Urban Stormwater and Sewerage Modelling: An Approach for Peak Runoff and Volume Assessment

Abstract

In this study, an integrated approach for runoff estimation using the storm water management model (SWMM) was applied to undertake a stormwater and sewerage modelling in urban setting. The main objectives of the research and this manuscript include overload detection of sewer systems during extreme rainfall events with SWMM and to model and predict the relationship between precipitation parameters and overflooding of sewer collection system that includes emergency ponds to relieve flow from pump stations. The study takes into account monitored concurrent extreme rainfall event data and peak wet weather flows observed at outfall of collection system entering a wastewater treatment plant draining the urban centre. In the study SWMM was modified and adapted for the Tati and Ntshe confluence rivers draining the urban centre of Francistown in Northern Botswana. Landuse, soil, geological, drainage and sewerage network and imperviousness data sets were acquired and developed in GIS database. The runoff coefficient is found to range between 0.12 and 0.24 in the studied catchments. The calibrated model was able to predict the observed outputs with reasonable accuracy for calibration datasets of two peak flood events of 2016-Jan 12 and 2017-Feb 16 and verification flood events of 2016-Feb 05 and 2017-Feb 26. For six watersheds that drain the study area considered with a seventh entire collection system catchment area, we have evaluated the model performance using different criteria. We have found that correlation coefficients range from 0.539 to 0.813 and NSE ranges from 40.9% to 89.0%, and RSR ranges from 0.330 to 0.812 for the calibration datasets. Whereas, for the verification dataset, the correlation coefficients range from 0.539 to 0.813 and NSE values range from 40.9% to 89.0%, and RSR values range from 0.330 to 0.812. Using the criteria adopted, the SWMM-simulated runoff values are in acceptable agreement with the observed hydrographs.