R/E-24F

Strategic focus area:

Description:

Urban stormwater runoff remains on the of the primary sources of nutrients, sediments, and other pollutants in receiving waters, like the Chesapeake Bay. Stormwater best management practices (BMPs) and green infrastructure (SWGI) have been implemented in urban and suburban areas to re-establish ecosystem functions lost because of urbanization. SWGI treatment trains provide sequential infiltration and treatment of stormwater on the landscape prior to export into nearby waterways and groundwater. The residence time of stormwater within these SWGI treatment trains is affected by the intensity and duration of precipitation events, the land use and impervious surface density in the surrounding watershed, and the arrangement, connectivity, function, and storage capacity of each SWGI treatment train in each subwatershed. This study will investigate how the factors listed above affect the ecohydrological performance of these SWGI treatment trains on the subwatershed and the entire watershed. The implications and results of this study will provide regulators, urban planners, and engineers field-based evidence to better plan and implement stormwater management facilities in urban and suburban communities for efficient ecohydrological performance.