scholarly journals The Projected Impact of a Neighborhood-Scaled Green-Infrastructure Retrofit

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 3665 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manasvini Thiagarajan ◽  
Galen Newman ◽  
Shannon Zandt
Keyword(s):  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Stormwater Management ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
Low Impact Development ◽  
Rain Gardens ◽  
Single Family ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Detention Ponds ◽  
Residential Properties ◽  
Green Collar

Climate change and its related factors are increasing the frequency of hurricanes, coastal storms, and urban flooding. Recovery from disasters can be slow, with jurisdictions failing to rebuild better, wasting time and money without improving resilience for the next disaster. To help attenuate floods and mitigate their impact, Low-Impact Development (LID) and the incorporation of green infrastructure (GI) is gaining in popularity. LID includes more natural methods of absorbing, redirecting, retaining, and filtering water through GI installations such as rain gardens, detention ponds, and the reduction of impervious surfaces. LID is, however, primarily implemented and evaluated only on a local scale; few studies have assessed the broader impact of GI on a larger scale. In fact, most performance calculators that evaluate the effects of GI are only useful at the site scale. Further, most GI advocates propose its use in new developments without much attention to retrofitting existing suburban development. This article seeks to determine what the potential effects of retrofitting an existing suburban neighborhood with GI for flood protection at a larger scale could be, using Sugar Land, Texas, United States as a case site. First, low-impact facilities are proposed and schematically designed at a site scale for a typical single-family lot. The volume of rainfall that can be retained on site, due to each incorporated feature, was then derived using the Green Values National Stormwater Management Calculator. Using these data, the total volume of rainfall that could be retained if all residential sites in Sugar Land incorporated similar facilities was then projected. The results show that Sugar Land has the capacity to annually capture 56 billion liters of stormwater if all residential properties use LID. Additional benefits of the use of GI include reduced heat (37%), improved aesthetics and property values (20%), increased recreational opportunities (18%), improved water quality (12%), improved air quality (5%), increased green collar jobs (4%), reduced damage from harmful gas emissions (3%), and increased energy savings (1%), thereby surpassing conventional stormwater management techniques.

scholarly journals Assessment on the Effectiveness of Urban Stormwater Management

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yixin Zhang ◽  
Weihan Zhao ◽  
Xue Chen ◽  
Changhyun Jun ◽  
Jianli Hao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Stormwater Management ◽  
Suspended Solids ◽  
Low Impact Development ◽  
Stormwater Runoff ◽  
Reduction Rate ◽  
Urban Resilience ◽  
Sponge City ◽  
Global Issues

Stormwater management is a key urban issue in the world, in line with the global issues of urban sprawl and climate change. It is urgent to investigate the effectiveness in managing stormwater with different strategies for maintain urban resilience. A method based on a storm water management model (SWMM) was developed for assessing the control of stormwater runoff volume and the percentage removal of suspended solids by implementing a Sponge City strategy. An interdisciplinary approach was adopted incorporating Low Impact Development (LID) with urban Green Infrastructure and Gray Infrastructure paradigms in a typical old residential community in Suzhou, China. Four types of sponge facilities for reducing stormwater runoff were bio-retention cells, permeable pavements, grassed pitches, and stormwater gardens. The simulation results indicate that the stormwater pipe system can meet the management standard for storms with a five-year recurrence interval. The volume capture ratio of annual runoff is 91% and the reduction rate of suspended solids is 56%. This study demonstrates that Sponge City strategy is an effective approach for managing stormwater, particularly in old and densely populated urban areas. Implementing spongy facilities with a LID strategy for stormwater management can significantly enhance urban water resilience and increase ecosystem services.

