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Getting Started with EPA's Storm Water Management Model (SWMM)
Citation:
Simon, M. Getting Started with EPA's Storm Water Management Model (SWMM). Presented at University of Cincinnati Environmental and Hydraulic Systems Analysis graduate and undergraduate class, Cincinnati, OH, October 19 - 26, 2022.
Impact/Purpose:
This presentation will explain the practical aspects of SWMM 5.2 to undergraduate and graduate University of Cincinnati Chemical and Environmental Engineering students
Description:
The EPA Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) is a dynamic rainfall-runoff simulation model used for single event or long-term (continuous) simulation of runoff quantity and quality from primarily urban areas. The runoff component of SWMM operates on a collection of subcatchment areas that receive precipitation and generate runoff and pollutant loads. The routing portion of SWMM transports this runoff through a system of pipes, channels, storage/treatment devices, pumps, and regulators. SWMM tracks the quantity and quality of runoff generated within each subcatchment, and the flow rate, flow depth, and quality of water in each pipe and channel during a simulation period comprised of multiple time steps. Running under Windows, SWMM 5 provides an integrated environment for editing study area input data, running hydrologic, hydraulic and water quality simulations, and viewing the results in a variety of formats. These include color-coded drainage area and conveyance system maps, time series graphs and tables, profile plots, and statistical frequency analyses. This user’s manual describes in detail how to run SWMM 5.2. It includes instructions on how to build a drainage system model, how to set various simulation options, and how to view results in a variety of formats. It also describes the different types of files used by SWMM and provides useful tables of parameter values. Detailed descriptions of the theory behind SWMM 5 and the numerical methods it employs can be found in a separate set of reference manuals.