Bioretention systems are best management practices (BMPs) that make use of the biogeochemical processes within a forest-type ecosystem to provide at-source stormwater retention and pollutant removal. Laboratory studies and field monitoring have shown great potential for water quantity and quality control through the use of bioretention, but reported nutrient removal has been inconsistent between these systems. In particular, the processes involved in the cycling of phosphorus within bioretention systems are not clearly understood. Some studies report high phosphorus removal from bioretention systems, while phosphorus leaching was observed in other systems. Phosphorus is a macronutrient required by all forms of life. It is also an important water pollutant, as it controls algal growth in most freshwater environments. High phosphorus loadings to these aquatic ecosystems can lead to eutrophication, which has significant ecological, environmental and economical impacts. The Bioretention Phosphorus Removal Model (BPRM), an event-based one-dimensional finite difference model, was developed to simulate phosphorus removal in bioretention systems. The model includes four completely-mixed layers to simulate hydrologic processes as well as both soluble and particulate phosphorus transport in a bioretention system. Model processes include evapotranspiration, infiltration, overflow, exfiltration to native soils, underdrain discharge, soluble phosphorus sorption and vegetative uptake, and particulate phosphorus capture. Monitoring data collected by the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) at a bioretention system installed on Seneca College’s King City campus, in Ontario, Canada, was used to evaluate the performance of BPRM. The model was found to overestimate total underdrain discharge volumes, but total phosphorus concentration and mass predictions were found to be useful for design purposes. BPRM correctly predicted phosphorus leaching from the Seneca College bioretention system for all storm events considered but one. The model can be used by practitioners to evaluate the potential for phosphorus leaching in a bioretention system. A detailed sensitivity analysis revealed that BPRM phosphorus transport predictions are particularly sensitive to the drainage properties of bioretention soils, which highlights the importance of hydrologic transport processes for water quality control in bioretention systems. Modelling results suggested that soluble phosphorus desorption from bioretention soils was responsible for phosphorus leaching from the Seneca College bioretention system. / Thesis (Master, Civil Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2009-09-25 17:00:03.173

This dissertation focuses on (river) forecasting, but also includes a study on stormwater treatment. Using forecasts for decision-making is complicated by their inherent uncertainty. An interview-based study qualitatively and a survey empirically investigate forecast use in emergency management. Emergency managers perceive uncertainty as a given rather than as a problem. To cope with the uncertainty, decision-makers gather as much information as possible; forecasts are only one piece of information among many. For decision-making, emergency managers say that they rely more on radar than on river forecasting. However, forecasts play an important role in communication with the public, because they are the official interpretation of the situation. Emergency managers can add a lot of value to those forecasts by combining them with local knowledge, but might not do so because of accountability concerns. Forecasts must have value to emergency managers, because those with more work experience rely more on them than those without. Another study further develops the application of quantile regression to generate probabilistic river forecasts. Compared to existing research, this study includes a larger number of river gages; includes more independent variables; and studies longer lead times. Additionally, it is the first to apply this method to the U.S. American context. It was found that the model has to be customized for each river gage for extremely high event thresholds. For other thresholds and across lead times, a one-size-fits-all model suffices. The model performance is robust to the size of the training dataset, but depends on the year, the river gage, lead time and event threshold that are being forecast. An additional study considers the robustness of stormwater management to the amount of runoff. Impervious surfaces, such as roads and parking lots, can increase the amount of runoff and lead to more pollution reaching streams, rivers, and lakes. Best Management Practices (BMPs) reduce the peak discharge into the storm sewer system and remove pollutants such as sediments, phosphorus and nitrogen from the stormwater runoff. Empirically, it is found that BMP effectiveness decreases sooner, steeper and deeper with increasing sizes of storm events than assumed in current computer models.