National LID Atlas: A Collaborative Online Database of Innovative Stormwater Management Practices

2011 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 59-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
David W. Dickson ◽  
Cary B. Chadwick ◽  
Chester L. Arnold
Keyword(s):  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Stormwater Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Low Impact Development ◽  
Nonpoint Source ◽  
Marine Resources ◽  
Online Database ◽  
Local Officials ◽  
Stormwater Management Practices

AbstractAny strategy to protect coastal and marine resources needs to address the issue of polluted runoff, particularly urban runoff generated by development. Low impact development (LID) practices, also known as green infrastructure, have been shown to be very effective in mitigating the impacts associated with stormwater runoff from development. On-the-ground examples of LID implementation, both good and bad, are needed to help local officials and others overcome the natural reticence to embrace new technologies or approaches and encourage or even require their use. The National LID Atlas is an interactive tool that provides these real local examples of LID implementation throughout the country on the Internet in an easy-to-use Google Maps™ Mashup. The members of the National NEMO (Nonpoint Source Education for Municipal Officials) Network and other outreach educators collaboratively built the Atlas and continue to add new projects to it. Local officials, developers, contractors, homeowners, and others can use the site to find examples of LID implementation in their state or region and resources for finding out more detailed information.

scholarly journals Assessment on the Effectiveness of Urban Stormwater Management

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 4
Author(s):  
Yixin Zhang ◽  
Weihan Zhao ◽  
Xue Chen ◽  
Changhyun Jun ◽  
Jianli Hao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Stormwater Management ◽  
Suspended Solids ◽  
Low Impact Development ◽  
Stormwater Runoff ◽  
Reduction Rate ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approach ◽  
Residential Areas ◽  
Urban Resilience ◽  
Pipe System

Stormwater management is a key issue in line with global problems of urbanization and climate change. Assessing the effectiveness in managing stormwater is crucial to maintain urban resilience to flooding risk. A method based on a stormwater management model (SWMM) was developed for assessing the control of stormwater runoff volume and the percentage removal of suspended solids by implementing a Sponge City strategy. An interdisciplinary approach was adopted incorporating Low Impact Development (LID) with urban green infrastructure and grey infrastructure paradigms in a typical old residential community in Suzhou, China. Sponge facilities for reducing stormwater runoff included bio-retention cells, permeable pavements, grassed pitches, and stormwater gardens. The simulation results of SWMM show that the stormwater pipe system can meet the management standard for storms with a five-year recurrence interval. The volume capture ratio of annual runoff was 91%, which is higher than control target of 80%. The suspended solids reduction rate was 56%, which meets the requirement of planning indicators. Thus, the proposed method of spongy facilities can be used for renovation planning in old residential areas in China. Implementing spongy facilities with a LID strategy for stormwater management can significantly enhance urban water resilience and improve ecosystem services.

scholarly journals Stormwater management: municipal policies in Ontario for managing rain where it falls through green infrastructure

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wayne Savio Coutinho
Keyword(s):  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Stormwater Management ◽  
Low Impact Development ◽  
Stormwater Runoff ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Private Lands ◽  
Urban Green Spaces ◽  
Municipal Policies ◽  
The Right

This research explores the state of practice for managing rain where it falls in southern Ontario through green infrastructure policies. A literature review and first hand experience from municipalities provided the understanding of the issues to wide‐spread adoption. Stormwater runoff is a significant issue within urban settings, contributing to localized riverine and/or basement flooding that impacts municipal infrastructure, residences, and environmental quality of waterways. Traditional grey infrastructure, an engineered approach of collection and treatment facilities, addresses concerns with combined sewer overflow (CSO), but is not an effective system for Stormwater Management (SWM), evident by the increase in flooding and pollution from intensified rain events, with climate change. Supported by evidence in published literature over the last decade, Low Impact Development (LID) principles have demonstrated effective results for cold climates, provided life costs‐analysis, and a planning framework to determine suitable placement for installations. Co-benefits of Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) are especially valued such as building great communities to live in with "high functioning" urban green spaces. This evidence suggests that managing stormwater runoff locally is a more cost effective and sustainable than end‐of‐pipe solutions. The study revealed best practices and lessons learned from municipalities implementing GSI for the Right‐of‐Way (ROW) though “Green Streets” and on private lands through LID to manage rain where it falls. In Ontario, GSI is at an early adoption stage. The findings support a planning rationale for a coordinated approach to implement, finance, and operate GSI programs for both private lands and in the public ROW for SWM.

