Grantee Research Project Results

Final Report: An Integrated Decision Support Tool (I-DST) for Life-Cycle Cost Assessment and Optimization of Green, Grey, and Hybrid Stormwater Infrastructure

EPA Grant Number: R836174
Title: An Integrated Decision Support Tool (I-DST) for Life-Cycle Cost Assessment and Optimization of Green, Grey, and Hybrid Stormwater Infrastructure
Investigators: Hogue, Terri , Horvath, Arpad , McCray, John , Higgins, Christopher , Stokes, Jennifer , Geza, Mengistu , McDonald, Rob , Grubert, Emily
Institution: Colorado School of Mines , The Nature Conservancy , University of California - Berkeley
EPA Project Officer: Packard, Benjamin H
Project Period: April 1, 2016 through March 31, 2020 (Extended to March 31, 2021)
Project Amount: $1,949,462
RFA: National Priorities: Life Cycle Costs of Water Infrastructure Alternatives (2015) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Water

Objective:

The overarching goal of the current project is to develop an integrated, scalable, decision support tool, the i-DST, that:
• Allows for optimization and comprehensive life-cycle cost assessment (LCCA) of grey, green, and hybrid stormwater infrastructure;

• Is adaptable across the diverse regions, policies and practices of the U.S;

• Provides a user-friendly interface that can be implemented from the plot to sewer-shed scales;

• Functions independently of expensive, proprietary, frequently-updated software;

• Emphasizes novel functionality (i.e., new excel-based plot scale model; coupled uncertainty analysis; advanced LCCA algorithms) while leveraging existing tools to minimize coding redundancy;

• Allows use of output from other hydrologic models for improved efficiency in watersheds with calibrated models;

• Aids in planning around multiple environmental and economic criteria by quantifying ancillary benefits (e.g., reducing inputs to existing grey infrastructure, enhancing green livable cities, and augmenting scarce water supplies); and

• Enables decision makers to select optimal stormwater management options using green, gray, and hybrid infrastructure based on the costs and benefits for their conditions

Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):

The output of this project is an integrated, scalable, decision support tool that allows for optimization and comprehensive life-cycle cost assessment (LCCA) of grey, green, and hybrid stormwater infrastructure and is adaptable across the diverse climatologies and regional policies and practices of the U.S. The integrated decision support tool (i-DST) is built around a user-friendly interface that can be implemented from site- to watershed-scales. The i-DST includes novel (i.e., new excel-based site-scale model) as well as existing (SUSTAIN) tools coupled to advanced green and grey LCCA algorithms to enable decision makers to select optimal stormwater infrastructure options based on their associated costs and benefits. The i-DST allows resource managers and communities to evaluate options for improving stormwater runoff management using green infrastructure, including ancillary benefits such as reducing inputs to existing grey infrastructure, as well as enhancing green livable cities and augmenting scarce water supplies. The final i-DST includes five modules: Watershed-Scale Tool, Co-benefit Analysis, Green LCC, Grey LCCA, and a Site-Scale tool. Each module can be used independently as a standalone tool. The Watershed Scale tool can be integrated with other watershed-scale modules; Co-benefit Analysis, Green LCC, and Grey LCCA. The Site-scale tool is fully independent from other modules as it includes its own life cycle costing analysis.

Journal Articles on this Report : 12 Displayed | Download in RIS Format

Publications Views
Other project views:	All 28 publications	12 publications in selected types	All 12 journal articles

