Explicit Equation for Estimating Storm-Water Capture Efficiency of Rain Gardens
Publication: Journal of Hydrologic Engineering
Volume 18, Issue 12
Abstract
Rain gardens have increasingly been used to control the adverse effects of urbanization on storm-water quantity and quality. The ratio or percentage of storm water generated from the contributing area of a rain garden that is captured by the surface depression of the rain garden is known as its storm-water capture efficiency. This capture efficiency is an important indicator of a rain garden’s performance for storm-water management. Based on the probability distributions of local rainfall event characteristics and the hydrologic operation of rain gardens, an explicit analytical equation is derived for estimating the long-term average storm-water capture efficiency of a rain garden. The validity of the analytical equation is demonstrated by comparing its outcomes with results from a series of continuous simulations. Example applications of this equation are made for two locations.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and the China Scholarship Council.
References
Abi Aad, M. P., Suidan, M. T., and Shuster, W. D. (2010). “Modeling techniques of best management practices: Rain barrels and rain gardens using EPA SWMM-5.” J. Hydraul. Eng., 15(6), 434–443.
Adams, B. J., Fraser, H. G., Howard, C. D. D., and Hanafy, M. S. (1986). “Meteorologic data analysis for drainage system design.” J. Environ. Eng., 112(5), 827–848.
Adams, B. J., and Papa, F. (2000). Urban stormwater management planning with analytical probabilistic models, Wiley, New York.
Aravena, J. E., and Dussaillant, A. (2009). “Storm-water infiltration and focused recharge modeling with finite-volume two-dimensional Richards equation: Application to an experimental rain garden.” J. Hydraul. Eng., 135(12), 1073–1080.
ASCE. (2012). Design of urban stormwater controls, manuals of practice (MOP) 87, McGraw-Hill, New York.
Ashkar, F., and Rousselle, J. (1987). “Partial duration series modeling under the assumption of a Poissonian flood count.” J. Hydrol., 90(1–2), 135–144.
Asleson, B. C., Nestingen, R. S., Gulliver, J. S., Hozalski, R. M., and Nieber, J. L. (2009). “Performance assessment of rain gardens.” J. Am. Water Resour. Assoc., 45(4): 1019–1031.
Bacchi, B., Balistrocchi, M., and Grossi, G. (2008). “Proposal of a semi-probabilistic approach for storage facility design.” Urban Water J., 5(3), 195–208.
Balistrocchi, M., Grossi, G., and Bacchi, B. (2009). “An analytical probabilistic model of the quality efficiency of a sewer tank.” Water Resour. Res., 45(12), W12420.
Benjamin, J. R., and Cornell, C. A. (1970). Probability, statistics and decision for civil engineers, McGraw-Hill, New York.
Clar, M. L., and Green, R. (1993). Design manual for use of bioretention in stormwater management, Dept. of Environmental Resources, Prince George’s County, Maryland.
Cruise, J. F., and Arora, K. (1990). “A hydroclimatic application strategy for the Poisson partial duration model.” Water Resour. Bull., 26(3), 431–442.
Cunnane, C. (1979). “A note on the Poisson assumption in partial duration series models.” Water Resour. Res., 15(2), 489–494.
Davis, A. P. (2008). “Field performance of bioretention: Hydrology impact.” J. Hydraul. Eng., 13(2), 90–95.
Davis, A. P., Hunt, W. F., Traver, R. G., and Clar, M. (2009). “Bioretention technology: Overview of current practice and future needs.” J. Environ. Eng., 135(3), 109–117.
Davis, A. P., Shokouhian, M., Sharma, H., and Minami, C. (2001). “Laboratory study of biological retention for urban stormwater management.” Water Environ. Res., 73(1), 5–14.
Davis, A. P., Shokouhian, M., Sharma, H., Minami, C., and Winogradoff, D. (2003). “Water quality improvement through bioretention: Lead, copper, and zinc.” Water Environ. Res., 75(1), 73–82.
Davis, A. P., Traver, R. G., Hunt, W. F., Lee, R., Brown, R. A., and Olszewski, J. O. (2012). “Hydrologic performance of bioretention storm-water control measures.” J. Hydrol. Eng., 17(5), 604–614.