scholarly journals Retrofitting the Low Impact Development Practices into Developed Urban areas Including Barriers and Potential Solution

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Shafique ◽  
Reeho Kim
Keyword(s):  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Stormwater Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Low Impact Development ◽  
Natural Area ◽  
Suitable Combination ◽  
Stormwater Management Practices ◽  
Impervious Areas ◽  
Selection Of

AbstractLow impact development (LID)/green infrastructure (GI) practices have been identified as the sustainable practices of managing the stormwater in urban areas. Due to the increasing population, most of the cities are more developing which results in the change of natural area into impervious areas (roads, buildings etc.). Moreover, urbanization and climate change are causing many water-related problems and making over cities unsafe and insecure. Under these circumstances, there is a need to introduce new stormwater management practices into developed cities to reduce the adverse impacts of urbanization. For this purpose, retrofitting low impact development practices demands more attention to reduce these water-related problems and trying to make our cities sustainable. In developed areas, there is a little space is available for the retrofitting of LID practices for the stormwater management. Therefore, the selection of an appropriate place to retrofitting LID practices needs more concern. This paper describes the successfully applied retrofitting LID practices around the globe. It also includes the process of applying retrofitting LID practices at the suitable place with the suitable combination. Optimal places for the retrofitting of different LID practices are also mentioned. This paper also highlights the barriers and potential solutions of retrofitting LID practices in urban areas.

scholarly journals Developing Green Infrastructure Strategies Based on the Analysis of Sewer System Critical Components

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (19) ◽  
pp. 2694
Author(s):  
Chen Shen ◽  
Haishan Xia ◽  
Xin Fu ◽  
Xinhao Wang ◽  
Weiping Wang
Keyword(s):  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Stormwater Management ◽  
Significant Risk ◽  
Rain Gardens ◽  
Sewer System ◽  
Adaptation Measures ◽  
Runoff Reduction ◽  
Topological Connectivity ◽  
Critical Components

Flooding has presented a significant risk for urban areas around the world. Road inundation is one of the severe consequences leading to traffic issues and congestion. Green infrastructure (GI) offers further potential for stormwater management as an environmentally friendly and sustainable solution. However, sewer system behaviour has been overlooked in GI implementation. This study investigates sewer performance by measuring topological connectivity and hydraulic characteristics, and critical components are identified under different design storms. Three retrofit scenarios, including enlarged pipes (grey infrastructure, Grey I), rain gardens (GI), and the combination of enlarged pipes and increased rain gardens (GI + Grey I), are proposed according to the distribution of critical components. The results show that it is feasible to locate the vulnerable parts of the sewer system and GI site allocations based on the critical components that significantly impact the performance of the entire system. While all three scenarios can mitigate inundation, GI and GI + Grey I perform better than pipe enlargement, especially for runoff reduction during long-duration rainfall. Furthermore, the sewer behaviour and retrofit effect are dynamic under different rainfall patterns, leading to diverse combined effects. The discoveries reveal that the adaptation measures should combine with sewer behaviour and local rainfall characteristics to enhance stormwater management.

scholarly journals Runoff Volume Reduction Using Green Infrastructure

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 297
Author(s):  
Ireneusz Nowogoński
Keyword(s):  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Water Cycle ◽  
Low Impact Development ◽  
Land Development ◽  
Urban Site ◽  
Classical Solutions ◽  
Rain Gardens ◽  
Storm Water Management Model ◽  
Catchment Areas ◽  
Treatment Train

