Developments that have been taking place on Cal Poly campus over the years have altered the natural hydrology of the area. Stormwater management practices could help reduce the impacts of these developments. Computer models can help to design effective and economical stormwater management solutions at a watershed scale. As such, the objective of this study was to develop a stormwater management model for Cal Poly campus. The model was developed based on the utility data obtained from the university and other watershed data available from open sources. Field surveys were conducted to address some anomalies in the utility data, and streamflow monitoring was performed. The model was calibrated using the streamflow data measured during this study. The calibration effort significantly improved the prediction accuracy of the model. The calibrated model was then used to analyze the hydrologic performance of implementing LID systems for two projects that Cal Poly plans to build. Permeable Pavements (PPs) and Bioretention Cells (BRCs) were the LID types examined. The LIDs were evaluated based on peak flow and runoff volume reductions they would achieve. The potential reductions were compared for current conditions and the proposed project if LIDs were implemented, and for inflows to the LIDs and outflows from the LIDs. The results indicate that implementing a PP system for the proposed student apartment at the current H-1 and R-1 parking lots and a BRC system for the proposed engineering project facilities at the current H-2 parking lots will significantly reduce peak flow and runoff volume. Overall, the developed model will help the university with the traditional stormwater management practices such as flood control and to identify effective LID practices for future developments. Limitations of the current model and recommendations on how to improve the model are also discussed.

The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change establishes design criteria for the sizing of Low Impact Development (LID) practices in the province of Ontario. The current sizing standards are based on the concept of the 90th percentile storm and require LIDs to provide enough storage capacity to store catchment runoff from a 25 mm rainfall event. The notion of 90th percentile storm means that 90% of all rainfall events have event volumes below a 25 mm rainfall event. This research examines the performance and cost of infiltration trenches and bioretention cells sized for alternative sizing standards ranging from 5–50 mm. Analytical probabilistic equations are used to determine the runoff reduction rates of infiltration trenches and bioretention cells, while the Sustainable Technologies Evaluation Program (STEP)’s LID Practices Costing Tool is used to estimate the overall cost of each LID. The costs are used to create a ratio denoted the fraction of maximum cost by dividing each cost by the cost of the 50 mm sized LID to receive a unitless ratio. This ratio is compared with the runoff reduction rates of both LIDs. Four different catchment sizes and various soil types are included to broaden the scope of the analysis and make the conclusions more dependable. Results indicate that the current sizing standard of 25 mm is probably too high and not cost-effective. In fact, depending on the type of soil and LID, little increase in performance occurs while there is a large increase in cost. A new methodology is proposed for setting sizing criteria for infiltration trenches and bioretention cells which focuses on achieving a desired capture efficiency instead of a required volume of rainfall. The method proposes using the capture efficiency, fraction of maximum cost and sizing criteria to determine what value is an economically more justifiable sizing standard based on individual catchment size and soil type. Use of the analytical probabilistic approach allows for the capture efficiency to be easily calculated and provides better sizing targets on a case by case basis. Recommending a specific capture efficiency can be more uniformly applied LID design in any soil conditions or any catchment size. This can reduce government spending when building LIDs and greatly reduce the possibility of over-design. / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc)

As the world’s population is migrating more into urban areas, landcover changes follow. Natural pervious areas are being converted to impervious areas, which when subjected to rain generates more stormwater runoff. Stormwater management is a problem that cities today are challenged with, infrastructure is getting older and precipitation patterns are changing due to climate change. Due to climate change extreme precipitation events are likely to increase and therefore increase the probability of urban flooding. Urban flooding can be caused by extreme precipitation events with a short duration, or so-called flash floods. These flash floods can overwhelm the drainage system in place which therefore can cause flooding. This problem has inspired engineers to rethink stormwater management, moving from traditional grey drainage systems to more green and sustainable drainage systems. Sustainable Urban Drainage System (SuDS) are drainage systems that aim to regain the properties of non-urbanised areas, retain the natural hydrological cycle, and have recreational values for the surrounding societies. This study investigated how different SuDS behave when subjected to flash floods. A model of a synthetic case study was built in the Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) and sustainable urban drainage systems implemented. The solutions investigated were bioretention cells, rain gardens, infiltration trenches, green roofs, and permeable pavements. Three different rain events were analysed, all with different precipitation depth but with the same duration of 1 hour. Results showed that bioretention cells could reduce runoff volumes to the highest extent while green roofs could reduce the peak runoff the most. Other results were analysed like efficiency and cost. Bioretention cell came out on top in efficiency but had the highest cost. Overall, all the solutions showed promise in reducing runoff during flash floods, but the reduction capacity goes down with increased precipitation. / När en större del av världens befolkning flyttar in till tätortsområden så medföljer en ändring av markytans beskaffenhet. Vanligtvis genomträngliga ytor omvandlas till hårdgjorda ytor vilket generar mer dagvattenavrinning när de utsätts för regn. Dagvattenhanteringen är en utmaning för många städer idag eftersom infrastrukturen blir äldre och nederbördsmönstren förändras på grund av klimatförändringar. Extrema nederbördshändelser väntas öka med anledning av dessa klimatförändringar och ökar därigenom sannolikheten för översvämningar i städer. Översvämningar i städer kan orsakas av korta nederbördshändelser med hög intensitet, så kallade Skyfall, vilket kan överbelasta dagvattensystemets kapacitet. Det har lett till att ingenjörer ändrat sitt tankesätt på hur dagvatten ska hanteras och börjat gå från konventionella till mer gröna och hållbara dräneringssystem. Hållbar dagvattenhantering är dräneringssystem som syftar till att använda egenskaperna hos naturliga områden, behålla det naturliga hydrologiska kretsloppet och skapa rekreationsvärden för de omkringliggande samhällena. Denna studie har undersökt hur olika hållbara dräneringssystem beter sig när de utsätts för översvämningar. En modell på en syntetisk fallstudie byggdes i Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) där hållbara dräneringssystem implementerades i en urban miljö. Lösningarna som undersöktes var biofilterbäddar, regnträdgårdar, infiltrationsbäddar, gröna tak och permeabla trottoarer. Tre olika nederbördshändelser analyserades, alla med olika nederbördsmängder men med samma varaktighet på en timme. Resultaten visade att biofilterbäddar kunde minska avrinningsvolymerna i största grad medan gröna tak minskade ytavrinningen mest. Effektivitet och kostnad analyserades också. Där visade biofilterbäddarna högst effektivitet men hade den högsta kostnaden. Sammantaget visade det sig att alla lösningar var lovande vad gäller minskning av avrinning under översvämningar, men reduktionskapaciteten minskar med ökad nederbörd.