DeBusk, K. M., Hunt, W. F., and Line, D. E. (2011). “Bioretention outflow: Does it mimic nonurban watershed shallow interflow?” J. Hydrol. Eng., 16(3), 274–279.
Delaware Natural Resources, and Environmental Control (DNREC). (2005). Green technology: The Delaware urban runoff management approach, Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, Division of Soil and Water Conservation, Dover, DE.
Dietz, M. E., and Clausen, J. C. (2005). “A field evaluation of rain garden flow and pollutant treatment.” Water, Air, Soil Pollutant, 167(1–4), 123–138.
Dietz, M. E., and Clausen, J. C. (2006). “Saturation to improve pollutant retention in a rain garden flow.” Environ. Sci. Technol., 40(4), 1335–1340.
Dussaillant, A. R., Wu, C. H., and Potter, K. W. (2004). “Richards equation model of a rain garden.” J. Hydrol. Eng., 9(3), 219–225.
Eagleson, P. S. (1972). “Dynamics of flood frequency.” Water Resour. Res., 8(4), 878–898.
Eagleson, P. S. (1978). “Climate, soil, and vegetation, 2, the distribution of annual precipitation derived from observed storm sequences.” Water Resour. Res., 14(5), 713–721.
Emerson, C. H., and Traver, R. G. (2008). “Multi-year and seasonal variation of infiltration from stormwater best management practices.” J. Irrig. Drain. Eng., 134(5), 598–605.
Guo, Y. (2001). “Hydrologic design of urban flood control detention ponds.” J. Hydrol. Eng., 6(6), 472–479.
Guo, Y., and Adams, B. J. (1998a). “Hydrologic analysis of urban catchments with event-based probabilistic models, part I: Runoff volume.” Water Resour. Res., 34(12), 3421–3431.
Guo, Y., and Adams, B. J. (1998b). “Hydrologic analysis of urban catchments with event-based probabilistic models, part II: Peak discharge rate.” Water Resour. Res., 34(12), 3433–3443.
Guo, Y., and Adams, B. J. (1999a). “An analytical probabilistic approach to sizing flood control detention facilities.” Water Resour. Res., 35(8), 2457–2468.
Guo, Y., and Adams, B. J. (1999b). “Analysis of detention ponds for storm water quality control.” Water Resour. Res., 35(8), 2447–2456.
Guo, Y., and Baetz, B. W. (2007). “Sizing of rainwater storage units for green building applications.” J. Hydrol. Eng., 12(2), 197–205.
Guo, Y., Hansen, D., and Li, C. (2009). “Probabilistic approach to estimating the effects of channel reaches on flood frequencies.” Water Resour. Res., 45(8), W08404.
Hager, M. C. (2003). “Low-impact development, lot-level approaches to stormwater management are gaining ground.” Stormwater, 4(1), 12–25.
He, Z., and Davis, A. P. (2011). “Process modeling of storm-water flow in a bioretention cell.” J. Irrig. Drain. Eng., 137(3), 121–131.
Heasom, W., Traver, R., and Welker, A. (2006). “Hydrologic modeling of a bioinfiltration best management practice.” J. Am. Water Resour. Assoc., 42(5), 1329–1347.
Howard, C. D. D. (1976). “Theory of storage and treatment plant overflows.” J. Environ. Eng. Div., 102(4), 709–722.
Hsieh, C. H., and Davis, A. P. (2005). “Evaluation and optimization of bioretention media for treatment of urban storm water runoff.” J. Environ. Eng., 131(11), 1521–1531.
Hunt, W. F., and Lord, W. G. (2006). Bioretention performance, design, construction, and maintenance, North Carolina Cooperative Extension, Raleigh, NC.
Hunt, W. F., Smith, J. T., Jadlocki, S. J., Hathaway, J. M., and Eubanks, P. R. (2008). “Pollutant removal and peak flow mitigation by a bioretention cell in urban Charlotte, NC.” J. Environ. Eng., 134(5), 403–408.
