Stormwater Attenuation Guide

When stormwater is absorbed into the soil, it is filtered and ultimately replenished into streams. However, in cities due to the presence of impervious surfaces all around, when heavy rainfall hits the ground it may create a flood-like situation. This floodwater often carries pollutants, debris, chemicals, which are ultimately mixed into the nearby water bodies. To deal with this issue, it is important to install a stormwater management system . Stormwater management is a way to prevent waterlogging in cities. In many cities of the U.K, there is still prevalent use of piped-based storm sewer system, which helps in preventing waterlogging, but it does not support in restoring the natural hydrological system. Plus, it fails to control the movement of pollutants from impervious city surfaces to the nearby water bodies.  Therefore, municipalities are adopting a more sustainable way of managing stormwater, thereby preventing stormwater pollution and routing it safely back into

In recent years, we have witnessed many big cities in the U.K. facing an increased frequency of floods as a result of rapid urbanization. The increased amount of impervious surfaces all around and resultant soil sealing have reduced the potential of water infiltration. It suggests that the urban storm drainage system needs to be modified to face emerging challenges due to heavy rainfall. The traditional approaches to stormwater management focused on using a piped drainage system. However, this type of drainage infrastructure fails to cope up with the increasing rate of stormwater due to soil sealing. Plus, it can lead to increased run-off, excess discharge of water to the nearby water bodies, and water pollution. To cope up with the challenges arising out of increased urbanization and ecological imbalance, it is important to install a sustainable drainage system . But instead of changing the entire drainage system, we can integrate stormwater attenuation systems and green

Rapid urbanisation has negatively affected our natural hydrological system, which results in more frequent floods. Apart from that, it has also caused surface water pollution and the continuous vanishing of groundwater. To prevent all these issues, stormwater management techniques should be adopted. In this write-up, we have explained the traditional and modern approaches to stormwater management. Conventional urban drainage system This approach was aimed at mitigating the risk of flood and waterlogging. The stormwater drainage system consists of numerous elements, such as open channels, road-drainage systems, catch basins, curbs, gutters, and underground basins. The main approach behind this approach was to prevent flood and remove waterlogging in no time. The traditional system implemented for stormwater management in cities is known as storm sewer system. This type of drainage system was constructed on the propagation that stormwater is a waste product that should b

With rapid urbanization , cities have lost their natural green spaces. The greying of the urban landscapes has been a major cause of flooding because the natural hydrological system has been disturbed. To eliminate these issues, cities are adopting a sustainable urban drainage system that can help in restoring the natural water drainage system within the urban environment landscape. SUDS(sustainable urban drainage system ) helps in mitigating flood impacts by temporarily storing water and filtering the pollutants at the source. But sometimes, SUDs cannot mitigate the flooding alone. Moreover, the storm drains do not filter the water before being drained to the river, streams, and Greenfield areas. To eliminate all these issues, it is important to install a stormwater attenuation system in each residential and commercial complex. Apart from that, to restore the natural hydrological system, we must implement green infrastructure practices. What is the stormwater attenuatio

Stormwater is the main cause of soil erosion of agricultural land and flooding in cities. Both cases can result in severe consequences. In cities, the stormwater falling on impervious land surfaces can cause surface water pollution as the water can carry away dirt and pollutants from the surface and mix it to the rivers. This polluted water becomes unfit for consumption and may affect the aquatic ecosystem as well. To prevent all these issues, it is important to implement proper stormwater management techniques. The focus should be to reduce peak flows during rainy periods, storing water, and attenuating the power and velocity of stormwater. Stormwater management helps in protecting human health, preventing water pollution, reusing precipitation water, and preventing damages to infrastructure. Especially in urban areas, it is important to install a stormwater attenuation system because the natural hydraulic properties have been disturbed. Here, are the most efficient t

Stormwater management is a technique to prevent waterlogging and flooding by managing the flow of stormwater. In a natural setting, most of the rainwater is absorbed by the soil. And, the rest water flows towards the rivers and streams via natural waterways. But in cities due to impermeable surfaces all around, the stormwater cannot be absorbed by the ground, which in turn prohibits the natural process of groundwater recharging. Moreover, due to lack of permeable surfaces, flooding and waterlogging is a commonplace. To avoid this, cities have storm drains that allow the flow of water from congested urban areas to nearby water bodies. The water flowing from the concrete urban surfaces to storm drains often carries away debris, petrol, bacteria, eroded soil, and pesticides. Also, sometimes excess rainwater flowing through the storm drains can put huge pressure on the drainage pipes, leading to their bursting off. To manage the quantity and quality of stormwater, it is best

Stormwater management is the way to prevent waterlogging and improve the quality of water received by rivers and streams. Modern stormwater management practices also focus on improving the process of groundwater recharging by allowing more water to be soaked by the ground. All the stormwater management techniques aim at detaining stormwater and removing pollutants from it. For a residential complex, two approaches for  stormwater management  that are mentioned here. Rooftop stormwater management system – This is an excellent approach to manage runoff and quality of stormwater. It is appropriate for buildings with limited outdoor spaces to install an underground  stormwater attenuation system . There are 2 types of  rooftop stormwater management systems  i.e. blue roofs and green roofs. Blue roofs are more cost-efficient and easy to install. They accumulate the water falling on the rooftop and then this water is released through the ro

S tormwater management  is quite challenging in an urban area because there are impervious surfaces all around. In a natural setting, the soil absorbs most of the water, thereby allowing the process of groundwater recharging. And, the rest water is diverted to the nearby streams via watercourses. In rural areas, plants and trees play a major role in avoiding water pollution and soil erosion by controlling the water flow. In cities, as the green cover is scarce, the stormwater runoff becomes one of the major causes of water pollution and flooding. When rainwater falls on concrete surfaces, it tends to flow into  storm drains  that are directly connected to waterways. While flowing through the concrete surfaces, the water carries away pollutants, such as dust, debris, pesticides, oil and ultimately mixes them into the nearby water body. Moreover, due to lack of pervious surfaces, waterlogging and flooding can occur frequently. To avoid these issues, it is important to follow these

Rapid urbanization has disturbed the natural process of groundwater recharging and created numerous problems like waterlogging and water pollution. Modern stormwater management practices focus on capturing stormwater and reusing it for domestic and agricultural purposes. By retaining and treating stormwater on-site, the impacts of urbanization on hydrology and water quality can be reduced. There are many benefits of stormwater harvesting; some of them are as follows. Reduction in stormwater runoff volume   Facilitates groundwater recharging Elimination of pollutants from stormwater Facilitates water conservation Conservation of water for domestic purpose Reduced stress on municipal water supply systems during peak usage Reduced on-site soil erosion An efficient stormwater harvesting system comprises four elements i.e. collection system, storage unit, water treatment system, and water distribution channels. To collect rainwater from a region, it is important to design cu