Integrating Green Stormwater Infrastructure to Improve Water Quality in the Socially Vulnerable Communities of Houston, Texas

Abstract Submission: Hunting Bayou and Greens Bayou are major channels in Northeast Houston that drain into the Houston Ship Channel, which then flows into Galveston Bay. With a high social vulnerability index (SVI=0.92), the residents repeatedly face flood-induced water quality hazards as they lack the necessary resources to combat flooding. Metals, nutrients, PCBs, dioxins, etc. are commonly detected in Hunting Bayou and Greens Bayou because of untreated effluent discharge from the industries which also contaminate the fisheries in Galveston Bay. This ongoing research will investigate GSI effectiveness as a potential measure of water quality improvement in the Hunting and Greens Bayou watersheds. The specific objectives are to (1) develop GSI scenarios and simulate runoff (with and without GSI) using a comprehensive two-dimensional (2D) modeling tool, StormWise, and (2) assess the surface water quality improvement by estimating reduced pollutant mass for different levels of GSI implementation using a spreadsheet-based tool. GSI scenarios in StormWise will include a combination of land use-specific best-performing GSI for the watersheds. Subsequently, land use and soil maps will be updated using low, moderate, and high levels of GSI implementation. Initial concentrations of the pollutants will be collected from available databases, a literature review, and technical reports. Reduced pollutant mass will be estimated using watershed characteristics, reduced runoff volume, and achievable pollutant reductions by different GSI. The findings will reveal the pollutant removal potential of GSI in urbanized coastal watersheds and will help researchers and decision-makers select appropriate GSI combinations to minimize water pollution and build resilient communities.

Keywords: Low Impact Development (LID), Water Quality, Coastal Watershed, Runoff Reduction, StormWise

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