city construction can effectively mitigate urban flooding and improve urban rainwater utilization. Low-impact development (LID) is regarded as a sustainable solution for urban stormwater management. In this project, a comprehensive evaluation system was developed based on environmental and economic benefits using the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and the Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) of the United States (US) Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The performance of four LID scenarios with the same locations but different sizes of green roof, permeable pavement, concave greenbelt, and rain garden were analyzed in the Sucheng district of Jiangsu province in China. Results illustrate that the green roof performed best in reducing runoff, while the rain garden performed worst. The LID combination scenario (1) that contained more green roof, permeable pavement, and concave greenbelt facilities, but fewer rain gardens had the better comprehensive performance on the basis of environmental and economic benefits. The combined scenario (2) (LID proportion of maximum construction area was 40%) could also be an alternative. This study provides a guide to optimize LID layouts for sponge city construction, which can also provide optimal selection for other sponge city constructions.

In arid regions, rainfall is scarce, summer-concentrated, and prone to extreme events, while evaporation exceeds precipitation, creating fragile ecosystems that need scientific stormwater management for flood resilience. Sponge cities, through the implementation of green infrastructure, can alleviate urban flooding, improve rainwater utilization, and enhance the urban ecological environment. Under the “dual carbon” target, sponge city construction has gained new developmental significance. It must not only ensure core functions and minimize construction costs but also fully leverage its carbon reduction potential, thereby serving as a crucial pathway for promoting urban green and low-carbon development. Therefore, this study focused on Xining, a typical arid city in Northwest China, and couples the Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm-III (NSGA-III) with the Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) to construct a multi-objective optimization model for Low Impact Development (LID) facilities. The layout optimization design of LID facilities is conducted from three dimensions: life cycle cost (LCC), rainwater utilization rate (K), and carbon emission intensity (CI). Hydrological simulations and scheme optimizations were performed under different design rainfall events. Subsequently, the entropy-weighted TOPSIS method was utilized to evaluate and compare these optimized schemes. It is shown by the results that: (1) The optimized LID schemes achieved a K of 76.2–80.43%, an LCC of 2.413–3.019 billion yuan, and a CI of −2.8 to 0.19 kg/m2; (2) Compared with the no-LID scenario, the optimized scheme significantly enhanced hydrological regulation, flood mitigation, and pollutant removal. Under different rainfall return periods, the annual runoff control rate increased from 64.97% to 80.66–82.23%, with total runoff reduction rates reaching 46.41–49.26% and peak flow reductions of 45–47.62%. Under the rainfall event with a 10-year return period, the total number of waterlogging nodes decreased from 108 to 82, and the number of nodes with a ponding duration exceeding 1 h was reduced by 62.5%. The removal efficiency of total suspended solids (TSS) under the optimized scheme remained stable above 60%. The optimized scheme is highly adaptable to the rainwater management needs of arid areas by prioritizing “infiltration and retention”. Vegetative swales emerge as the primary facility due to their low cost and high carbon sink capacity. This study provides a feasible pathway and decision-making support for the low-carbon layout of LID facilities in arid regions.