Report Example on Management of Stormwater

Introduction

The livability of cities is extensively promoted by Green infrastructure, which may also be called nature-based solutions. Management of stormwater is one of the major problems facing most of the world's cities. Some countries have undertaken some engineering practices to move stormwater from cities as fast as possible to prevent any damages caused by flooding (Liu et al., 2014). The majority of the urban communities in the United States have been adversely affected by stormwater problems for the last few decades. However, green infrastructure has significantly transformed some of these communities' lives by reducing the stormwater quantity and improving surface water quality.

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Definition of the Problem

The specific area of study is Baltimore city which has encountered a series of problems in stormwater management. Polluted stormwater has been one of the main causes of pollution in all creeks and rivers in Baltimore County. After raining, water infiltrates into the ground while the rest flows on the surface as runoff into streams and rivers. Areas, whose terrain is varied and porous, like forested areas, infiltrate half the rainfall into the ground. About 40% of water gets back to the atmosphere through transpiration and evaporation, while 10% flows on the surface as runoff (Zahmatkesh et al., 2014). On the contrary, 45% of land in urbanized areas is impervious to rainfall because of hard surfaces like roads, parking lots, and rooftops. After the rain hits the outer layer, it is not absorbed into the soil but flows into the ditches, streams, and rivers.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, Baltimore city produces more than five times of runoff water than a forested area. Only 15% of water is absorbed into the ground for recharge (Güneralp et al., 2015). In Baltimore, the stormwater controls are traditional, comprising of outfall pipes. Thus, most of stormwater outfall pipes drain the rooftops, streets and sidewalks where they collect sewer leakage, chemicals, trash and other pollutants to the nearest stream and the harbor pollution. Increased runoff water increases pollution and causes harm to aquatic creatures (Dhakal & Chevalier, 2017). The primary pollutants washed into the rivers, oceans, and lakes include; grease oil and toxic chemicals. The toxic chemicals originate from pesticides, motor vehicle emissions. The stormwater runoff further erodes the stream banks and dumps the pollutants and sediments to the Chesapeake Bay and the harbour.

Stormwater that fails to enter the rivers and streams get into the public sewer systems. During the wet seasons, a combination of volume and wastewater enters the sewers and overwhelms the conveyance capability. After this occurrence, the untreated wastewater overflow flows to water surfaces. These overflows put human health at risk, more so when the water is discharged into a drinking facility. This problem has contributed to the closure of swimming advisories and beaches every summer in the city.

While New Orleans and Pittsburgh have implemented the green permeable pavement and bioswales, respectively, Baltimore still uses the traditional infrastructure. For this reason, Baltimore was a good city for the study as it requires the implementation of an appropriate green infrastructure solution to eliminate the problem. It is essential to use green infrastructure to remedy the stormwater problem (Dhakal & Chevalier, 2017). Green infrastructure uses soils, vegetation and suitable practices to lower the flow rate of stormwater and prevent it from flooding and polluting the waterways.

Green Infrastructure

Communities in Baltimore city should start to explore the "green infrastructure” to solve the stormwater problems (Liu et al., 2014). The systems of green infrastructure and practices use various natural processes to infiltrate and harvest the stormwater on the identified site where it is produced to minimize flows to municipal sewers. Moreover, it has provided a wide range of economic, environmental, social, and public health benefits (Young, 2011). Apart from the use of bioswales, a couple of green infrastructure methods can be used to manage stormwater. These methods include green roofs, rain gardens, pocket wetlands, infiltration planters, trees, and tree boxes. Others include curb extensions, reforestation, downspout disconnection, enhancement and protection of floodplains and riparian buffers, and permeable pavement (Keeley et al., 2013). Other methods, such as cisterns and barrels, collect and store water for use in the future.

Recommended Solution

Use of Bioswales is the best green infrastructure solutions that Baltimore city should adopt to get rid of the stormwater problem. These are runoff systems of stormwater that offer an alternative to the combined sewer system. They mainly involve vegetated or mulched channels usually located in urban centres in long narrow spaces. The reason for selecting this solution is that bioswales help in the absorption of water flows or may carry runoffs of stormwater into sewer channels or sewer surface directly during heavy rains. When the bioswales are vegetated, they slow down, filter and infiltrate flows of stormwater, and this will be very beneficial along with the parking lots and streets of Baltimore city.

