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Storm Water Management Model (SWMM): Performance Review and Gap Analysis
Citation:
Niazi, M., C. Nietch, N. Jackson, B. Bennett, M. Maghrebi, M. Tryby, AND A. Massoudieh. Storm Water Management Model (SWMM): Performance Review and Gap Analysis. Journal of Sustainable Water in the Built Environment. American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), New York, NY, 3(2):04017002 1-32, (2017). https://doi.org/10.1061/JSWBAY.0000817
Impact/Purpose:
The Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) is a widely used tool for designing and planning stormwater infrastructure in urban areas throughout the world. Many communities use SWMM or hire consultants to use SWMM to comply with National Pollution Discharge Elimination Program reporting requirements. This article reports the results of a literature review focusing on SWMM applications. The suitability of the model for these applications is assessed, and capability gaps are identified to help focus future efforts to improve SWMM. The results will be informative to all SWMM users (regulators, stormwater and wastewater system operators, engineers, consultants, and academicians) and can serve as a guide to new users unfamilar with SWMM's strengths and weakness.
Description:
The Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) is a widely used tool for urban drainage design and planning. Hundreds of peer-reviewed articles and conference proceedings have been written describing applications of SWMM. This review focused on collecting information on model performance with respect to calibration and validation in the peer-reviewed literature. The major developmental history and applications of the model are also presented. The results provide utility to others looking for a quick reference to gauge the integrity of their own unique SWMM application. A gap analysis assessed the models’ ability to perform water quality simulations considering green infrastructure (GI)/Low Impact Development (LID) designs and effectiveness. We conclude that the level of detail underlying the conceptual model of SWMM versus its overall computational parsimony is well balanced - making it an adequate model for large and medium-scale hydrologic applications. However, embedding a new mechanistic algorithm or providing user guidance for coupling with other models will be necessary in order to realistically simulate diffuse pollutant sources, their fate and transport, and the effectiveness of GI/LID implementation scenarios.
URLs/Downloads:
DOI: Storm Water Management Model (SWMM): Performance Review and Gap Analysis
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