Hydrological simulation approaches for BMPs and LID practices in highly urbanized area and development of hydrological performance indicator system

Abstract

Urbanization causes hydrological change and increases stormwater runoff volumes, leading to flooding, erosion, and the degradation of instream ecosystem health. Best management practices (BMPs), like detention ponds and infiltration trenches, have been widely used to control flood runoff events for the past decade. However, low impact development (LID) options have been proposed as an alternative approach to better mimic the natural flow regime by using decentralized designs to control stormwater runoff at the source, rather than at a centralized location in the watershed. For highly urbanized areas, LID stormwater management practices such as bioretention cells and porous pavements can be used to retrofit existing infrastructure and reduce runoff volumes and peak flows. This paper describes a modeling approach to incorporate these LID practices and the two BMPs of detention ponds and infiltration trenches in an existing hydrological model to estimate the impacts of BMPs and LID practices on the surface runoff. The modeling approach has been used in a parking lot located in Lenexa, Kansas, USA, to predict hydrological performance of BMPs and LID practices. A performance indicator system including the flow duration curve, peak flow frequency exceedance curve, and runoff coefficient have been developed in an attempt to represent impacts of BMPs and LID practices on the entire spectrum of the runoff regime. Results demonstrate that use of these BMPs and LID practices leads to significant stormwater control for small rainfall events and less control for flood events.

Keywords

• hydrological simulation approach
• best management practices
• low impact development
• flow duration curve
• peak flow frequency exceedance curve
• runoff coefficient