Poster Sessions, pages 567-640 - ICOET

Simulation-Optimization Framework to Support Sustainable Watershed Development by Mimicking the
Pre-Development Flow Regime
Abstract
Dr. Emily Zechman, Research Assistant Professor (919-513-7920, emzechma@ncsu.edu),
Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, North Carolina State
University, Campus Box 7908, Raleigh, NC 27695-7908, Fax: 919-515-7908 USA
A new approach is presented to achieve a more aggressive sustainability objective for designing transportation
infrastructure and land use planning: to design BMPs to continuously mimic the natural flow regime and ensure that
ecosystems downstream of development would not be adversely affected.
As the land uses are changed for development of urban areas and transportation infrastructure, ecosystems in
receiving water bodies are significantly affected by the changes in duration, peak, and minimum flows. Though Best
Management Practices (BMPs) are typically designed to not exceed some peak flow during a design storm and perhaps
maintain a minimum flow at low-flow periods, downstream conditions are altered, potentially harming ecosystems.
A new approach is presented to achieve a more aggressive sustainability objective: to design BMPs to continuously
mimic the natural flow regime and ensure that ecosystems downstream of development would not be adversely
affected. This objective may not be achievable through the implementation of a single detention pond at a watershed
outlet; a system of BMPs strategically placed throughout the watershed may be required. Several BMPs exist as options
for treatment, such as detention/retention ponds, constructed wetland systems, infiltration systems (i.e., porous
pavement), and vegetative filtrations systems. As each system chosen for implementation must be specified by a set of
design decisions and placement location, an efficient mechanism of optimization is needed to handle the large array
of decisions. In addition, a comprehensive modeling framework is needed to simulate a collection of BMPs simultaneously.
A quantitative analysis framework is described and illustrated for coupling BMP and watershed models with
optimization techniques.
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