Version 1
: Received: 29 March 2024 / Approved: 1 April 2024 / Online: 1 April 2024 (10:43:30 CEST)
How to cite:
Daniels, B.J.; Yeakley, J.A. Catchment-Scale Hydrologic Effectiveness of Residential Rain Gardens: A Case Study in Columbia, Maryland, USA. Preprints2024, 2024040028. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202404.0028.v1
Daniels, B.J.; Yeakley, J.A. Catchment-Scale Hydrologic Effectiveness of Residential Rain Gardens: A Case Study in Columbia, Maryland, USA. Preprints 2024, 2024040028. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202404.0028.v1
Daniels, B.J.; Yeakley, J.A. Catchment-Scale Hydrologic Effectiveness of Residential Rain Gardens: A Case Study in Columbia, Maryland, USA. Preprints2024, 2024040028. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202404.0028.v1
APA Style
Daniels, B.J., & Yeakley, J.A. (2024). Catchment-Scale Hydrologic Effectiveness of Residential Rain Gardens: A Case Study in Columbia, Maryland, USA. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202404.0028.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Daniels, B.J. and J. Alan Yeakley. 2024 "Catchment-Scale Hydrologic Effectiveness of Residential Rain Gardens: A Case Study in Columbia, Maryland, USA" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202404.0028.v1
Abstract
To mitigate the adverse impacts of urban stormwater on streams, watershed managers are increasingly using low impact development and green infrastructure (LID-GI) stormwater control measures such as rain gardens—vegetated depressional areas that collect and infiltrate runoff from rooftops and driveways. Their catchment-scale performance, however, can vary widely, and few studies have investigated the cumulative performance of residential rain gardens for event runoff control in intermediate-sized (i.e., 1-10 km2) suburban catchments. We modeled three years of continuous rainfall-runoff from a 3.1 km2 catchment in Columbia, MD, USA, using the Storm Water Management Model (SWMM). Various extents of rain garden implementation at residential houses were simulated (i.e., 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% coverage) to determine the effects on peak flow, runoff volume, and lag time. On average, treating 100% of residential rooftops in the catchment reduced peak flows by 14.3%, reduced runoff volumes by 11.4%, and increased lag times by 3.2% for the 223 rainfall events during the simulation period. Peak flow reductions were greater for smaller storm events (p<0.01). Our results show that residential rain gardens can significantly improve the runoff response of suburban catchments, and that they represent an effective and relatively low-cost option for urban watershed management and restoration.
Keywords
green infrastructure; low impact development; best management practices; urban stormwater; SWMM; stormwater management; urban hydrology
Subject
Environmental and Earth Sciences, Water Science and Technology
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
