Urbanization of a watershed increases impervious area, and consequently increases stormwater runoff. When left uncontrolled, these increases in stormwater runoff cause downstream flooding, accelerate channel erosion, and impair aquatic habitat. Increases in the magnitude and duration of stormwater runoff that accompany uncontrolled development allow a stream to carry more sediment than it could...

With full development in an urban watershed and with no stormwater controls, it is unlikely that any of these uses can be obtained. With less development and with the application of stormwater controls, some uses may be possible. It is important that unreasonable expectations not be placed on urban waters, as the cost to obtain these uses may be prohibitive. With fullscale development and lack ...

Urbanisation and the subsequent increase in impervious land use generate increased urban stormwater which can be recycled viamanaged aquifer recharge (MAR) to supplement more traditional surface or ground water supplies. This paper compares the quality of stormwater from two urban catchments in South Australia to assess the risks, in accordance with the Australian Guidelines for Water Recycling...

Urban areas typically have a high degree of impervious surfaces— that is, roads, parking lots, rooftops, and other surfaces that impede the movement of water into the soil. In predevelopment areas with natural ground cover, over half of precipitation infiltrates the soil to replenish groundwater tables, and only a small amount (10%) remains as runoff into stormwater systems, rivers, and lakes. ...

Urban stormwater is a crucial resource at a time when climate change and population growth threaten freshwater supplies; but there are health risks from contaminants, such as toxic metals. It is vitally important to understand how to use this resource safely and responsibly. Our study investigated the extent of metal contamination in vegetable crops irrigated with stormwater under short- and lo...

Field studies were conducted to assess the coastal water quality impact of stormwater runoff from the Santa Ana River, which drains a large urban watershed located in southern California. Stormwater runoff from the river leads to very poor surf zone water quality, with fecal indicator bacteria concentrations exceeding California ocean bathing water standards by up to 500%. However, cross-shore ...

Effects of climatic changes, progressing urbanization and improved environmental controls on the simulated urban stormwater quality in a Northern Sweden community were studied. Future scenarios accounting for those changes were developed and their effects simulated with the Storm Water Management Model (SWMM). It was observed that the simulated stormwater quality was highly sensitive to the sce...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the sources, transport and distribution of hydrophobic organic contaminants produced in an urban area. Passive sampling devices (PSDs) were employed in the storm-water drainage of the city of Lahti, in an adjacent boreal lake (Vesijärvi) and along its shore. Samples were analysed for 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and 28 polychlorinated biphenyl...

Stormwater detention basins are primarily designed to detain large volumes of storm runoff and trap suspended sediments and associated pollutants. Detaining and retaining nutrients are often not a design focus. The combination of variable moisture patterns in stormwater basins along with potential nutrient influxes may make these basins hotspots for nitrogen transformations such as denitrificat...

This paper investigates the hydrodynamic characteristics of nine stormwater pond configurations. These ponds represent an extension of earlier work by Persson (1999) who proposed the thirteen pond configurations currently used as a guide in the hydrodynamic component of the Cooperative Research Centre for Catchment Hydrology (CRCCH) Model for Urban Stormwater Improvement Conceptualisation (MUSI...