Optimization for Urban Watershed Management: Stormwater Runoff and Nonpoint Pollution Control

TL;DRAbstract

Urban and suburban watersheds are degraded by storm-water runoff through a variety of mechanisms, including frequent channel-eroding flows and nonpoint pollutants originating in wash-off from developed impervious surfaces. The resulting decline in water quality and loss of aquatic habitat has resulted in "impaired" designations for a large number of urban streams in the US. In this exercise, students will apply Storm Water Investment Strategy Evaluation (StormWISE) to determine an optimal strategy for improving water quality in Little Crum Creek, which drains 8.3 sq km (3.2 square miles) that is part of the Delaware River Estuary watershed. The stream is located in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, and about 10 km (6.2 miles) west of Philadelphia. Land use in the watershed consists largely of developed residential, commercial, and institutional parcels, with some undeveloped and lightly developed land, primarily in the riparian zones. Through this case study, students will become familiar

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