An evaluation of hydrologic modeling performance of EPA SWMM for bioretention

Abstract

Recent techniques should be investigated in detail to avoid present and future problems of urbanization like flood, drought and water pollution. Low Impact Development (LID) Best Management Practices (BMPs) such as bioretentions, green roofs, rain barrels, vegetative swales, and permeable pavements have been implemented to diminish the adverse effects of urbanization. In this study, a hydrological model for a Rainfall-Watershed-Bioretention (RWB) system is developed by using the Environmental Protection Agency Storm Water Management Model (EPA SWMM). RWB system is an experimental setup which consists of an artificial rainfall system, a drainage area and four bioretention columns with different soil mixtures. The hydrological modeling capability of SWMM for bioretentions is presented using the experimental data obtained from the experiments conducted in the RWB system under different rainfall events and for bioretentions with different designs. Finally, the modeling results of SWMM are compared with the results of the Hydrological Model of RWB (HM-RWB) system. Results show that EPA SWMM performs well in modeling bioretentions whereas the results of HM-RWB are in better agreement with the experimental data.