Evaluation and Optimization of Low Impact Development Designs for Sustainable Stormwater Management in a Changing Climate

Abstract

The increasing intensity and frequency of extreme storms pose a growing challenge to stormwater management in highly urbanized areas. Without an adequate and appropriate stormwater system, the storms and associated floods will continue to cause significant damage to infrastructure and loss of life. Low Impact Development (LID) has become an emerging alternative to the traditional stormwater system for stormwater management. This study evaluates and optimizes applications of different combinations of LIDs to minimize flows from a catchment under past and future storm conditions. The Storm Water Management Model (SWMM), forced by observed and downscaled precipitation from Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 6 (CMIP6), was used to simulate the runoff and apply the LIDs in the Renton City, WA. The final results show that the performance of LIDs in reducing total runoff volume varies with the types and combinations of LIDs utilized. A 30% to 75% runoff reduction was achieved for the past and future 50 year and 100 year storms. The study demonstrates the effectiveness of LID combinations with conventional stormwater systems to manage the future runoff in the study area, which is expected to increase by 26.3% in 2050.