James, M., and Dymond, R. (2012). “Bioretention hydrologic performance in an urban stormwater network.” J. Hydrol. Eng., 17(3), 431–436.
Jenkins, J. K. G., Wadzuk, B. M., and Welker, A. L. (2010). “Fines accumulation and distribution in a storm-water rain garden nine years postconstruction.” J. Irrig. Drain. Eng., 136(12), 862–869.
Kim, H., Seagren, E. A., and Davis, A. P. (2003). “Engineered bioretention for removal of nitrate from stormwater runoff.” Water Environ. Res., 75(4), 355–367.
Klein, R. D. (1979). “Urbanization and stream quality impairment.” Water Resour. Bull., 15(4), 948–963.
Li, H., Sharkey, L. J., Hunt, W. F., and Davis, A. P. (2009). “Mitigation of impervious surface hydrology using bioretention in North Carolina and Maryland.” J. Hydrol. Eng., 14(4), 407–415.
Loganathan, G. V., and Delleur, J. W. (1984). “Effects of urbanization on frequencies of overflows and pollutant loadings from storm sewer overflows: A derived distribution approach.” Water Resour. Res., 20(7), 857–865.
Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE). (2000). 2000 Maryland stormwater design manual, Vols. I and II, Center for Watershed Protection and the Maryland Department of the Environment, Water Management Administration, Baltimore, MD.
Muthanna, T. M., Viklander, M., and Thorolfsson, S. T. (2008). “Seasonal climatic effects on the hydrology of a rain garden.” Hydrol. Processes, 22(11), 1640–1649.
National Oceanic, and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). (1982). “Mean monthly, seasonal, and annual pan evaporation for the United States.” Washington, DC, 〈http://www.nws.noaa.gov/oh/hdsc/PMP_related_studies/TR34.pdf〉.
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PDEP). (2006). “Pennsylvania stormwater best management practices manual.”, Harrisburg, PA.
Prince George’s County, Department of Environmental Protection (PGC DEP). (1993). Design manual for use of bioretention in stormwater management, Prince George’s County (MD) Government, Department of Environmental Protection, Watershed Protection Branch, Landover, MD.
Rawls, W. J., Brakensiek, D. L., and Miller, N. (1983). “Green-ampt infiltration parameters from soils data.” J. Hydrol. Eng., 109(1), 62–70.
Restrepo-Posada, P. J., and Eagleson, P. S. (1982). “Identification of independent rainstorms.” J. Hydrol., 55(1–4), 303–319.
Roy-Poirier, A., Champagne, P., and Filion, Y. (2010). “Review of bioretention system research and design: Past, present, and future.” J. Environ. Eng., 136(9), 878–889.
Sharkey, L. J. (2006). “The performance of bioretention areas in North Carolina: A study of water quality, water quantity, and soil media.” M.S. thesis, North Carolina State Univ., Raleigh, NC.
Smith, D. I. (1980). “Probability of storage overflow for stormwater management.” M.S. thesis, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Univ. of Toronto, Toronto.
Tholin, A. L., and Kiefer, C. J. (1960). “The hydrology of urban runoff.” Trans. ASCE, 125(1), 1308–1379.
Trowsdale, S. A., and Simcock, R. (2011). “Urban stormwater treatment using bioretention.” J. Hydrol., 397(3–4), 167–174.
Yang, H., Florence, D. C., McCoy, E. L., Dick, W. A., and Grewal, P. S. (2009). “Design and hydraulic characteristics of a field-scale bi-phasic bioretention rain garden system for storm water management.” Water Sci. Technol., 59(9), 1863–1872.
Zhang, S., and Guo, Y. (2013). “An analytical probabilistic model for evaluating the hydrologic performance of green roofs.” J. Hydrol. Eng., 18(1), 19–28.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Hydrologic Engineering
Volume 18 • Issue 12 • December 2013
Pages: 1739 - 1748
Copyright
© 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Apr 18, 2012
Accepted: Oct 24, 2012
Published online: Oct 26, 2012
Discussion open until: Mar 26, 2013
Published in print: Dec 1, 2013
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.