Uncontrolled urbanization is a frequent cause behind the local flooding of catchment areas. This also results in a degradation of water quality in receivers, as well as causing a disruption of the natural water cycle in the catchment. Classical solutions, such as retention, do not prove to be sufficient under all conditions. An alternative solution is the application of low impact development (LID), which, in the analysed case, takes the form of rain gardens, infiltration trenches and controlled unsealing of catchment components. The work presents the influence of a few variants of solutions on a selected urbanized catchment located in Gorzów Wielkopolski. The assessment was developed using a simulation model, making use of EPA’s Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) software. The nalysed design variants are compared with the described existing state before the implementation of modernization works. Previous results showing that LID may be ineffective as the only solution in systems overloaded with runoff generated by rainfall of relatively low intensities were confirmed. In the case of existing systems, LID should be applied in combination with classical retention systems or in a treatment train and every opportunity to implement LID whether on a property or urban site must be taken. Such solutions in the analysed cases will allow for a reduction of the maximum outflow intensity from the analysed subcatchment by 9 to 17% depending on the analysed rainfall. The results are similar to those obtained in other implementations. However, the interpretation of the results is not as simple and obvious for overloaded systems. In addition to flow rate reduction, reduction of surcharge in the sewer network and reduction of the volume of local flooding must be considered. LID solutions should also, whenever possible, be looked into as early as the stage of planning the land development of the infrastructure.

scholarly journals Stormwater management: municipal policies in Ontario for managing rain where it falls through green infrastructure

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wayne Savio Coutinho
Keyword(s):  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Stormwater Management ◽  
Low Impact Development ◽  
Stormwater Runoff ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Private Lands ◽  
Urban Green Spaces ◽  
Municipal Policies ◽  
The Right

This research explores the state of practice for managing rain where it falls in southern Ontario through green infrastructure policies. A literature review and first hand experience from municipalities provided the understanding of the issues to wide‐spread adoption. Stormwater runoff is a significant issue within urban settings, contributing to localized riverine and/or basement flooding that impacts municipal infrastructure, residences, and environmental quality of waterways. Traditional grey infrastructure, an engineered approach of collection and treatment facilities, addresses concerns with combined sewer overflow (CSO), but is not an effective system for Stormwater Management (SWM), evident by the increase in flooding and pollution from intensified rain events, with climate change. Supported by evidence in published literature over the last decade, Low Impact Development (LID) principles have demonstrated effective results for cold climates, provided life costs‐analysis, and a planning framework to determine suitable placement for installations. Co-benefits of Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) are especially valued such as building great communities to live in with "high functioning" urban green spaces. This evidence suggests that managing stormwater runoff locally is a more cost effective and sustainable than end‐of‐pipe solutions. The study revealed best practices and lessons learned from municipalities implementing GSI for the Right‐of‐Way (ROW) though “Green Streets” and on private lands through LID to manage rain where it falls. In Ontario, GSI is at an early adoption stage. The findings support a planning rationale for a coordinated approach to implement, finance, and operate GSI programs for both private lands and in the public ROW for SWM.

scholarly journals Forensic Investigation of Four Monitored Green Infrastructure Inlets

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 1787
Author(s):  
Leena J. Shevade ◽  
Franco A. Montalto
Keyword(s):  
Measurement Uncertainty ◽  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Stormwater Management ◽  
Catchment Area ◽  
Low Flow ◽  
Inflow Rate ◽  
Forensic Investigation ◽  
Flow Conditions ◽  
The Mean

Green infrastructure (GI) is viewed as a sustainable approach to stormwater management that is being rapidly implemented, outpacing the ability of researchers to compare the effectiveness of alternate design configurations. This paper investigated inflow data collected at four GI inlets. The performance of these four GI inlets, all of which were engineered with the same inlet lengths and shapes, was evaluated through field monitoring. A forensic interpretation of the observed inlet performance was conducted using conclusions regarding the role of inlet clogging and inflow rate as described in the previously published work. The mean inlet efficiency (meanPE), which represents the percentage of tributary area runoff that enters the inlet was 65% for the Nashville inlet, while at Happyland the NW inlet averaged 30%, the SW inlet 25%, and the SE inlet 10%, considering all recorded events during the monitoring periods. The analysis suggests that inlet clogging was the main reason for lower inlet efficiency at the SW and NW inlets, while for the SE inlet, performance was compromised by a reverse cross slope of the street. Spatial variability of rainfall, measurement uncertainty, uncertain tributary catchment area, and inlet depression characteristics are also correlated with inlet PE. The research suggests that placement of monitoring sensors should consider low flow conditions and a strategy to measure them. Additional research on the role of various maintenance protocols in inlet hydraulics is recommended.

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