Urban Stormwater Modeling

Stormwater modeling

Urban runoff modeling is an essential and almost universally used tool for management of stormwater, combined sewers and urban wet-weather flows. This conference will bring together leading model users, model developers and stormwater managers to present approaches on "how to do modeling right" and "how to avoid modeling pitfalls."

An ancillary goal is to present the state-of-the-art in urban modeling, with a view of what models are available and what can they do (within limits since there are so many) and not do. What can a model user and urban drainage manager reasonably expect from these models? Constraints on modeling that will be addressed include:

• model availability;
• documentation;
• resources;
• input, calibration and verification data requirements;
• bureaucratic regulations; and
• overall capability for the desired tasks.

The conference is aimed at model developers, model users, project managers, and program managers from governmental agencies, consulting firms and other organizations, to provide a blend of experience with these issues.

Plenary sessions, panel discussions, and posters will feature the following subjects:

• Overall modeling guidelines, caveats, and pitfalls;
• Perspectives from agencies, users, and model developers;
• Sessions devoted to several of the most popular models currently available;
• Sessions featuring case studies and applications;
• Modeling of drainage system components, including hydrology, hydraulics, and water quality;
• Appropriateness of design: storm hydrologic and hydraulic methods for system flood design (and stream erosion evaluations and water quality evaluation) vs. continuous simulation and probabilistic approaches;
• Hydraulic system modeling;
• Modeling of wet-weather controls, including BMPs, LID, CSO controls, SSO proximity prediction and control, real-time controls (RTC);
• Optimization, calibration, scale effects;
• Graphical user interfaces (GUIs) and ancillary components;
• Data needs for model inputs, calibration, and verification;
• Research needs (may evolve out of other sessions).

With the exception of one or two breakout sessions, all sessions will be plenary, with talks on the order of 30 min, plus question and answer periods. In addition to traditional talks, some sessions will be conducted as panels, with extensive audience interaction. There will be a total of 40-50 papers over the week, including panel sessions, plus three poster sessions. Main sessions will be in the morning and evening, with ad hoc sessions and recreation in the afternoons. The first meeting of participants will occur Sunday evening, July 22. The conference will end with the noon meal on Friday, July 27.

Most oral presentations will be invited, but persons interested in presenting an oral paper can contact the conference chair. Poster papers are solicited for case studies in application of models to hydraulics, hydrology, water quality, stream morphology, and control simulation (e.g., BMPs, LID and for CSOs, SSOs, RTC, etc.); these sessions will comprise two evenings. Model developers are encouraged to contact the conference chair for the purpose of participating in a session in which urban models are displayed in an open forum. This includes both proprietary and public agency models. This evening session will consist both of presentations for some models and posters/displays for all.

Papers will be published (publisher to be arranged).

This meeting is being arranged and chaired by Drs. W. C. Huber, Oregon State University and E. W. Streker, GeoSyntec Consultants

The American Society of Civil Engineers, Environmental and Water Resources Institute and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are co-sponsors.