Urban Runoff Management Strategies

A dramatic shift has occurred in the control of urban runoff over the past 10 yr to 15 yr. The conventional practice of rapid removal and delivery of urban runoff to downstream areas is being replaced by the newer concept of reduction and detention of urban runoff in upstream source areas. A successful strategy for managing urban runoff must be based on: (1)Application of proper hydrologic tools for the analysis of urban runoff under alternative land-use conditions in the watershed; (2)hydrologic and economic evaluation of the performance of alternative runoff abatement measures; and (3)projection of downstream impacts of selected abatement schemes. The purpose of this paper is to review these basic elements in urban runoff management and to comment on future directions in this evolving field.