Urban Hydrology and Sustainable Drainage System

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Urban Water Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2023) | Viewed by 14576

Special Issue Editors

Department Environment & Energy Engineering, Beijing University, Beijing, China
Interests: stormwater management, stormwater control and utilization; urban drainage; water environment modeling
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA
Interests: water quality modeling in aquatic systems; lakes; water quality monitoring; climate change impacts; ecological modeling; fish habitat modeling; eutrophication; surface hydrology; hydrological modeling and analysis; stormwater management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are seeking papers on the topic of “Urban Hydrology and Sustainable Drainage System”. Urban sustainable drainage systems include a collection of stormwater management practices/systems that mimic natural rainfall-runoff processes in natural lands; the urban runoff drainage is in a healthy condition, both for runoff quantity and water quality. The combination of source control (e.g., low impact development, LID), pipe/channel drainage, and major drainage system for flood control is recommended for a sustainable city.

Urban hydrology is the application of hydrologic principles and knowledge to the planning and management of urban areas and their surroundings. It can be used to design, plan, evaluate, model various sustainable drainage practices and systems in urban areas.

For runoff quantity, excessive stormwater runoff may cause urban local floods in various situations. For example, the water level of receiving waterbody is too high that runoff can not drain to the waterbody smoothly. Timely urban flood forecasting is vital to urban flood controlling and emergent rescue. Therefore, models used for flood forecasting have to be as prompt and accurate as possible.

For water quality, controlling combined sewer overflow pollution is very important to urban water quality. The monitoring and modeling techniques need to be researched. This Special Issue invites the submission of original research papers or review papers covering the latest findings and progresses in this field. Topics of interest include but are not limited to the following: urban rainfall runoff; urbanization and water cycle; sustainable drainage system (SUDS); low-impact development (LID); soil percolation and bio-filtration; major drainage system; urban flood forecasting; urban flood controlling; urban non-point source pollution; combined sewer overflow pollution. Contributions related to controlling urban floods by applying intelligent techniques will also be highly welcomed. Original research papers or critical reviews are encouraged.

Prof. Dr. Yongwei Gong
Prof. Dr. Xing Fang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Water is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • urban rainfall runoff
  • urbanization and water cycle
  • low-impact development (LID)
  • major drainage system
  • urban flood forecasting
  • urban flood controlling
  • urban non-point source pollution
  • combined sewer overflow pollution

Published Papers (9 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

17 pages, 8181 KiB  
Article
A Proposed Method for Calculating the Rainfall Threshold Based on the Multi-Method to Provide Heavy Rain Disaster Impact Information
by Dong Ho Kang, Dong Ho Nam, Young Seok Song and Byung Sik Kim
Water 2023, 15(19), 3366; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15193366 - 25 Sep 2023
Viewed by 884
Abstract
Recently, Korea has been affected by various disasters caused by climate change and the resulting changes in weather, which have been taking an increasing toll on the country. A review of weather phenomena and their socioeconomic impact identified weather disasters as one of [...] Read more.
Recently, Korea has been affected by various disasters caused by climate change and the resulting changes in weather, which have been taking an increasing toll on the country. A review of weather phenomena and their socioeconomic impact identified weather disasters as one of the most damaging categories of disasters. As such, this study suggests a method for calculating the rainfall threshold to predict the impact of heavy rain. In order to calculate the rainfall threshold based on the multi-method, the entire territory of South Korea was divided into 1 km by 1 km grids, and a method for calculating the rainfall threshold was proposed by grouping them into four categories: standard watershed, urban areas, rivers, and inundation traces. This study attempted to verify the results of the rainfall threshold in standard watersheds and urban areas. The results were verified using the data from events during the heavy rain in Seoul in 2022 and 2018, the heavy rain in Busan in 2020, and Typhoon Mitag in October 2019. As a result of the verification and calculation, a rainfall threshold was found on the grid where the actual flooding damage occurred in Busan, where heavy rain caused a large amount of urban flooding in July 2020. The application of the rainfall threshold on the grid caused enough damage to flood vehicles. After this application, it was found that flooding of more than 0.2 m affected vehicles. During early September in the Gangneung grid, flooding damage was caused by Typhoon Haishen, which affected traffic. In this damaged grid, it was also found that flooding of more than 0.2 m occurred according to the rainfall impact limit. In this study, since there were no quantitative data, verification was performed using qualitative data such as news and SNS. Therefore, quantitative verification methods using flooding sensors and CCTVs need to be carried out in the future. After verification using qualitative data, we found that the time when the actual flooding damage occurred and the flooding patterns were well ascertained. The rainfall threshold calculation method and the rainfall prediction information developed in this study are expected to be applicable to impact forecasting, which can provide people affected by heavy rainfall with information on how the rainfall will affect them, as well as simple rainfall forecasts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Hydrology and Sustainable Drainage System)
Show Figures

