Green Infrastructure for Sustainable Stormwater Management

A special issue of Infrastructures (ISSN 2412-3811).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2018) | Viewed by 29654

Special Issue Editors

Department of Environmental Planning and Management, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Interests: environmental planning and management; environmental system analysis; water quality and the hydrology model
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
Interests: rainwater management
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
Interests: urban water and resource cycle; sediment management; decentralized wastewater management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

 

The key objective of a traditional stormwater management system is to prevent flood by conveying the runoff away quickly and effectively; stormwater runoff has been viewed as a hazard that poses danger to public health. To achieve this objective, natural waterways were often lined with concrete and widened to increase the carrying capacity of the system. The use of such systems, although effective, are not sustainable. Pollutants, such as heavy metals, excess nutrients, and suspended solids, are often washed into stormwater runoff receiving waterbodies, causing water pollution. Traditional stormwater management systems, therefore, do not provide protection to freshwater resources and often lead to destruction of natural watersheds and habitat. There is also a limitation in such management system due to space availability, which limits how wide these canals and drainage can be constructed.

In recent years, there has been a rise in awareness for the development of green infrastructure for managing urban stormwater in order to address the limitations of traditional urban stormwater management systems. Unlike traditional urban stormwater management systems, these green infrastructures can help to provide water quality treatment and protect the runoff receiving waterbodies against pollutions. Apart from water quality improvement, these stormwater treatment facilities help to protect low lying areas against flood due to their ability to retain and detain stormwater runoff, allowing for storage, infiltration and evaporation. Through these natural processes, flow peaks of stormwater hydrograph can be reduced and the timing of its occurrence can be delayed, minimizing the impact of urbanization. The green infrastructures also help to maintain the hydrological balance in the urban landscape. Ecologically, green infrastructures provide natural habitats, which support a diverse ecosystem. The addition of greeneries also help to soften urban landscape and beautify the surrounding.

Green infrastructure that can be used for stormwater runoff management includes rain gardens, bioretention swale and trees, green roofs, etc. The design of such systems is versatile and can be modified to meet the needs of the area of interest. This Special Issue focuses on novel ideas and technologies relating to green infrastructure for sustainable storm water management, with an emphasis on water quality enhancement and quantity control. Any other related topics are also welcome.

We look forward to your contributions to this Special Issue and your help in promoting/facilitating green infrastructure planning, development and implementation.

 

Dr. Jiangyong Hu
Dr. Say Leong Ong
Dr. Haifeng Jia
Dr. Moo Young Han
Dr. Yongju Choi

Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 2933 KiB  
Article
Beneficial Uses of Dredged Material in Green Infrastructure and Living Architecture to Improve Resilience of Lake Erie
by Shruti Bhairappanavar, Rui Liu and Reid Coffman
Infrastructures 2018, 3(4), 42; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/infrastructures3040042 - 27 Sep 2018
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 6713
Abstract
To maintain the navigational depth, 1.15 million cubic meters (1.5 million cubic yards) of sediment is dredged out from the federal harbors every year from Lake Erie, Ohio Coast. Treating this huge amount of dredged material is a major challenge due to the [...] Read more.
To maintain the navigational depth, 1.15 million cubic meters (1.5 million cubic yards) of sediment is dredged out from the federal harbors every year from Lake Erie, Ohio Coast. Treating this huge amount of dredged material is a major challenge due to the mobilization of potential contaminants causing depreciation in water quality and depletion of valuable land. Rather than treating the dredged material as a waste, we suggest investigating alternative ways to recycle and reuse the material within Green Infrastructure (GI) and living architecture applications. This study identifies potential applications of the dredged material in bioretention and vegetative roof systems, and examines the role of dredged material in these edaphic conditions. The paper discusses the beneficial uses of dredged material in GI by investigating the quality of dredged material and performances of GI built using dredged material through laboratory and field-testing. Preliminary results of a growth media using dredged material for the vegetative roof have been developed in lab/field studies that possess the performance values comparable to the current commercial product. The growth media containing lightweight aggregate, made from the dredged material, is observed to have high water retention capacity and high unit weight in comparison to a commercial product. The growth media leachate water test demonstrated the water quality to be comparable to the drained water from the commercial product. The growth media overwintered and advanced a rare plant species, Viola pedatifida, which is similar to conventional media. The beneficial uses of dredged material in the GI will help maintain the economic viability of harbors and ports along the shoreline of Lake Erie in Ohio and GIs, which were built using dredged material that can help address storm water management issues in urban areas due to extensive impervious surfaces. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Infrastructure for Sustainable Stormwater Management)
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1048 KiB  
Article
Performance of Two Bioswales on Urban Runoff Management
by Qingfu Xiao, E. Gregory McPherson, Qi Zhang, Xinlei Ge and Randy Dahlgren
Infrastructures 2017, 2(4), 12; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/infrastructures2040012 - 27 Sep 2017
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 10787
Abstract
This study evaluated the effectiveness of two bioswales eight years after construction in Davis, California. The treatment bioswale measured 9 m × 1 m × 1 m (L × W × D). Engineered soil mix (75% native lava rock and 25% loam soil) [...] Read more.
This study evaluated the effectiveness of two bioswales eight years after construction in Davis, California. The treatment bioswale measured 9 m × 1 m × 1 m (L × W × D). Engineered soil mix (75% native lava rock and 25% loam soil) replaced the native loam soil. Four Red Tip Photinia (Photinia × fraseri Dress) trees and two Blueberry Muffin Hawthorn (Rhaphiolepis umbellata (Thunb.) Makino) shrubs were planted in the bioswale. Runoff flowed into the bioswale from an adjacent 171 m2 panel of turf grass. An identically sized control bioswale consisting of non-disturbed native soil was located adjacent to the treatment bioswale. Surface runoff quantity and quality were measured during three experiments with different pollutant loads. When compared to the control, the treatment bioswale reduced surface runoff by 99.4%, and reduced nitrogen, phosphate, and total organic carbon loading by 99.1%, 99.5%, and 99.4%, respectively. After eight years, tree growth characteristics were similar across both sites. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Infrastructure for Sustainable Stormwater Management)
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5514 KiB  
Article
Factors Contributing to the Hydrologic Effectiveness of a Rain Garden Network (Cincinnati OH USA)
by William D. Shuster, Robert A. Darner, Laura A. Schifman and Dustin L. Herrmann
Infrastructures 2017, 2(3), 11; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/infrastructures2030011 - 06 Sep 2017
Cited by 22 | Viewed by 11157
Abstract
Infiltrative rain gardens can add retention capacity to sewersheds, yet factors contributing to their capacity for detention and redistribution of stormwater runoff are dynamic and often unverified. Over a four-year period, we tracked whole-system water fluxes in a two-tier rain garden network and [...] Read more.
Infiltrative rain gardens can add retention capacity to sewersheds, yet factors contributing to their capacity for detention and redistribution of stormwater runoff are dynamic and often unverified. Over a four-year period, we tracked whole-system water fluxes in a two-tier rain garden network and assessed near-surface hydrology and soil development across construction and operational phases. The monitoring data provided a quantitative basis for determining effectiveness of this stormwater control measure. Based on 233 monitored warm-season rainfall events, nearly half of total inflow volume was detained, with 90 percent of all events producing no flow to the combined sewer. For the events that did result in flow to the combined sewer system, the rain garden delayed flows for an average of 5.5 h. Multivariate analysis of hydrologic fluxes indicated that total event rainfall depth was a predominant hydrologic driver for network outflow during both phases, with average event intensity and daily evapotranspiration as additional, independent factors in regulating retention in the operational phase. Despite sediment loads that can clog the rooting zone, and overall lower-than-design infiltration rates, tradeoffs among soil profile development and hydrology apparently maintained relatively high overall retention effectiveness. Overall, our study identified factors relevant to regulation of retention capacity of a rain garden network. These factors may be generalizable, and guide improvement of new or existing rain garden designs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Infrastructure for Sustainable Stormwater Management)
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