The selection of the bioswales to solve the stormwater problem was based on its merits and effectiveness in managing stormwater over other techniques. One of the main reasons for the continued effects of stormwater is municipalities' action preferring the construction of sanitary sewer systems to combined sewers without incorporating green infrastructure solution such as the use of the bioswales. (Faehnle et al., 2014). Generally, sanitary sewers only allow industrial and domestic water passage but are overwhelmed by water (Meng & Hsu, 2019). Overflow from storm sewers also occurs due to factors such as blockages, sewer defects, or drainage. Such problems cause the systems to overload (Collier et al., 2013). The system operators should ensure that a green infrastructure solution, especially the use of bioswales, is affected to avoid such occurrences. The management practices include post-construction runoff, construction site control, and ensuring that there are no illicit discharges.The use of storms, pipes, and concrete storage tanks was the primary method to construct infrastructure systems that were expensive to maintain and construct. (Meng & Chevalier, 2019). Due to this, Baltimore County should adopt bioswales as a green infrastructure solution to prevent such occurrences.

Possible Benefits

Many projects are initiated yearly in Baltimore to solve stormwater and erosion problems (Heckert & Rosan, 2014). Some of these projects not only solve the intended problem, but they also go beyond by offering more benefits to the members of the community. One of these projects includes constructing open sewer pipes to replace the sanitary overflow structures that had dominated Baltimore. By 2016, Baltimore had implemented half of what had been stated in the consent decree. Despite this effort, the situation got worse due to the penetration of stormwater into the sewer lines. As a result of this, backups were built to solve the menace. After the implementation was done, the damage was significantly reduced.

Another project initiated by the Kitsap County Public Works Department (KCPW) aided in overcoming the stormwater problem and turned into use on idle park into an essential facility other than ensuring that water quality was improved saved aquatic life (Keeley et al., 2013). Metal hydrocarbons were some of the most hazardous elements to these creatures; however, after the project's initiation, their elimination survival was guaranteed.With more projects being implemented, the evolution of stormwater management solutions is inevitable. In the future, the problem will be reusable and will be under the management of natural, green, and decay infrastructure (Mathew et al., 2015). A combination of rooftops and ground rain gardens will formulate green infrastructure. Its main benefit will be reducing the gray infrastructure cost, consequently leading to improved human wealth, increased property values, and reduction in crime-related issues.

Solving the stormwater problem also leads to increased socialization among the community members (Steven et al., 2020). With stormwater flooding in Baltimore, movement is restricted. These projects hence go beyond solving the environmental problem and impact the way of living of the citizens. In addition to that, they also change the economic life of individuals living in affected areas by creating an enabling environment to conduct business. The merits of these projects aid in stormwater management, but they also significantly impact people's economic and social lives.

Implementation of the Solution

The combined sewer systems are designed to carry all wastewater to a plant for treatment before releasing the water to water bodies (Meng & Hsu, 2019). However, during snowmelt or heavy rainfall, the amount of wastewater moving through the combined sewer system may exceed the sewer system's carrying capacity. Therefore, the combined sewer systems are built to overflow and emit the wastewater into water bodies directly occasionally. Such overflows are referred to as combined sewer overflows (CSOs).

Good CSO control policies should be adopted and enforced to implement the combined sewer system and solve the stormwater problem in Baltimore city. Discharges from the combined sewers should be strictly prohibited without the issuance of permits and ensuring that the permits issued to conform with CSO's policies. This will enable CSO's discharge points during heavy rains to comply with the clean water Act's quality of water and technology. The holders of the permits should implement the set minimum requirements of technology-based controls (Meerow, 2020). These requirements may include; carrying out maintenance programs regularly, reviewing and pre-treatment requirements modification to reduce CSO effects. It will also ensure the public members get sufficient alerts on the combined system overflows' effects and occurrences.

Conclusion

Another way of ensuring proper implementation of CSO's control policy is through maintenance of a very close working relationship between the state Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the authorities that permit state water to eliminate or reduce discharges of CSO (Heckert & Rosan, 2016). The EPA's enforcement efforts should continue to minimize the release of stormwater that is contaminated and raw sewage into Baltimore water bodies. Besides, a National Enforcement Initiative under EPA has been focusing on decreasing disposals from combined sewers, the storm sewer systems of the municipal and sanitary sewers to enhance timely implementation, and comprehensive remedies to these challenges, with the use of bioswales as a green infrastructure solution also inclusive (Meerow, 2020).