Creating Smart Stormwater Solutions in a Digital World

Today we have the benefit of having digital data available at our fingertips. However, in the stormwater profession, are we ready to maximize the use of that data? Each project presents opportunities to maximize the application of this data and how we can best collect stormwater data today to further the digital world we live in. When we collect stormwater data are we thinking about how that data can be used in models to address watershed solutions? Are we thinking about how our modeling results can be used to engage stakeholders? We have the technical resources to keep up with the rapidly changing digital world; the challenge is applying those technical resource efficiently to maximize the use of the data. Ultimately, it is using data to create more sustainable and resilient solutions that reduce costs and increases public benefit while managing the risk associated with a changing climate. Our toolbox includes stormwater models. Stormwater models are used every day to simulate design and historical rainfall events. We use them to demonstrate the impacts and the benefit those stormwater solutions given our assumed inputs. We use models to map floodplains, to evaluate enclosed systems, and to predict future flooding based on land cover changes or increases in rainfall intensities. The potential uses are endless, but do we get the full benefit of the resources put into developing these models over time? Are we building an adaptable and transforming digital platform or are we just developing a list of static projects? For stormwater solutions to advance and be more adaptive, resilient, and sustainable we need to have a plan and a vision of how stormwater data should be collected, how that data is maintained, what that data is going to be used for, and, who is using the data. We can't keep doing stormwater modeling in a black box every 15-20 years. Stormwater data and the subsequent models need to be living and growing digital systems that are refined and updated regularly with an eye towards smarter stormwater solutions that provide greater long term public benefit. This presentation will address these issues using the City of Lawrence, Kansas as a case study. The City of Lawrence 20-years ago went through a typical stormwater master planning process that resulted in a list of projects. Many of those projects have been completed but stormwater issues remain and, in some cases, are worse. Instead of going through another typical stormwater master planning process, the City is fully understanding their stormwater system through comprehensive field evaluation of their assets; developing the processes and procedures for using digital data in comprehensive watershed models; using the results of the watershed models to define improvement projects and engage stakeholders; and to create a holistic, dynamic stormwater improvement plan. The field data was collected using the latest technology, organized within a stormwater asset management system, and delivered as geodatabases, shapefiles, and digital photos and videos to the modeling team. The modeling team then used that data with recent LiDAR to develop stormwater models of the enclosed system, the 2D overland flow, and the 2D open channels and streams. The stormwater models include PC-SWMM with 2D and HEC-RAS 6.0 2D. The model files were spatially referenced and fully integrated with the City's GIS. The model inputs and outputs were easily mapped and overlaid with other City GIS data. This resulted in digital stormwater data and model simulation results that formed the foundation for the development of an adaptive and dynamic stormwater improvement process. This process will allow the City to use the models to make decisions, update stormwater improvement plans periodically, and provide watershed visualization materials to educate and engage stakeholders on stormwater issues. This presentation will focus on stormwater modeling in the digital world and how the latest field data collection technology, asset management systems, and stormwater improvement projects can be done more effectively. Lessons learned in using digital data for model inputs, 2D modeling, and linking enclosed storm sewer models with open channel models will also be presented. And finally, a process will be presented of how this can be accomplished on a watershed scale to drive innovation, improve the resiliency of stormwater solutions, and reduce a city's overall stormwater improvement cost.