Measuring performance of low impact development practices for the surface runoff management

Abstract

Continuous urbanization over the last few years has led to the increase in impervious surfaces and stormwater runoff. Low Impact Development (LID) is currently receiving increased attention as a promising strategy for surface runoff management. To analyze the performance of LID practices for surface runoff management, a long-term hydrological modeling from 2001 to 2015 along with a cost-effectiveness analysis were carried out on a campus in Dresden, Germany. Seven LID practices and six precipitation scenarios were designed and simulated in a Storm Water Management Model (SWMM). A cost-effectiveness analysis was conducted by calculating the life-cycle costs and runoff removal rate of LID practices. Results demonstrated that the LID practices significantly contributed to surface runoff mitigation in the study area. The LID performance was primarily affected by the length of the precipitation scenarios and LID implementing schemes. The runoff removal rate of the LID practices fluctuated significantly when the rainfall scenario was shorter than 12 months. When the rainfall scenario exceeded 1 year the effects on the runoff removal rate was constant. The combination of an infiltration trench, permeable pavement, and rain barrel (IT ​+ ​PP ​+ ​RB), was the best runoff control capacity with a removal rate ranging from 23.2% to 27.4%. Whereas, the rain barrel was the most cost-effective LID option with a cost-effectiveness (C/E) ratio ranged from 0.34 to 0.41. The modeling method was improved in this study by conducting long-term hydrological simulations with different durations rather than short-term simulations with single storms. In general, the methods and results of this study provided additional improvements and guidance for decision-making process regarding the implementation of appropriate LID practices.

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