A framework for urban storm water modeling and control analysis with analytical models

Abstract

This paper introduces a framework for urban storm water modeling and control analysis with analytical models, which consist of a number of functional components, such as rainfall-runoff transformation, pollutant buildup and wash-off, and pollutant removal in storage/treatment facilities, etc. As the key component, the rainfall-runoff transformation, which characterizes runoff generation mechanism in the drainage area, is employed not only to transform the probability distributions of the rainfall characteristics into the probability distribution of runoff in an effort to develop storm water quantity control measures, such as runoff volume of spills and runoff control efficiency, but also to derive the probability distributions of pollutant loads and develop storm water quality control measures, such as the average event mean concentrations and annual pollutant loads to receiving waters. While each component or module is initially developed separately and can function independently, all these components are virtually an integral part of the framework considering that the pollutant wash-off load model is essentially an integration of the rainfall-runoff transformation and pollutant buildup models. In light of the proposed framework, which may serve as a map to this study, this paper summarizes theoretical basis while emphasizing major procedures with a case study for the development of the integrated analytical model based on the derived probability distribution approach. Copyright 2006 by the American Geophysical Union.