Pervious concrete pavement has the capacity to perform as two types of infrastructure: a pavement; and a stormwater management solution. It is a low impact development as it does not alter the natural hydrological cycle when implemented, unlike a conventional impermeable pavement. This research represents some of the initial investigations into pervious concrete pavement in Canada. The two research hypotheses of this research were the following: 1. Pervious concrete pavement can be successfully planned, designed, constructed and maintained in Canada for successful performance based on surface evaluations of permeability rate and surface condition. 2. Verification that the subsurface drainage capabilities of pervious concrete pavement are as described in literature and can be quantified using instrumentation. Through monitoring of the design, construction, performance and maintenance of five field sites across Canada and various laboratory pavement slabs, the behaviour of pervious concrete pavement in freeze-thaw conditions has been evaluated. This thesis presents the findings from the various phases of the life cycle of pervious concrete pavement: planning; design; construction; and maintenance. An interpretation of the performance of pervious concrete pavement both from the perspective of the surface and subsurface is included. The various field sites led to pervious concrete being used in areas exposed to static or parked traffic and areas with slow moving traffic. At the two sites that included static and slow moving traffic, the permeability performance was better in the areas of static traffic than those with moving traffic. Each of the field sites had a unique mix design and some had multiple variations of one basic mix design. The relationship between the void content and hardened density of the pervious concrete cores was linear with none of the cores being visually identified as outliers. Substantial deterioration in pavement structure performance was identified at one site. Other field sites showed changes in structural capacity over the monitoring timeline. However, no locations of substantial decreases in structural capacity were identified. The surface condition of the sites over the analysis period indicated that compaction to the surface during construction was helpful in constructing a quality pavement. The results of the project indicated that pervious concrete will crack when joints are not included and may also crack similarly to conventional impermeable concrete pavements if joints are spaced too widely or do not match joints of adjacent pavement. Washing the pervious concrete pavement surface with a large hose or garden hose was found to be the most effective in improving permeability across a site and also in increasing the permeability of the pervious concrete. The initial permeability of the pervious concrete pavement was found to influence future performance. Freeze-thaw cycling and moisture were found to alter the internal structure of pervious concrete. However, did not generally lead to surface distress development. The application of sand as a winter maintenance method decreased the permeability, as did the use of a salt solution. However, neither winter maintenance method led to the permeability rates of laboratory slabs dropping below an acceptable level. All three slabs loaded with a salt solution deteriorated to a point where the slabs had failed. The initial permeability of the field sites proved to be important and although some sites started with what appeared to be very high permeability rates, these sites were successful in the multiple year evaluation in maintaining adequate permeability rates. The types of surface distresses that developed in the cores and slabs in the laboratory were generally not substantially worse at the field sites, suggesting that pedestrian and vehicle traffic do not necessarily escalate distresses caused by the Canadian climate and corresponding winter activities. The subsurface drainage that was quantified by the instrumentation included in three field sites confirmed observations from the surface of the pavement and exceeded other expectations. Two field sites exhibited limited drainage capabilities on the surface of the pervious concrete pavement, one shortly after construction, and the other within a year following construction. The subsurface analysis quantified and confirmed that moisture was not able to drain completely vertically through the pavement structures at these two sites due to the limited access in the pervious concrete pavement surface. In comparison, the subsurface drainage at another site surpassed the assumed behaviour of pervious concrete pavement structures. The pavement structure in general at this site was highly permeable and this was identified as moisture was not observed to be collecting in the bottom of the storage base layer at any time or for any period of time. The successful overall drainage performance of this site demonstrates the ability to effectively use pervious concrete pavement in Canada.

