Green roof impact on the quantity and quality of stormwater discharged from urban areas

Abstract

Green roofs are increasingly popular in both new and modernised buildings. They significantly reduce the outflow of stormwater from buildings and change its composition. Wherever an urbanised area is equipped with a separate sewage system, usually stormwater goes directly to the receiver without treatment, which may affect the quality of water in the receiver. The article presents results of research carried out on the green roof of a building in Lodz, Poland. During rainfall, the flow rate from the roof was measured. With the use of the US EPA software Stormwater Management Model (SWMM) a model of the green roof was created and calibrated using rainfall data from the city’s pluviometric network. Based on the measurements of the roof runoff, as well as SWMM modelling, the degree of outfall reduction was determined. Samples of roof runoff were collected to study the characteristics of rainwater, including pH, electrical conductivity, organic compounds, nitrogen, phosphorus, and suspended solids. The results were compared with the quality of runoff from a traditional roof. Except ammonium nitrogen, values of the examined quality indicators was higher in the case of the green roof but the pollution load of almost all contaminants, except phosphorus, were lower due to a significant reduction in the volume of stormwater outflow (62–91%). The quality of stormwater discharged from the green roof improved with its age.