Watershed-Scale Evaluation of a System of Storm Water Detention Basins
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Volume 10, Issue 3
Abstract
The effectiveness of an existing system of storm water detention basins operating at the watershed scale is evaluated. Data utilized in the study were collected from Valley Creek watershed in Chester County, Pa., which has undergone rapid development from the westward spread of suburban Philadelphia. Since the late 1970s, more than 100 storm water detention basins have been constructed in this watershed, each designed on a site-by-site basis. The design objective of these detention basins is to limit a site’s postconstruction peak flow rate to or below its predevelopment level for 2- through 100-year storms. To evaluate the watershed-wide effectiveness of the network of detention basins, all basins were surveyed and included in a hydrologic model of the watershed. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Hydrologic Engineering Center’s Hydrologic Modeling System (HEC-HMS) model was calibrated by using measured rainfall and observed streamflow from a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) stream gauge. Results from modeling six measured storm events show that the detention basins reduce watershed-wide peak storm flows by an average of only 0.3%, and can potentially increase peak flow rates. The model was also used to investigate the effects of alternate on-site stormwater management strategies, including outlet structure modification and runoff volume-based management. Results indicate that a runoff volume-based plan is the most effective means of attenuating watershed-wide peak flow rates.
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Acknowledgments
The fieldwork for this paper was completed while the first author was a graduate student at Drexel University, under support from a Drexel teaching assistantship and partial research assistantship under NSF Grant No. 001884. Support of the second author was provided by NSF and by EPA Star Grant No. R-82818210-0. The computational part of this work was partly supported by the Villanova Urban Stormwater Partnership. The authors are indebted to Christy Wojculewski for her help with the field survey and to fellow Drexel Watersheds Team students Rob Ryan, Luanne Steffy, and Angela McGinty for their help and support. This paper is dedicated to Mr. Brian Lambert, Natural Resource Specialist with Valley Forge National Historical Park. Mr. Lambert was a longtime steward of Valley Creek and cared deeply about the effects of development on the biota of the stream. Through the National Park Service, he sponsored numerous scientific studies to document the health of the creek and gave his time selfessly to the Drexel NSF project as needed. His presence will be missed, and we hope that future generations will take such a personal, passionate interest in protecting the resources of the park.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Hydrologic Engineering
Volume 10 • Issue 3 • May 2005
Pages: 237 - 242
Copyright
© 2005 ASCE.
History
Received: Jan 14, 2004
Accepted: Jun 11, 2004
Published online: May 1, 2005
Published in print: May 2005
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