Green Infrastructure for Urban Flood Mitigation: A Modeling Study

Abstract Submission: Green infrastructure (GSI) is a vital component of the Philadelphia Water Department’s Green City, Clean Waters program. The purpose of implementing GSI is to reduce combined sewer overflows (CSO) and reduce pollutants, with benefits typically measured by CSO volume reduction per impervious area managed. This presentation discusses a planning-level study that examines how effective GSI is at alleviating street flooding. Two different scenarios of GSI implementation levels and locations were evaluated against baseline scenarios of no GSI and current GSI implementations. The study utilized 2D modeling in PCSWMM to quantify surface flooding in street intersections by measuring the flooded area. Results indicate that GSI strategically implemented upstream of vulnerable areas can effectively reduce flooding downstream. These findings suggest that GSI can be a practical and advantageous alternative for urban flood mitigation, and that the placement and distribution of GSI are crucial factors in planning and design.

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