Urban stormwater management: challenges and potential solutions

Abstract

Management of stormwater brings considerable economic, social and environmental benefits to the community in various ways. Controlling stormwater quantity is primarily important to prevent urban flooding and water stagnation. Also improving stormwater quality is timely important issue for sustainable management of urban stormwater. Urban development accompanied by increasing in impervious surfaces such as roofs, roads and paving, compaction of soil and modifications to vegetation, which in turn affects the catchment hydrology and water quality. Stormwater quality is an issue in Western Australia because the states stormwater typically flows into the state‟s rivers and ocean or infiltrates back into the groundwater system which is used for drinking in the state. Unplanned land development also created serious issues in high density residential areas leading to urban flooding. Onsite stormwater management has been identified as one of the best approach to manage the stormwater in this area. This paper demonstrates three case studies from Western Australia to highlight the challenges and potential solutions for stormwater management in terms of stormwater source control, flood vulnerability and stormwater quality assessments.