Stormwater Management Criteria for On-Site Pollution Control: A Comparative Assessment of International Practices

Abstract

Over the last decade, a growing interest has been shown toward innovative stormwater management practices, breaking away from conventional "end of pipe" approaches (based on conveying water offsite to centralized detention facilities). Innovative strategies, referred to as sustainable urban drainage systems, low impact development (LID) or green infrastructures, advocating for management of runoff as close to its origin as possible, have therefore gained a lot of popularity among practitioners and public authorities. However, while the need for pollution control is generally well accepted, there is no wide agreement about management criteria to be given to developers. This article hence aims to compare these criteria through literature analysis of different state or local stormwater management manuals or guidelines, investigating both their suitability for pollution control and their influence on best management practices selection and design. Four categories of criteria were identified: flow-rate limitations, "water quality volumes" (to be treated), volume reduction (through infiltration or evapotranspiration), and non-hydrologic criteria (such as loads reduction targets or maximum effluent concentrations). This study suggests that hydrologic criteria based on volume reduction (rather than treatment) might generally be preferable for on-site control of diffuse stormwater pollution. Nonetheless, determination of an appropriate management approach for a specific site is generally not straightforward and presents a variety of challenges for site designers seeking to satisfy local requirements in addressing stormwater quantity and quality issues. The adoption of efficient LID solution may therefore strongly depend on the guidance given to practitioners to account for these management criteria.

Co-Design of Engineered Hyporheic Zones to Improve In-Stream Stormwater Treatment and Facilitate Regulatory Approval

“…The International Stormwater BMP Database, the Washington Department of Ecology, and the New Jersey Corporation for Advanced Technology were all cited as influential regulatory gatekeepers, along with regional and state water quality regulators. These results align with literature showing that in most countries, local stormwater agencies simply adopt regional or national stormwater guidelines [45]. One larger municipal stormwater agency expressed willingness to pioneer new and improved technologies without waiting for blanket regulatory approval (i.e., inclusion in a widely used stormwater BMP manual), and others echoed this sentiment when they need to meet concentration or load limits at specific sites.…”

“…Water quality is defined differently by various respondents: standards can be volume-based, concentration-based, or load-based depending on local regulations. Such variety is not unique to the United States, as the European Union member states and other countries also feature a mixture of flow-based, volume-based, and concentration-based stormwater standards [45]. For example, some respondents would judge a new technology by its ability to achieve 80% total suspended solids removal during field trials (i.e., concentration-based), while others consider an assumed level of total suspended solids removal indirectly through an established detention time for a design storm (i.e., volume-based).…”

“…Moore et al [45] highlight the need to understand how BMP designs influence performance; Roseen et al [50] showed modest declines in winter performance for most BMPs; Blecken et al [51] recommend conservative crediting and design factors of safety to account for uncertainty.…”

(Lid) Praksa: Upotreba Propusnih Materijala U Urbanim Delovima Novog Sada

“…The most commonly applied permeable materials in urban conditions are varieties of permeable asphalt, concrete, and interlocking pavers. Porous asphalt and concrete mixes are similar to their impervious counterparts, but do not include the finer grade particles [10]. Porous asphalt consists of standard bituminous asphalt in which the fines have been screened and reduced, allowing water to pass through very small voids.…”

“…Permeable pavers are interlocking units (often concrete) with openings that can be filled with a pervious material such as gravel. Reinforced turf consists of interlocking structural units with openings that can be filled with soil for the growth of turf grass [10,11]. All of this material systems are suitable for parking lots, walkways, sidewalks, basketball courts, and playgrounds.…”