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Impact of model structure on radionuclide transport in urban stormwater
Citation:
Mikelonis, A., J. Shireman, AND K. Ratliff. Impact of model structure on radionuclide transport in urban stormwater. ENVIRONMENTAL MODELLING AND SOFTWARE. Elsevier Science Ltd, New York, NY, 160:105602, (2023). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsoft.2022.105602
Impact/Purpose:
This journal publication explores how different stormwater model configurations influence simulation results from a radiological release scenario. It is of interest to stormwater practitioners and emergency responders in helping to identify and understand how decisions to represent critical infrastructure in models influence predictions that could be used for remediation actions such as sampling and decontamination.
Description:
This paper compared simulation results from different model constructions of a Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) after radiological contamination from a hypothetical dirty bomb scenario. The model constructions included a utility-provided combined sewer stormwater model, a high-resolution mesh surface flow model (no buried pipes were included), and a hybrid of the two. Each model represented different time and computing resources necessary to conduct the modeling during an emergency. The models were run under three different rainfall configurations including a 3-hour event and a 24-hour event modeled for just the rainfall event and with an additional 48 hours of drainage time to investigate the influence that model structure had on transport of 137Cs. Model structure was found to impact the contaminant loading into the stormwater model from the air deposition modeling. Model structure was also found to impact the amount of contaminant washoff (high resolution modeling produced more washoff), flow of contamination through outfalls (more contamination flowing through outfalls with the underground pipe network), and 137Cs radioactivity levels per pipe (lower levels in the 2D conduit system). The implications of these findings are that few stormwater models are considered ready to aid in response and recovery as originally designed.