The ability to anticipate and evaluate the combined impacts of urbanization and climate change on streamflow regimes is critical to developing proactive strategies that protect aquatic ecosystems. I developed an interdisciplinary modeling framework to compare and contrast the effectiveness of integrated stormwater management, or its absence, with two regional growth patterns for maintaining streamflow regimes in the context of climate change. In three adjacent urbanizing watersheds in Oregon's Willamette Valley, I conducted a three-step sequence to: 1) simulate land use change under four future development scenarios with the agent-based model Envision; 2) model resultant hydrological change under the recent past and two future climate regimes using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool; and 3) assess scenario impacts on streamflow regimes using 10 ecologically significant flow metrics. I evaluated each scenario in each basin using a flow metric typology based on the magnitude of change in each metric and the degree to which such changes could be mitigated, i.e., insensitive, sensitive and manageable, and sensitive and resistant. My results demonstrated distinct signatures of urbanization and climate change on flow regimes. Urbanization and climate change in isolation led to significant flow alterations in all three basins. Urbanization consistently led to increases in flow regime flashiness and severity of extreme flow events, whereas climate change primarily caused a drying trend. Climate change tended to exacerbate the impacts of urbanization but also mitigated urban impacts on several metrics. The combined impacts of urbanization and climate change caused substantial changes to metric sensitivities, which further differed by basin and climate regime, highlighting the uncertainties of streamflow regime responses to development and the value of spatially explicit modeling that can reveal complex interactions between natural and human systems. Scenario comparisons demonstrated the importance of integrated stormwater management and, secondarily, compact regional growth. My findings reveal the need for regional flow-ecology research that substantiates the ecological significance of each flow metric, develops specific targets for manageable ones, and explores potential remedies for resistant ones. The interdisciplinary modeling framework shows promise as a transferable tool for local watershed management. This dissertation includes previously unpublished co-authored material.

In urban areas stormwater have become a problem due to limited infiltration. Impermeable surfaces such as asphalt covers and buildings cause changes in the flow of water and content of contaminating products, which normally are not processed by sewage treatment works. Instead, the stormwater often drained off to an adjacent watercourse which end in a lake or the sea, in order to limit inundation of streets and cellars in houses. Using vegetated recipients, such as wetlands, tree plantations, grass and herbcovered surfaces is anefficient and economical way to manage stormwaterinflow, which also improves the infiltration and the biodiversity in the area. Green ceilings reduce the formation of stormwater, especially designed ditches are efficient storage at extreme rainfalls and slow down the drainage   In this study, a few different natural retaining and equalisation methods are evaluated and  proposed for the design of an industrial area in Nyköping municipality which is planned to be a residential area. Challenges for the introduction of various natural water systems are that they need land space and relate to the existing buildings and at the same time get a sufficient drainage. Much of the report is based on the requirement in the area of Södermanland county, but also presents expected precipitation rates for the entire country that are essential for optimal water treatment / Dagvattenproblematiken har uppkommit främst genom urbaniseringen där markens naturliga infiltration har begränsats. De hårdgjorda ytor av både asfalt och byggnader har bidragit med både förändringar i flöde och föroreningshalter, som för det mesta inte kan tas om hand i avloppsreningsverken utan leds direkt ut till närmaste vattendrag eller till havet för att minska risken för översvämningar på både gator och källare. Genom att utnyttja det naturliga ekosystemet som exempelvis våtmarker och diken, är det ett billigt, effektivt sätt för att omhänderta dagvattnet samt att det gynnar bildningen av grundvatten samt den biologiska mångfalden. Gröna tak minskar uppkomsten av dagvatten vid källan, svackdiken leder dagvattnet och tillåter en långsam infiltration samt flera olika lösningar på magasinering vid extrem nederbörd.   I denna studie utvärderas ett fåtal olika naturliga fördröjnings- och utjämningsmetoder för att sedan ge ett förslag på utformning av ett industriområde i Nyköpings kommun som ska planläggas för att bli ett bostadsområde. Utmaningar vid införandet av olika naturliga dagvattensystem är behovet av markyta då man måste förhålla sig till de befintliga byggnaderna och samtidigt få en tillräcklig dränering. Mycket i rapporten utgår från Södermanlands län men tar även upp förväntade nederbördsmängder för hela landet som är väsentligt för ett optimalt dagvattenarbete.