Publications
Type	Citation	Project	Document Sources
Journal Article	Bell CD, Wolfand JM, Hogue TS. Regionalization of Default Parameters for Urban Stormwater Quality Models. JAWRA Journal of the American Water Resources Association 2020;56(6):995-1009.	R836174 (Final)	Full-text: JAWRA - Full Text HTML Exit Other: JAWRA - Full Text PDF Exit
Journal Article	Bell C-D, Stokes-Draut J, Spahr K, Grubert E, Gallo E, McCray J-E, Hogue T-S. Decision making on the grey-green stormwater infrastructure continuum. Journal of Sustainable Water in the Built Environment 2019;5(1).	R836174 (2018) R836174 (Final)	Full-text: Full Text Exit Abstract: Abstract Exit
Journal Article	Shojaeizadeh A, Geza M, McCray J, Hogue TS. Site-scale integrated decision support tool (i-DSTss) for stormwater management. Water 2019;11(10):2022.	R836174 (2019) R836174 (Final)	Full-text: Full text Exit Abstract: Abstract Exit
Journal Article	Boehm AB, Bell CD, Fitzgerald NJ, Gallo E, Higgins CP, Hogue TS, Luthy RG, Portmann AC, Ulrich BA, Wolfand JM. Biochar-augmented biofilters to improve pollutant removal from stormwater–can they improve receiving water quality?. Environmental Science:Water Research & Technology 2020;6(6):1520-37.	R836174 (Final)	Full-text: Royal Society of Chem Full Text -HTML Exit
Journal Article	Spahr KM, Bell CD, McCray JE, Hogue TS. Greening up stormwater infrastructure:Measuring vegetation to establish context and promote cobenefits in a diverse set of US cities. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening 2020;48:126548.	R836174 (2019) R836174 (Final)	Full-text: Full text Exit Abstract: Abstract Exit
Journal Article	Gallo EM, Bell CD, Panos CL, Smith SM, Hogue TS. Investigating tradeoffs of green to grey stormwater infrastructure using a planning-level decision support tool. Water 2020;12(7):2005.	R836174 (Final)	Full-text: MDPI Full Text- HTML Exit
Journal Article	Grubert E, Stokes-Draut J. Mitigation Life Cycle Assessment:Best Practices from LCA of Energy and Water Infrastructure That Incurs Impacts to Mitigate Harm. Energies 2020;13(4):992.	R836174 (2019) R836174 (Final)	Full-text: Full text Exit Abstract: Abstract Exit
Journal Article	Gallo E, Bell C, Mika K, Gold M, Hogue TS. Stormwater Management Options and Decision-Making in Urbanized Watersheds of Los Angeles, California. Journal of Sustainable Water in the Built Environment 2020;6(2):04020003.	R836174 (2019) R836174 (Final)	Abstract: Abstract Exit
Journal Article	Bell CD, Wolfand JM, Panos CL, Bhaskar AS, Gilliom RL, Hogue TS, Hopkins KG, Jefferson AJ. Stormwater control impacts on runoff volume and peak flow:A meta‐analysis of watershed modelling studies. Hydrological Processes 2020;34(14):3134-52.	R836174 (Final)	Full-text: Wiley Full Text -HTML Exit
Journal Article	Shojaeizadeh A, Geza M, Hogue TS. GIP-SWMM:A new green infrastructure placement tool coupled with SWMM. Journal of Environmental Management 2021;277:111409.	R836174 (Final)	Full-text: Science Direct Full Text- HTML Exit Abstract: Pub Med Abstract - HTML
Journal Article	Spahr KM, Bell CD, Gallo EM, McCray JE, Hogue TS. Incorporating a Multiple-Benefit Analysis into a Stormwater Decision-Support Tool at Planning Level. Journal of Sustainable Water in the Built Environment 2021;7(3):04021011.	R836174 (Final)	Full-text: ASCE Full Text- HTML Exit
Journal Article	Krieger J, Grubert E. Life-cycle costing for distributed stormwater control measures on the gray-green continuum:A planning-level tool. Journal of Sustainable Water in the Built Environment 2021;7(1):04020019.	R836174 (Final)	Full-text: ASCE Full Text- HTML Exit

Supplemental Keywords:

stormwater, decision support tools, life cycle cost assessment, green infrastructure, grey infrastructure, SWMM

Relevant Websites:

IDST Mines Exit

Progress and Final Reports:

Original Abstract

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.