Abstract
A detailed hydrologic/hydraulic model for an urbanized 381-acre watershed in Blacksburg, Virginia, is used to evaluate downstream results from simulation of seven stormwater management (SWM) strategies currently practiced within the United States. Each strategy has unique design criteria for specified design storms and is intended to achieve predevelopment peak runoff rates at the site outfall or a baseline peak runoff rate at a watershed point of interest (POI). Model simulations are run that represent each strategy implemented throughout the watershed within areas currently subjected to SWM. Runoff hydrographs at each site outfall and the watershed POI are evaluated. Evaluation of model results at the site outfalls and a downstream watershed POI lead to a number of observations about the performance of the various strategies and their respective design criteria. Results demonstrate that strategies met the predevelopment peak runoff rate targets for design storms specified in their design criteria at the site outfall. Most strategies did not meet the targets outside of the range of design storms specified in design criteria with the exception of the most frequent storm evaluated when an initial runoff capture and drawdown is required. None of the strategies are found to achieve the baseline peak runoff rates at the watershed POI for a full range of design storms, with almost all strategies failing to meet the baseline target for the more frequent, 1- and 2-year storm events. Strategies that require a watershed analysis to define site-scale design criteria did not perform better, indicating the efforts of a watershed analysis to develop a SWM strategy are not warranted. Results also indicate that as the capture on an initial volume and duration of drawdown increases, additional benefit does not translate downstream.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
References
Behera, P. K., Papa, F., and Adams, B. J. (1999). “Optimization of regional storm-water management systems.” J. Water Resour. Plann. Manage., 107–114.
Bentley Systems. (2008)., Exton, PA.
Burton, Jr., A., Pitt, R. (2002). Stormwater effects handbook: A toolbox for watershed managers, scientists, and engineers, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
Cronshey, R., McCuen, R. H., Rawls, W., Robbins, S., and Woodward, D. (1986). “Urban hydrology for small watersheds.” U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Washington DC.
Emerson, C. H., Traver, R. G., and Welty, C. (2003). “Changing from peak flow to volume requirements, a watershed-wide perspective.” Urban Stormwater Partnership Conf., Villanova Univ., Villanova, PA, 16–17.
Emerson, C. H., Welty, C., and Traver, R. G. (2005). “Watershed-scale evaluation of a system of storm water detention basins.” J. Hydrol. Eng., 237–242.
Fennessey, L. A. J., Hamlett, J. M., Aron, G., and LaSota, D. (2001). “Changes in runoff due to stormwater management pond regulations.” J. Hydrol. Eng., 317–327.
Goff, K., and Gentry, R. (2006). “The influence of watershed and development characteristics on the cumulative impacts of stormwater detention ponds.” Water Resour. Manage., 20(6), 829–860.
Lehigh Valley Planning Commission. (2000). “Little Lehigh Creek Watershed—Act 167—Stormwater management plan update.” Lehigh and Berks County, PA.
McCaffery, K. A. (2007). “Comprehensively establishing predevelopment hydrologic conditions: A multiple-scale approach for responding to trends in stormwater management regulations.” World Environmental and Water Resources Congress, ASCE, Reston, VA.
McCuen, R. H. (1979). “Downstream effects of stormwater management basins.” J. Hydraul. Div., 105(HY11), 1343–1356.
Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District. (2005). “Surface water and stormwater rules technical guidance.” Milwaukee, WI.
Moore, C. I., Barrack Ii, W. A., and Meyers, M. (2005). “Innovative modeling techniques for watershed planning.” Managing watersheds for human and natural impacts, Williamsburg, VA, 131–131.
NAHB Research Center. (2003). “The practice of low impact development.” PATH and HUD Office of Policy Development and Research, Washington, DC.
Nehrke, S. M., and Roesner, L. A. (2004). “Effects of design practice for flood control and best management practices on the flow-frequency curve.” J. Water Resour. Plann. Manage., 131–139.
Pazwash, H., and Boswell, S. T. (2001). “Design of stormwater management systems: Suggested improvements.” World Water Congress, ASCE, Reston, VA.
Prakash, A. (2005). “Impact of urbanization in watersheds on stream stability and flooding.” Managing watersheds for human and natural impacts, Williamsburg, VA, 143–143.
Shamsi, U. M. (1996). “Storm-water management implementation through modeling and GIS.” J. Water Resour. Plann. Manage., 114–127.
UDFCD (Urban Drainage, and Flood Control District). (2001). Urban storm drainage criteria manual, Vol. 1–2, Denver.
Urbonas, B., and Wulliman, J. (2007). “Stormwater runoff control using full spectrum detention.” World Environmental and Water Resources Congress, ASCE, Reston, VA.
U.S. Department of Commerce. (2012). “National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s hydrometerological design studies center precipitation-frequency data.” 〈http://dipper.nws.noaa.gov/hdsc/pfds/〉.
VDCR (Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation). (1999). Virginia stormwater management handbook, 1st Ed., Div. of Soil and Water Conservation.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Hydrologic Engineering
Volume 20 • Issue 9 • September 2015
Copyright
© 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: May 23, 2013
Accepted: Sep 9, 2014
Published online: Dec 2, 2014
Discussion open until: May 2, 2015
Published in print: Sep 1, 2015
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.