Investigating the role of gate operation in real-time flood control of urban drainage systems

Abstract

Flooding is a potential risk to human beings life and assets, and the environment in urban areas. To mitigate such a phenomenon and related damages, structural and nonstructural options can be considered. This study investigates the effect of gate operation on flood mitigation during intense rainfall events. A prototype network, consisting of a detention reservoir located in a portion of Tehran, the capital city of Iran, is considered. Different operational scenarios are examined using an optimal real-time operation model. An SWMM model of the system, simulating rainfall–runoff and hydraulic routing processes, is built and is linked to the harmony search optimization algorithm, evaluating the system operation performance for different scenarios. Results demonstrate that there is stillroom to increase the potential flood regulation capacity of the studied system by equipping it with more controllable apparatus.