Quantifying the Impact of River Levels on Urban Drainage Capacity

Haijia Zhang, Jiahong Liu (), Chao Mei, Jia Wang and Tianxu Song
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Haijia Zhang: Beijing University of Technology, Faculty of Architecture, Civil and Transportation Engineering
Jiahong Liu: Beijing University of Technology, Faculty of Architecture, Civil and Transportation Engineering
Chao Mei: State Key Laboratory of Water Cycle and Water Security, Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research
Jia Wang: State Key Laboratory of Water Cycle and Water Security, Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research
Tianxu Song: State Key Laboratory of Water Cycle and Water Security, Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research

Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), 2025, vol. 39, issue 14, No 11, 7593-7621

Abstract: Abstract Urban flooding frequently co-occurs with river flooding. In such events, rising river water levels may inhibit the drainage capacity of drainage systems, thereby exacerbating the risk of urban flooding. This study proposes a dynamic coupling framework that connects a one-dimensional drainage model based on SWMM with a TELEMAC-2D river model through time-varying boundary conditions, enabling a quantitative analysis of the impact of dynamic river water levels on urban drainage performance. Using the Beijing Urban Sub-centre as a case study, simulations were conducted under different rainfall and river flood scenarios. Results indicate a significant dependency between drainage capacity and outlet boundary submergence levels. Under free-flow conditions, drainage capacity remains unaffected; however, when river water levels exceed one to two times the diameter of the outlet, drainage capacity rapidly declines, potentially leading to backflow. A flow coefficient function was developed to characterise this nonlinear relationship. The study results provide a theoretical and practical basis for enhancing urban flood resilience, particularly for regions facing complex flood risks.

Keywords: Urban hydrology; Urban waterlogging; Drainage capacity; External flooding and internal waterlogging; Coupled hydrodynamic model (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1007/s11269-025-04309-0

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