Impact of bioretention cells in cities with a cold climate: modeling snow management based on a case study

Abstract

The performance of blue-green infrastructures (BGIs) has been well documented in temperate and subtropical climates, but evidence supporting their application in cold climates, especially during snowmelt, is still scarce. To address this gap, the present study proposes a modeling method for simulating the performance of bioretention cells during snowmelt according to different spatial implementation scenarios. We used the Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) of a catchment in a medium-sized city in Quebec, Canada as a case study. Pollutants commonly found in the snow (TSS, Cr, Pb, Zn, Cl–) were included in the model using event mean concentrations (EMCs) documented in the literature. Bioretention cells performed best on industrial road sites for the entire snowmelt period. Bioretention cell performance was affected by snow management procedures applied to the roads in residential areas. Not modeling the snow cover build-up and meltdown in the simulation led to higher runoff and bioretention cell performance. Modeling results facilitated the identification of bioretention cell sites that efficiently controlled runoff during snowmelt. Such information is needed to support decision planning for BGIs in cities with cold climate. HIGHLIGHTS Land use and snow management procedures impact bioretention cell performance.; Modeled bioretention cells implemented on industrial roads show the best performance for snowmelt runoff.; Ignoring snow cover build-up and meltdown modeling leads to higher runoff volume and bioretention cell performance.; Bioretention cell soil freezing should be considered in future blue-green infrastructure modeling under a cold climate.;

Keywords

• cold climate
• green infrastructure
• snowmelt modeling
• stormwater management model (swmm)
• stormwater quality modeling
• urban planning