Les problèmes croissants posés par la gestion de l'eau en ville ont entraîné ces dernières décennies la structuration d'une expertise en hydrologie urbaine, dont l'objectif est de résoudre les problèmes d'inondations et les dommages environnementaux provoqués par le ruissellement urbain. Cette expertise s'est appuyée sur le développement de coopérations étroites entre des scientifiques et des praticiens des collectivités territoriales, qui ont donné naissance dans les années quatre-vingt-dix, sur les territoires du Grand Lyon, de Nantes Métropole et de la région parisienne, à des formes institutionnelles inédites : les observatoires d'hydrologie urbaine. Ce travail de recherche analyse la constitution de ces dispositifs de production de connaissances en réalisant une socio-histoire de ces collaborations depuis les années soixante-dix. Celle-ci montre comment la structuration des observatoires est déterminée par leur contexte d'origine et le poids de cet héritage sur leurs logiques de fonctionnement actuelles. La trajectoire de chaque observatoire traduit à la fois une histoire singulière et l'existence de « points de passages obligés » empruntés par les trois entités. L'enquête saisit les formes d'organisation particulières des observatoires, la façon dont ils construisent leur double légitimité (dans le champ académique et en s'appuyant sur une demande sociale), l'ambiguïté de leur rapport au politique et les stratégies déployées pour asseoir leur pérennité. Nous questionnons également les modes de production de la science lorsque cette dernière participe à la construction des problèmes et à leur représentation. Cette sociologie de l'expertise est un point de départ à l'analyse des processus d'innovation à l'œuvre dans la gestion des eaux pluviales. Nous mettons en lumière le modèle d'innovation précautionneux induit par cette configuration d'acteurs, qui assigne aux observatoires un rôle d'évaluation et de régulation des pratiques dans un contexte de changement de paradigme de la gestion des eaux urbaines. Une démarche comparative permet de singulariser ce modèle : l'enquête a été élargie à deux terrains témoins « sans observatoire », Rennes Métropole et la communauté d'agglomération du Douaisis, qui présentent un modèle d'innovation plus radical et donnent à voir d'autres conceptions du changement. À travers l'exemple de la communauté scientifique et technique de l'hydrologie urbaine, nous interrogeons ce que produisent ces nouveaux modes d'intervention scientifique et la manière dont ils réorganisent les rapports entre science, technique et politique. L'altérité apportée par les terrains témoins révèle aussi d'autres façons d'envisager « l'agir dans un monde incertain » et de faire face aux risques qui marquent cette politique environnementale en construction / The growing problems regarding urban water management have been accompanied in the past decades with the emergence of an expertise in urban hydrology, which aims at solving flooding problems and environmental damage caused by urban runoff. This expertise, which involves close cooperation between scientists and practitioners from local authorities, originated in the early nineties with the advent of observatories of urban hydrology in the metropolitan areas of Lyon and Nantes, as well as in the Paris region. This research analyzes the constitution of these organizations by conducting a socio- history of the collaborations since the 1970s. It emphasizes how the structuring of these observatories has evolved from their original contexts, and how the impact of these origins has shaped their current operating logistics. While each of these three observatories has a unique history, they share common features and have undergone similar obligatory main steps. The inquiry captures how the respective observatories have sought a double legitimacy (in the academic field as well as in meeting the demands of societal needs). It also shows the ambiguity of their relationship to politics and their strategies to assure their sustainability. We question too the way science is produced because in this instance, it is participating in dealing with problems while also representing them to the public. The sociology of expertise is a starting point for analyzing the innovation process regarding stormwater management. We bring to light a cautious model of innovation by which scientists assign to the observatories the primary roles of evaluation and regulatory practices in the context of paradigm shift of urban water management. A comparative approach permits characterizing this model. The research includes two additional sites that lack observatories: the Rennes metropolitan region and the Le Douaisis agglomerated community, which present a more radical approach to innovation that reveals other concepts of change. Through the example of the scientific and technical community of urban hydrology, we question what these new modes of scientific intervention produce, and the manner by which they re-shape the relationships between science, technology and policy. The alternate perspectives brought by the different cities also reveal other ways for envisioning "acting in an uncertain world" and for dealing with the inherent risks of this emerging environmental policy

