article · Scientific Reports
Urbanisation increases impermeable surfaces, exacerbating runoff and pollutant concentration during storms and harming adjacent water bodies. This research investigated how nine proposed detention ponds across the city of Renton, Washington, perform under future climate scenarios. Using statistical modelling and the Personal Computer Storm Water Management Model, stormwater runoff and pollutant levels were simulated for 100-year design storm events up to 2050 and compared with historical data. Results showed that rising rainfall significantly raises future pollutant volumes. However, the proposed detention ponds effectively mitigated stormwater discharge and reduced pollutant loads, though performance varied based on pond location and dimensions. Projected reductions reached 18 to 86 percent for ammonia, 35 to 70 percent for nitrogen dioxide, 36 to 65 percent for nitrate, 26 to 91 percent for total phosphate, and 34 to 81 percent for suspended solids, supporting detention ponds as reliable climate adaptation solutions.
As climate change drives more intense rainfall, cities face worsening risks from severe flooding and contaminated water runoff. Evaluating stormwater management tools such as detention ponds helps municipalities protect surrounding water bodies. Demonstrating that infrastructure can substantially reduce harmful chemical pollutants and suspended solids enables local authorities to plan more resilient urban drainage systems tailored to future environmental shifts.
This simulation-based modelling approach could assist municipal engineers, urban planners, and environmental consultancies in optimising the placement and sizing of stormwater detention infrastructure for future climate conditions. Because the findings are based on calibrated computer simulations of proposed infrastructure rather than field implementations, the research is at an applied decision-support stage, serving to inform capital works and design prior to physical construction.
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Abstract Urban surfaces are often covered by impermeable materials such as concrete and asphalt which intensify urban runoff and pollutant concentration during storm events, and lead to the deterioration of the quality of surrounding water bodies. Detention ponds are used in urban stormwater management, providing two-fold benefits: flood risk reduction and pollution load minimization. This paper investigates the performance of nine proposed detention ponds (across the city of Renton, Washington, USA) under different climate change scenarios. First, a statistical model was developed to estimate the pollutant load for the current and future periods and to understand the effects of increased rainfall on stormwater runoff and pollutant loads. The Personal Computer Storm Water Management Model (PCSWMM) platform is employed to calibrate an urban drainage model for quantifying stormwater runoff and corresponding pollutant loads. The calibrated model was used to investigate the performance of the proposed nine (9) detention ponds under future climate scenarios of 100-year design storms, leading to identifying if they are likely to reduce stormwater discharge and pollutant loads. Results indicated significant increases in stormwater pollutants due to increases in rainfall from 2023 to 2050 compared to the historical period 2000–2014. We found that the performance of the proposed detention ponds in reducing stormwater pollutants varied depending on the size and location of the detention ponds. Simulations for the future indicated that the selected detention ponds are likely to reduce the concentrations (loads) of different water quality constituents such as ammonia (NH 3 ), nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ), nitrate (NO 3 ), total phosphate (TP), and suspended solids (SS) ranging from 18 to 86%, 35–70%, 36–65%, 26–91%, and 34–81%, respectively. The study concluded that detention ponds can be used as a reliable solution for reducing stormwater flows and pollutant loads under a warmer future climate and an effective adaptation option to combat climate change related challenges in urban stormwater management.
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DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-32556-x
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