Figure 1

23 pages, 14116 KiB  
Article
Prediction of Future Urban Rainfall and Waterlogging Scenarios Based on CMIP6: A Case Study of Beijing Urban Area
by Yiwen Wang, Zhiming Zhang, Zhiyong Zhao, Thomas Sagris and Yang Wang
Water 2023, 15(11), 2045; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15112045 - 28 May 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1683
Abstract
Extreme weather events will become more frequent and severe as a result of climate change, necessitating an immediate need for cities to adapt to future climate change. Therefore, the prediction of future precipitation and waterlogging is of utmost importance. Using Beijing as an [...] Read more.
Extreme weather events will become more frequent and severe as a result of climate change, necessitating an immediate need for cities to adapt to future climate change. Therefore, the prediction of future precipitation and waterlogging is of utmost importance. Using Beijing as an example, the simulation capability of different models was evaluated, and the optimal model for the study area was screened using Taylor diagrams and interannual variability scores, along with actual monthly precipitation data from Chinese weather stations from 1994 to 2014 and historical monthly precipitation data from 10 coupled models from Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6). The SWMM model was then used to simulate future rainfall and waterlogging scenarios for the study area using precipitation forecast data for 2020–2050 from the best model to investigate the impact of climate change on future rainfall and waterlogging in urban areas. CMIP6 brings together the most recent simulation data from major climate models on a global scale, providing a broader and more diverse range of model results and thereby making future predictions more accurate and dependable, and its findings provide a theoretical foundation for the emergency management of and scientific responses to urban flooding events. The following major conclusions were reached: 1. The best-performing models are EC-Earth3, GFDL-ESM4, and MPI- ESM1-2-HR. EC-Earth3 is a modular Earth system model developed collaboratively by a European consortium. MPI-ESM1-2 is a climate precipitation prediction model developed in Germany and promoted for global application, whereas the GFDL-ESM4 model was developed in the United States and is currently employed for global climate precipitation simulations. 2. Under future climate circumstances, the total annual precipitation in the example region simulated by all three models increases by a maximum of 40%. 3. Under future climatic conditions, urban surface runoff and nodal overflow in the study area will be more significant. The node overflow will become more severe with the increase in climate scenario oppression, and the potential overflow nodes will account for 1.5%, 2.7%, and 2.9% of the total number of nodes under the SSP1–2.6, SSP2–4.5, and SSP5–8.5 scenarios, respectively. 4. In the future, the effectiveness of stormwater drainage systems may diminish. To increase climate change resilience, the impacts of climate change should be considered when planning the scope of stormwater optimization and the integrated improvement of gray–green–blue facilities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Hydrology and Sustainable Drainage System)
Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 4630 KiB  
Article
Adaptation of SWAT Watershed Model for Stormwater Management in Urban Catchments: Case Study in Austin, Texas
by Roger Glick, Jaehak Jeong, Raghavan Srinivasan, Jeffrey G. Arnold and Younggu Her
Water 2023, 15(9), 1770; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15091770 - 05 May 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1947
Abstract
Computer simulation models are a useful tool in planning, enabling reliable yet affordable what-if scenario analysis. Many simulation models have been proposed and used for urban planning and management. Still, there are a few modeling options available for the purpose of evaluating the [...] Read more.
Computer simulation models are a useful tool in planning, enabling reliable yet affordable what-if scenario analysis. Many simulation models have been proposed and used for urban planning and management. Still, there are a few modeling options available for the purpose of evaluating the effects of various stormwater control measures (SCM), including LID (low-impact development) controls (green roof, rain garden, porous pavement, rainwater harvesting), upland off-line controls (sedimentation, filtration, retention–irrigation) and online controls (detention, wet pond). We explored the utility and potential of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) as a modeling tool for urban stormwater planning and management. This study demonstrates how the hydrologic modeling strategies of SWAT and recent enhancements could help to develop efficient measures for solving urban stormwater issues. The case