This document includes three completed publications to represent Urban Agriculture as a ideal solution to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The first publication (Weaver, 2017a) provided in Chapter Two examines the stormwater Best Management Practices (BMP) modelling parameters for the current EPA Stormwater Management Model (SWMM) as the first step to developing Urban Agriculture BMPs. The second publication (Weaver, 2015) provided in Chapter Three highlights how many high-rated scholars have identified agriculture as a critical driver for the planetary systems impacts we find with community development. The third publication (Weaver, 2017b) provided in Chapter Four breaks down a completely new definition for Urban Agriculture, as the foundational works disagree on meaning, resulting in an ambiguous definition. Together, these publications encourage engineers to model Sustainable Development options with green infrastructure (Weaver, 2017a), distinct from the Planetary Systems impacts of other contemporary options (Weaver, 2015), with a greater understanding of the social capital to engage stakeholders in meeting the UN Sustainable Development Goals (Weaver, 2017b).

Flooding from extreme rainfall is already taking place today in Sweden's urban areas. In order tocreate sustainable stormwater management that reduces the risk of flooding, various factorsshould be taken into account such as the choice of method for management. Bottlenecks in thestormwater system mean wells with undersized outlet pipes. A bottleneck area in Bollnäs urbanarea has already caused flooding. The aim of this study is to investigate if there are more similarareas and to contribute to sustainable stormwater management for Helsinge Vatten. Themethods chosen for the study were a literature study and a case study with simulation andcalculations. The literature study was conducted to see how stormwater is handled and what theclimate looks like. The case study was conducted to evaluate the flows that occur during heavyrains. In the case study, a terrain model was first made that showed drainage directions andwater dividers. The calculations in the case study were based on the rational method forcalculating design flow. The climate is changing and as the temperature rises, so does therainfall. The risk of extreme weather increases as the annual average temperature rises and aglobal increase in rainfall intensities has occurred. In Bollnäs, the annual average temperaturehas risen since the measurements began in 1969. In the future, the average temperature can beexpected to rise to 3-5 degrees until the end of the century in Gävleborg. In heavy rain, floodscan occur, they are called pluvial floods and can cause major damage to properties and roads,among other things. There are many methods for developing and making the stormwatersystem more sustainable. Among other things, there is something called blue-greeninfrastructure and this involves green surfaces in the management of stormwater. There, forexample, the water is allowed to infiltrate, evapotranspire or slowly pass on into the system.These solutions also have other benefits, they meet several social needs and can bring ecosystemservices. After the simulation that was carried out, 37 catchment areas could be observed andcalculations for design flow were made based on, among other things, the area in thesecatchment areas. Sustainable stormwater management can be introduced in Bollnäs urban area,when new guidelines and greater cooperation between Helsinge vatten and Bollnäs municipalityare needed. Sustainable stormwater management could reduce the risk of floods in bottlenecks.However, it is not possible to locate any bottlenecks in Bollnäs urban area due to missinginformation about the storm sewers in Bollnäs urban area. More studies would be needed tolocate bottlenecks. / Översvämningar från extrem nederbörd sker redan idag i Sveriges tätorter. För att skapa hållbardagvattenhantering som minskar översvämningsrisken bör olika faktorer tas i beaktning somexempelvis val av metod. Flaskhalsar i dagvattensystemet innebär brunnar