Urban Infrastructure

[UPD4319]

Storm water infrastructure

Chapter 5: Lecture -9
BSc. in Urban planning and Design Prepared by: Inst. Betelhem.D , Msc in urban planning and design.
 What is Storm Water

• Storm water is rain water and

melted snow that runs off streets,
Lawns and other sites.
• When storm water is absorbed into
the ground, it is filtered and
ultimately replenishes aquifers or
flows into streams and rivers.
 Why do we need to manage storm water?

To avoid:
• Down stream flooding.
• Stream bank erosion.
• Increased turbidity from erosion.
• Habitat destruction.
• Combined sewer overflows.
• Infrastructure damage.
• Contaminated streams ,rivers and
 Why do we need to manage storm water?
• To avoid flooding in transportation
corridors and to control damage to
properties.
• Both cases can causes severe damages
and contamination of the environment
if sanitation facilities are flooded.
• This results in high costs and notably
massive suffering for the local
communities
 Storm Water Management

Advantages:
• Provides proper drainage of surface run-off and avoids damages on
infrastructure such as private properties and streets.
• Provides possibility to recharge groundwater and re-use precipitation water
and surface run-off as irrigation or household water.
• Minimizing health risks.
• Provides effective storm water flood control.
• Can be integrated into the urban landscape and provide green and recreational
areas.
 Storm Water Management

Disadvantages:
• Expert planning , implementation, operation and maintenance required for
storm water management.
• It depends on the technique, a lot of operation and labor required.
• There is risk of clogging infiltration system caused by high sedimentation
rates.
• Temporary covering methods, such as plastic sheeting , can become torn or
ripped, exposing the contaminant to precipitation and/or storm water runoff.
 Green infrastructure and Grey infrastructure

Green infrastructure: functioned as water management that protects, restores

or mimics the natural water cycle.
Gray infrastructure: is man-made designed to move urban storm-water away
from the built environment.
• Both infrastructures are involved in storm water management system.
Rural Storm Water Management
Causes:
• Heavy rainfalls
• Storms
• Overstrained sewer systems
Impacts:
• Flooding and stream erosion

Some available techniques: Benefit:

• Spate irrigation • Use this water for irrigation
• Micro basins
• Field trenches
 Rural Storm Water Management

1. Spate irrigation system

• It is a crop irrigation technique
consisting of diverting seasonal
storm water from valleys, rivers,
riverbeds and gullies by gravity onto
farmland situated at lower elevation
than the flood water.
 Rural Storm Water Management

1. Spate irrigation system

Advantages:
• Big areas can be irrigated
• Flood can be controlled.
• In areas traditionally irrigated by
spate irrigations, groundwater
sources are relatively rich due to Large spate irrigation construction
Source: B.STAUFFER(2011) adapted from FA0
long periods of recharge.
 Rural Storm Water Management

1. Spate irrigation system

Disadvantages:
• Sediments in the irrigation water can cause
problems on crops and soils, if they were not
removed properly.
• Amount of available water varies from year to
year.
Large spate irrigation construction
• River beds may change and spate irrigation Source: B.STAUFFER(2011) adapted from FA0
 Rural Storm Water Management

2. Micro Basins:
• It is a common technique used in agriculture
to collect surface run-off, increase water
infiltration and prevent soil erosion.
• Their principle is comparably simple: small
pools are surrounded by stone walls and/ or
soil ridges on all sides to collect the rainwater
Water accumulates in the pit on the lowest part of the micro
and surface run-off. basin.
Source: ALJ et.al.(2009)
 Rural Storm Water Management

2. Micro Basins:
• This allows storing rain water and using it for
small-scale tree and brush planting, enabling
increased growth of plants if there is moisture
deficit.
Advantages:
• Simple design and construction
Water accumulates in the pit on the lowest part of the micro
• Can be applied to even and un even ground. basin.
Source: ALJ et.al.(2009)
 Rural Storm Water Management

3. Field Trenches:
• It increase precipitation harvesting by breaking the
slope of the ground and therefore reducing the
velocity of water runoff.
• By decreasing runoff, they enhance water
infiltration and prevent soil erosion.
• Trenches can be seen as an extended practice of
ploughing fields.
 Rural Storm Water Management

3. Field Trenches:
Advantages:
• Applicable to all soil and rainfall condition.
• Prevents soil degradation and erosion.
• Enhance surface water infiltration and soil
moisture.
• Helps to reduce flood hazards.
• Comparably simple construction, requiring only
 Rural Storm Water Management

3. Field Trenches:
Disadvantages:
• Intense labor is needed for maintenance.
• Less land is available for cultivation.
• May create temporary water logging in dense soil
 Urban Storm Water Management

• The practice of managing fresh water, wastewater and storm water as links
within the resource management structure, using an urban area as the unit of
management is known as integrated urban water management(IUWM).
• There are several techniques to manage surface runoff. They are divided in
to two groups:
 Storage type device
 Infiltration type device
 Urban Storm Water Management
1. Storage type device:
A. Detention Ponds:
• These are the excavated reservoirs or
natural depressions.
• Dry during low flow periods, i.e
temporary storage during flood events.
• Storm water should stored long enough to
settle solids.
 Urban Storm Water Management
1. Storage type device:
B. Retention Ponds:
• Primarily design to improve storm water
quality.
• Secondary for flood control devices.
• Retention ponds do not dry out, water
stays between 2 and 4 weeks.
• Water quality improvement mainly
through settling.
 Urban Storm Water Management
1. Storage type device:
C. Rain water harvesting:
• Can be used both in urban and rural areas.
• Reducing of storm water runoff and
storage of potable water.
• Water can be used for irrigation, as flush
water for toilets or, after purification as
drinking water.
 Urban Storm Water Management
1. Storage type device:
D. Green roofs:
• It consists of vegetative layer that grows in
specially-designed soil that may sit above
drainage layer.
• Retain storm water through vegetative
uptake and evapotranspiration.
• They provide an excellent insulation.
• Reduce energy consumption significantly.
 Urban Storm Water Management
1. Infiltration type devices
A. Infiltration trenches :
• Shallow excavations filled with uniformly
crushed stones.
• Treatment occurs during infiltration.
• Constructed beside streets and outdoor
parking lots.
 Urban Storm Water Management
1. Infiltration type devices
B. Vegetated Swales:
• Open grassed channels, which allow an
infiltration along the course.
• Check dams and vegetation reduce velocity,
and allow sedimentation infiltration,
evaporation and contaminant removal.
 Treatment of storm water

• Contaminants in water may includes algae, air pollution, leaves, sand and dust.
Local wells have dealt with these problems.
• Installation of filtration and purification equipment can remove these
contaminants at home as well.
• Using screens and filters will greatly reduce maintenance and lengthen the life
of the pump and filtration/purification system.
 Treatment of storm water
1. Filtration and UV treatment:
• More expensive but effective purification treatment for rain water
• Physical filters remove particulates, while the UV-light chamber kills bacteria
and other organisms by exposing them to high-energy ultraviolet light.
 Treatment of storm water
2. Chlorination:
• People commonly use household bleach for this process, which is of concern
to some due to the chemical factor.
• Allowing at least 30 minutes for the chlorines to disinfect your water if the
water is 70 degrees F or above and allow up to an hour if the water is near
freezing.
 Thank you!!

Chapter 4: Lecture -9
BSc. in Urban planning and Design Prepared by: Inst. Betelhem.D , Msc in urban planning and design.