Continuous quantity and quality modeling for assessing the effect of SUDS: application on a conceptual urban drainage basin

Abstract

The development of computational tools based on urban drainage models is fundamental for the correct selection of SUDS. The present study proposes a systematic approach based on continuous modeling on USEPA SWMM. The objective was to select the most suitable Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS) by evaluating several aspects related to their design and configuration. The proposed methodology was applied to a conceptual watershed with meteorological information from Santander, Spain. The analysis of SUDS design parameters showed that only the surface variables showed a sensitivity of ≈20% for berm height and vegetation volume. The optimal configuration for the case study was a SUDS train consisting of green roofs, permeable pavements, vegetated swales and rain gardens, with 1% of the total subcatchment area cover, one structure, and a semi-aggregated spatial distribution. The methodology proved efficient but also highly dependent on the case study parameters and the meteorological conditions. The SUDS proved to have different efficiencies (30%-90%) in reducing the total runoff volume, the peak flow, and the pollutant loads depending on the region where the conceptual watershed was modeled. The methodology proved to be efficient for studying the combinations and interconnection of seven different typologies, as well as the effect of SUDS configuration, design and distribution on their performance.