Abstract
Urbanization modifies the natural water cycle particularly by reducing the water storage capacity. We analysed the storage capacity of three stormwater management designs in south-western Finland to demonstrate how an urban catchment releases stormwater and how storage contributes to flood resilience. The analysis relies on EPA SWMM5.1 simulations of water balance for a seven-month period including two extreme rain events during the summer and autumn. The enhanced storage capacity provided by the designs increased resilience against flooding and released stormwater with slower rates leading to reduced peak flows. Even the design with the least storage (10% LID coverage) was efficient at regulating floods due to controlled flow in a vegetated swale, whereas the design with the highest storage capacity (60% LID coverage) demonstrated the possibility of restoring nearly natural water cycle in urban catchments. The study suggests storage capacity can act as a flood resilience indicator directly linked with the physical catchment characteristics.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 587-597 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | Urban Water Journal |
| Volume | 17 |
| Issue number | 7 |
| Early online date | 25 Dec 2019 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 8 Aug 2020 |
| MoE publication type | A1 Journal article-refereed |
Funding
Authors are grateful for the funding from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Finland, the Schlumberger Foundation, and Maa-ja vesitekniikan tuki ry. The study was conducted as a part of the UrbanStormwaterRisk 2016-2019 and EU WaterJPI Multi-scale urban flood forecasting (MUFFIN) projects. Rainfall and discharge data for calibration and validation were provided by Luode Consulting Ltd, Finland. Rainfall data for design simulations came from rain gauge operated by the City of Turku.
Keywords
- catchment resilience
- storage capacity
- Stormwater management designs
- SWMM
