Design Criteria for the Water Quality Volume of Stormwater Ponds

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the design criteria for the minimum water quality volume of detention and retention stormwater ponds. Stormwater ponds are one of the most widely used Best Management Practices (BMPs) for stormwater management in most counties and municipalities. Water quality is achieved by the settling out and removal of suspended sediments, particulate contaminants, and dissolved pollutants that are commonly found in urban stormwater runoff. A very closely associated aspect of this water quality volume is its removal rate or discharge from the ponds. The water quality of the effluent from a pond increases the longer the stormwater resides in it. However, literature review has shown that the detention time ranges widely from 24 to 72 hours.