Evaluation of land-use, climate change, and low-impact development practices on urban flooding

We investigated the potential influence of land-use and climate change on urban hydrology for an urbanized watershed located in Columbia, South Carolina (USA). The Personal Computer Storm Water Management Model (PCSWMM) was used as an urban hydrology model to formulate the low-impact development (LID) controls on runoff for flood mitigation. We used ensemble projections provided by the North American Regional Climate Change Assessment Program (NARCCAP) for the climate change assessment. The results for future periods (2038-2069) show an increase in mean annual runoff from 40% to 70%. The LID mitigation strategies were compared based on the rain barrel, the rain garden, and a combination of the two approaches to evaluate the potential reduction in urban flooding. It is recommended that LID practices should be used synergistically with improved drainage facilities for successful stormwater management. This analysis will help stakeholders to develop strategies to minimize the socio-economic impacts due to urban flooding.

Automated summary

The study found that in the future period, the urban watershed in Columbia may experience increased runoff. It is recommended to use LID practices synergistically with improved drainage facilities to successfully manage urban stormwater and reduce the impact of urban flooding.