studies presented in this paper focus on urban watersheds in the City of Austin (COA), TX, where rapid urbanization and population growth have put pressure on the urban stormwater system. Using the enhanced SWAT, COA developed a framework to assess the impacts on erosion, flooding, and aquatic life due to changes in runoff characteristics associated with land use changes. Five catchments in Austin were modeled to test the validity of the SWAT enhancements and the analytical framework. These case studies demonstrate the efficacy of using SWAT and the COA framework to evaluate the impacts of changes in hydrology and the effects of different regulatory schemes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Hydrology and Sustainable Drainage System)
Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 3702 KiB  
Article
Analysis of Surrogate Physicochemical Parameters for Studying Heavy Metal Pollution in Urban Road Runoff
by Vicente Jiménez-Fernández, Joaquín Suárez-López and Carlos Alfonso Zafra-Mejía
Water 2023, 15(1), 85; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15010085 - 27 Dec 2022
Viewed by 1540
Abstract
The pollution associated with road runoff water can generate significant impacts on the receiving natural environment due to the significant masses mobilized under certain climate, morphological, and anthropic conditions. The aim of this paper is to show an analysis of the possible surrogate [...] Read more.
The pollution associated with road runoff water can generate significant impacts on the receiving natural environment due to the significant masses mobilized under certain climate, morphological, and anthropic conditions. The aim of this paper is to show an analysis of the possible surrogate conventional physicochemical parameters of pollution by heavy metals (HMs) in urban road runoff. The best surrogate physicochemical parameters are detected by a differentiated analysis between the HM concentrations (Fe, Al, As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cu, Cr, Mn, Hg, Ni, Pb, V, and Zn) in the total, particulate, and dissolved fractions. This analysis is also performed under two scenarios of runoff event energy according to the mobilized TSS load. The results suggested that it was easier to detect surrogate parameters for total HM concentrations during higher-energy runoff events. The outcomes hinted that regardless of the runoff event energy, it was easier to detect conventional surrogate parameters for the particulate HM concentration compared to the dissolved HM concentration. The findings showed for total HM concentration that the best surrogate parameter during higher-energy runoff events was TSS. The best surrogate HM during these runoff events was Fe. The results also suggested that HMs with high percentages of association with the particulate fraction (>70%) of road runoff were the best surrogates for the other HMs under study. For lower-energy runoff events, the best surrogate parameter was VSS, although TSS also showed good behavior. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Hydrology and Sustainable Drainage System)
Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 1319 KiB  
Article
Physiological Response of Two Typical Plant Species under Combined Pb and Cd Stress in Bioretention Facilities
by Yongwei Gong, Xiaoxiao Lu, Zhihua Zhou, Zhuolun Li and Yanhong Li
Water 2022, 14(23), 3923; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14233923 - 02 Dec 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1098
Abstract
Bioretention facilities reduce stormwater runoff and pollutants, but there is a concern that plants in bioretention facilities may absorb heavy metal pollutants from stormwater runoff, which might impair the growth of the plant species. To investigate this issue, stormwater runoff containing various amounts [...] Read more.
Bioretention facilities reduce stormwater runoff and pollutants, but there is a concern that plants in bioretention facilities may absorb heavy metal pollutants from stormwater runoff, which might impair the growth of the plant species. To investigate this issue, stormwater runoff containing various amounts of Pb and Cd heavy metals was used as the irrigation water in a bioretention facility. The low concentrations of Pb and Cd were 0.08 and 0.04 mg/L, and the high values were 0.68 and 0.32 mg/L. The plant heavy metal content and physiological indicators were measured. The indicators were chlorophyll content (CC), net photosynthetic rate (NPR), and transpiration rate (TR). The results showed that the changes in plant chlorophyll content (CC) were highly correlated with changes in the plants’ Pb. Low concentrations of Pb and Cd slightly inhibited the Ginkgo biloba L. and Ligustrum × vicaryi NPRs, the effect was more obvious at high concentrations and the Ligustrum × vicaryi’s NPR decreased from the initial 8.97 μmol CO2/(m2s) to 5.77 μmol CO2/(m2s) under high concentration conditions. Pb and Cd increased the Ginkgo biloba L. and Ligustrum × vicaryi’s TRs, and the effect at low Pb and Cd concentrations was more significant. Under low concentrations of Pb and Cd stress, the Ginkgo biloba L.’s TRs reached 0.63 mmol H2O/(m2s), Ligustrum × vicaryi’s TRs reached 1.30 mmol H2O/(m2s). The TRs of the two plants in the experimental groups remained high throughout the experiment, and there was no significant inhibition. The study found that Pb and Cd in stormwater runoff did affect the physiological function of species to some extent. Different plant species behaved differently in bioretention facilities, but the stormwater runoff did not lead to the death of species. Our study may provide a better understanding of the development of typical plant species in bioretention facilities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Hydrology and Sustainable Drainage System)
Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 2489 KiB  
Article
Analysis of Thermal Pollution Reduction Efficiency of Bioretention in Stormwater Runoff under Different Rainfall Conditions
by Junqi Li, Jing Li, Xiaojing Li and Zimu Li
Water 2022, 14(21), 3546; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14213546 - 04 Nov 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1824
Abstract
The thermal pollution of stormwater runoff is an important factor in the degradation of the urban water environment. Bioretention is an effective way to control the thermal pollution of stormwater runoff. To understand the influence of different rainfall conditions on the reduction of [...] Read more.
The thermal pollution of stormwater runoff is an important factor in the degradation of the urban water environment. Bioretention is an effective way to control the thermal pollution of stormwater runoff. To understand the influence of different rainfall conditions on the reduction of thermal pollution load of rainwater runoff from bioretention facilities and the correlation between the parameters, an experimental study was carried out by using the Beijing P&C rainfall pattern to change the rainfall parameters. By proposing innovative evaluation index parameters and analysis methods, the correlation between different parameters was quantified. The results showed that the heat pollution load reduction rate (HR) had a strong negative correlation with rainfall inflow volume (IV), rainfall duration (RD), and the service area ratio of bioretention facilities (CAR), and the correlation coefficients were −0.95, −0.73, and −0.73, respectively. HR was weakly correlated with rainfall return period (RP), rainfall temperature (RT), and air temperature (At) during the experiment, and the correlation coefficients were −0.29, 0.20, and 0.20, respectively. The delay between the peak value of heat output from the bioretention and the peak value of heat input from rainfall was about 10 min. Through the research on the change of rainwater heat entering and exiting the facility, we can master some rules of heat reduction in bioretention facilities, which will provide a reference for subsequent research on the difference between the internal heat change and bioretention temperature change. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Hydrology and Sustainable Drainage System)
Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 2738 KiB  
Article
Study on Location Decision of Multi-Functional Rainwater Storage Space in High-Density Built-Up Area
by Jiayue Jing, Zhiming Zhang and Junqi Li
Water 2022, 14(21), 3460; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14213460 - 29 Oct 2022
Viewed by 1127
Abstract
Multi-functional rainwater storage space is a practical solution to flood and runoff pollution in high-density built-up areas. This study presents a location decision method to improve the control effect of total runoff volume, runoff peak flow, and runoff pollution. The results show that [...] Read more.
Multi-functional rainwater storage space is a practical solution to flood and runoff pollution in high-density built-up areas. This study presents a location decision method to improve the control effect of total runoff volume, runoff peak flow, and runoff pollution. The results show that this method can accurately and quickly screen available locations for multi-functional rainwater storage space and prioritize them as optimum, suitable, less suitable, unsuitable, and not available for construction. In the case of this study, greening the road can achieve a better effect on runoff control. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Hydrology and Sustainable Drainage System)
Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 16712 KiB  
Article
Research on the Comprehensive Regulation Method of Combined Sewer Overflow Based on Synchronous Monitoring—A Case Study
by Lei Yu, Yulin Yan, Xingyao Pan, Simin Yang, Jiaming Liu, Moyuan Yang and Qingyi Meng
Water 2022, 14(19), 3067; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14193067 - 29 Sep 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1435
