Development of an Improved Approach for Selecting Storm-Water Best Management Practices
Publication: Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
Volume 137, Issue 3
Abstract
This paper discusses the development of a software-aided approach to best management practice (BMP) selection. Supported with input from a geographic information system (GIS), this software provides an algorithmic, mathematically based alternative to the inherently subjective approaches currently used to choose BMPs for management of storm-water runoff. The BMP selection software was applied to a study site located in the town of Blacksburg, Virginia. The software was utilized to identify BMP alternatives for a distributed storm-water management approach on the site. When compared with a base model with no runoff management, the traditional, detention-based management approach yielded 13.0% greater runoff rate reduction than did the distributed model. By contrast, the distributed storm-water management approach greatly outperformed the detention-based approach in removing pollutants from surface runoff. Although both runoff management strategies removed a significant portion of suspended sediment from the demonstration site’s runoff, the distributed model achieved a nearly 40% greater removal efficiency. Similarly, although both runoff management approaches remove a significant portion of total phosphorus from the demonstration site’s runoff, the distributed model achieved a 38% greater removal efficiency.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
The research project described in this paper was supported by the U.S. EPA Grant No. USEPA83340501-0. Readers who are interested in obtaining a copy of the BMP Selector software are encouraged to contact Kevin D. Young, P.E., at [email protected].
References
Artita, K. S., Kaini, P., and Nicklow, J. W. (2007). “Generating alternative watershed-scale BMP designs with evolutionary algorithms.” Proc., 2007 World Environmental and Water Resources Congress, ASCE, Reston, VA.
Carter, S., Zhen, X.-Y., Parker, A., and Cutter, C. (2008). “An innovative stormwater BMP decision support system for quantifying and optimizing load reductions and costs in Los Angeles.” Proc., 2008 World Environmental and Water Resources Congress, ASCE, Reston, VA.
Center for Watershed Protection. (2000). National pollutant removal performance database for stormwater treatment practices, 2nd Ed., CWP, Ellicott City, MD.
Hipp, J. A., Ogunseitan, O., Lejano, R., and Smith, C. S. (2006). “Optimization of stormwater filtration at the urban/watershed interface.” Environ. Sci. Technol., 40(15), 4794–4801.
Kaini, P., Artita, K. S., and Nicklow, J. W. (2007). “Designing BMPs at a watershed scale using SWAT and a genetic algorithm.” Proc., 2007 World Environmental and Water Resources Congress, ASCE, Reston, VA.
Lai, F., Shoemaker, L., and Cheng, M.-S. (2005). “Decision support framework for placement of BMPs in urban watersheds.” U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Science Forum, Washington, DC.
Massachusetts Stormwater Treatment Evaluation Program (MASTEP). (2006). “Stormwater Technologies Clearinghouse.” 〈http://www.mastep.net〉 (Aug. 2008).
Otero, J., Labadie, J., Haunert, D., and Daron, M. (1995). “Optimization of managed runoff to the St. Lucie estuary.” Proc., 1st Int. Conf. on Water Resources Engineering, ASCE, Reston, VA, 1506–1510.
Saaty, T. L. (1980). The analytic hierarchy process, McGraw-Hill, New York.
Schmoldt, D. L., Kangas, J., Mendoza, G., and Pesonen, M. (2001). The analytic hierarchy process in natural resource and environmental decision making, Kluwer, Dordrecht, Netherlands.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). (2005). “International stormwater best management practices (BMP) database.” 〈http://www.bmpdatabase.org〉 (Aug. 2008).
Veith, T. L., Wolfe, M. L., and Heatwole, C. D. (2004). “Cost-effective BMP placement: Optimization versus targeting.” Trans. ASAE, 47(5), 1585–1594.
Yeh, C.-H., and Labadie, J. W. (1997). “Multi-objective watershed-level planning of stormwater detention systems.” J. Water Resour. Plann. Manage., 123(6), 336–343.
Young, K. D., Kibler, D. F., Benham, B. L., and Loganathan, G. V. (2009). “Application of the analytical hierarchical process for improved selection of stormwater BMPs.” J. Water Resour. Plann. Manage., 135(4), 264–275.
Zhen, X.-Y., Yu, S. L., and Jen-Yang, L. (2004). “Optimal location and sizing of stormwater basins at watershed scale.” J. Water Resour. Plann. Manage., 130(4), 339–348.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
Volume 137 • Issue 3 • May 2011
Pages: 268 - 275
Copyright
© 2011 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Sep 30, 2009
Accepted: Jun 25, 2010
Published online: Apr 15, 2011
Published in print: May 1, 2011
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.