medunderdimensionerade utloppsledningar. Ett flaskhalsområde i Bollnäs tätort har redan orsakatöversvämningar. Detta arbete går ut på att undersöka om det finns fler liknande områden ochbidra till hållbar dagvattenhantering för Helsinge Vatten. Metoderna som valdes för arbetet varen litteraturstudie och en fallstudie med simulering och beräkningar. Litteraturstudiengenomfördes för att se hur dagvatten hanteras och hur klimatet ser ut. Fallstudien genomfördesför att utvärdera vilka flöden som uppkommer vid kraftiga regn. I fallstudien gjordes först enterrängmodell som visade dräneringsriktningar och vattendelare. Beräkningarna i fallstudienutgick från rationella metoden för beräkning av dimensionerande flöde. Klimatet förändras ochnär temperaturen stiger så stiger också nederbörden. Risken för extremväder ökar till följd avatt årsmedeltemperaturen ökar och en global ökning av nederbördsintensiteter har skett. IBollnäs har årsmedeltemperaturen ökat sedan mätningarna började 1969. I framtiden kanmedeltemperaturen väntas öka upp mot 3-5 grader fram till slutet av seklet i Gävleborg. Vidkraftiga regn kan översvämningar uppstå, de kallas pluviala översvämningar och kan orsaka storaskador på bland annat fastigheter och vägar. Det finns många metoder för att utveckla och göradagvattensystemet mer hållbart. Bland annat finns det något som kallas blågrön infrastruktur (BGI) och detta involverar gröna ytor i hanteringen av dagvatten. Där får vattnet till exempelinfiltrera, evapotranspirera eller långsamt ledas vidare i systemet. Dessa lösningar har ocksåandra fördelar, de tillgodoser flera sociala behov och kan medföra ekosystemtjänster. Efter densimulering som utfördes kunde 37 avrinningsområden observeras och beräkningar fördimensionerande flöde gjordes utifrån bland annat arean på dessa områden. I Bollnäs tätort kanhållbar dagvattenhantering införas, då behövs nya riktlinjer och ett större samarbete mellanHelsinge Vatten och Bollnäs kommun. Hållbar dagvattenhantering skulle kunna minska riskenför översvämningar vid flaskhalsar. Däremot går det inte att lokalisera några flaskhalsar i Bollnästätort på grund av saknad information om dagvattenledningarna i Bollnäs tätort. Fler studierskulle behövas för att lokalisera flaskhalsar.

The Mulden-Rigolen system, a new urban stormwater management system implemented in Germany, has been examined in this study. The aim of this new system is to replace traditional sewer system for urban road runoff, by infiltrating the incoming water locally through a dual underground system: an active top soil layer and a deeper trench of packed gravel. For each site using this system, the characteristics of the soils in terms of pH, texture, organic matter, infiltration rate as well as Heavy Metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Zn) and Phosphorus soil concentrations were successfully determined. The measured values for the soil characteristics were still, after an operation time of up to 15 years for some sites, globally in the range of the recommendation of the German Association for Water, Wastewater and Waste, except for organic matter in some sites, suggesting the need for a more cautious maintenance. Concerning heavy metals and phosphorus content, no alarming soil contamination was observed indicating that the studied “Mulden-Rigolen” systems were still acceptable in terms of soil pollution after several years of use, according to the Danish standards. If this system seemed to have a good flexibility and adaptability to different urban land uses, its treatment efficiency still has to be fully assessed. Indeed, only a primary evaluation of its performance war carried out through a simplistic model which brought up some questions about pollutant retention (especially in case of Zn). Further research (intact soil columns experiments, sequential extractions, on-site runoff sampling) would be necessary to fully determine how well this system works in terms of water treatment.

ABSTRACT: Umeå has had its troubles with flooding over the years. This study aims to describe and analyze flooding and stormwater management in the municipality of Umeå in Sweden. How the municipality is handling the responsibility to minimize the risk of flooding in problem areas and how they are planning to prevent flooding with stormwater management methods in both old and new districts of the city. With information gathered from the municipality itself and from other reports and websites of worth, I have compared the results I’ve gotten partly from my own field visits in the areas that are being planned for changes and partly from other reports. With that said, this study is a descriptive study with a focus on comparisons.