Evaluating low impact development practices potentials for increasing flood resilience and stormwater reuse through lab-controlled bioretention systems

Author(s)

de Macedo, Marina Batalini ^[1] ; Pereira de Oliveira, Thalita Raquel ^[1] ; Oliveira, Tassiana Halmenschlager ^[1] ; Gomes Junior, Marcus Nobrega ^{[1, 2]} ; Texeira Brasil, Jose Artur ^[1] ; Ferreira do Lago, Cesar Ambrogi ^{[1, 2]} ; Mendiondo, Eduardo Mario ^[3]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Hydraul Engn & Sanitat, Av Trabalhador Saocarlense 400, CP 359, BR-13566590 Sao Carlos, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Texas San Antonio, One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, TX 78249 - USA

^[3] Univ Sao Paulo, Av Trabalhador Saocarlense 400, CP 359, BR-3566590 Sao Carlos, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: WATER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY; v. 84, n. 5 JUL 2021.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

Low Impact Development practices (LID) as alternative measures of urban drainage can be used within the approach of resources recycling and co-management. This study evaluates the potential contribution of a bioretention system to flood control, non-potable water demands (NPD) and resources co-management. Bioretention setups were tested experimentally under variable conditions to identify operational key-factors to multiple purposes. Additionally, the efficiencies obtained for laboratory scale were extrapolated for household and watershed scale, quantifying the indicators of water demand reduction (WDR), energy demand reduction (EDR) and carbon emission reduction (CER) for hybrid systems with LID. The laboratory results indicated that the use of a bioretention with a submerged zone can improve the quality of the water recovered for reuse, while maintaining the efficiency of runoff retention and peak flow attenuation. Comparing the bioretention effluent quality with the Brazilian standards for stormwater reuse, the parameters color, turbidity, E. coli and metals were above the limits, indicating the necessity of a better treatment to solids particles and disinfection. Expanding the analysis to watershed scale, the bioretention helped to reduce NPD demands up to 45%, leading to a reduction in energy demand and carbon emission from the centralized water supply system. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 14/50848-9 - INCT 2014: INCT for Climate Change
• Grantee: Jose Antonio Marengo Orsini
• Support Opportunities: Research Program on Global Climate Change - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 17/15614-5 - Decentralized urban runoff recycling facility addressing the security of the water-energy-food nexus
• Grantee: Marina Batalini de Macedo
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate