Optimal LID Designs Based on SWMM Simulations Regarding the Sustainable Efficacy of Stormwater Management in Port Areas

Feifei Qin, Liuyang Huang, Xiaonan Qi, Li Sun, Jixian Cui () and Yanjie Wei ()
Additional contact information
Feifei Qin: Tianjin Research Institute of Water Transport Engineering, M.O.T., Tianjin 300456, China
Liuyang Huang: School of Energy and Environmental Engineering, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300401, China
Xiaonan Qi: School of Energy and Environmental Engineering, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300401, China
Li Sun: School of Energy and Environmental Engineering, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300401, China
Jixian Cui: Tianjin Research Institute of Water Transport Engineering, M.O.T., Tianjin 300456, China
Yanjie Wei: Tianjin Research Institute of Water Transport Engineering, M.O.T., Tianjin 300456, China

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 6, 1-26

Abstract: Urbanization leads to increased stormwater runoff, placing enormous pressure on the drainage system, including that of port cities in Hunan Province. This increases the risk of urban flooding and threatens the sustainability of the urban ecosystem. In this study, we employed the Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) to assess surface runoff and pollutant accumulation (TSS, COD, TN, and TP) under varying storm conditions and evaluate the efficacy of low-impact development (LID) measures in mitigating these impacts. The results included a peak ratio of 0.45, indicating complex concentration dynamics and good agreement with the observed rainfall patterns. The installation of permeable paving, rainwater infiltration ditches, and rainwater storage tanks reduced the peak flows by 33.3%, 30%, and 50%, respectively, with the rainwater storage tanks also reducing the total phosphorus (TP) load by 29.17%. In addition, it was found that rainwater collected in cisterns could be used not only for resource recycling but also to replenish groundwater resources. This demonstrates that low-impact development (LID) measures significantly reduce peak flows and pollutant loads and effectively promote the sustainable use of urban stormwater resources. The cost–benefit analyses show that the long-term benefits of LID systems are superior to those of traditional stormwater management systems. Therefore, LID measures can not only effectively reduce the pressure on urban drainage systems and improve flood prevention and mitigation capabilities but also promote sustainable development and the green transformation of cities.

Keywords: SWMM; LID metrics; initial wash phenomenon; rainwater retention basin; sustainable development (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/6/2544/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/6/2544/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:6:p:2544-:d:1611891

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().