Abstract
Combined sewer overflow pollution has gradually become the limiting factor for the further improvement of river water quality during rain events. Setting up a comprehensive regulation method based on synchronous monitoring is essential for combined sewer overflow management. However, current studies mainly focus [...] Read more.
Combined sewer overflow pollution has gradually become the limiting factor for the further improvement of river water quality during rain events. Setting up a comprehensive regulation method based on synchronous monitoring is essential for combined sewer overflow management. However, current studies mainly focus on single monitoring and lack a correlation between control objectives and control effects. This study establishes a new aspect of a comprehensive regulation and control method based on overflow characteristic analysis, a calculation model, and control target determination. Through synchronous monitoring of the pipe network, the sewage treatment plant, and the river course in the Liangshui River basin of China, rainfall thresholds of outlets in a combined pipe network, pre-treatment overflow, and simple-treatment overflow were 14, 9, and 16 mm, respectively, and the overflow volume was positively correlated with the rainfall. The COD (chemical oxygen demand) concentration from the pre-treatment overflow was much higher than that from the combined pipe network, and the EMC (event mean concentration) in heavy rain was higher than in rainstorms. The shortest time exceeding the water quality by overflow pollution was 1 h, and the longest time was more than 7 days. Overflow load proportions of the three links were 43.4%, 32.8%, and 23.8%, accounting for 66.3% of the total pollutant load of the river, and the best scheme of input–output ratio was to regulate the first three outlets of overflow load. Our results provide comprehensive guidance and a systematic approach for the monitoring and control of combined sewer overflow. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Hydrology and Sustainable Drainage System)
Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 4883 KiB  
Article
The Multi-Objective Optimization of Low-Impact Development Facilities in Shallow Mountainous Areas Using Genetic Algorithms
by Huiyi Sun, Yuxiang Dong, Yue Lai, Xuanyin Li, Xiaoyu Ge and Chensong Lin
Water 2022, 14(19), 2986; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14192986 - 23 Sep 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1631
Abstract
From the perspective of whole-area sponge city construction, it is important to scientifically determine the layout plan of LID facilities for controlling urban rainfall and flooding problems, given the topographical features and rainfall runoff characteristics of shallow urban mountainous areas. Current research on [...] Read more.
From the perspective of whole-area sponge city construction, it is important to scientifically determine the layout plan of LID facilities for controlling urban rainfall and flooding problems, given the topographical features and rainfall runoff characteristics of shallow urban mountainous areas. Current research on the optimization of low-impact development facilities is limited to the central urban area level, with insufficient research on shallow urban mountainous areas, and there is great uncertainty in the layout of LID facilities when multiple objectives are considered. Therefore, this paper applied a genetic algorithm (NSGA-II) to optimize the layout scheme of LID facilities. Multiple objectives of the peak runoff abatement rate, cost, and land area were selected as the optimization objectives, and the optimized results were ranked using the EWM-TOPSIS and VCWM-TOPSIS methods. The 2nd Hebei Provincial Garden Flower Expo (Qinhuangdao) Park was used as the research object for the optimization design. The results showed that, under the premise of water safety, the lowest cost priority was given to the LID facility with a 15.49% share, 99.43% peak runoff reduction rate, and a cost of CNY 1.215 × 107; the lowest area priority was given to the LID facility with a 15.25% share, 99.42% peak runoff reduction rate, and a cost of CNY 1.267 × 107. The EWM-TOPSIS method was also used to obtain the best optimized solution with 16.18% LID facilities, 99.64% peak runoff abatement rate, and a cost of CNY 1.26 × 107, and the worst optimized solution with 12.55% LID facilities, 97.91% peak runoff abatement rate, and a cost of CNY 1.061 × 107. The decision results under different decision-maker preferences were obtained by the VCWM-TOPSIS method. This study showed that the combination of a genetic algorithm and TOPSIS can optimize the layout of LID facilities in shallow mountainous areas more scientifically and efficiently compared to the actual construction plan for building a sponge city. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Hydrology and Sustainable Drainage System)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop