Analysis of TTU Campus Storm Water Drainage by Storm Water Management Model

Abstract

Storm water drainage is a growing concern in TTU campus which is going to be worsened by the construction works in near future. During Spring 2016 in CEE 5990/6990 (Storm Water Management) class we had the scope of investigating the campus storm water drainage system. As of May 2016, the campus storm water runoff was poorly understood and showed some disagreement with the field observation. To understand the storm water movement to and from the campus a thorough analysis was required. Therefore, the objective of this study was to model the storm water drainage system of TTU campus and recommend possible solutions. To fulfil this objective, a Strom Water Management Model (SWMM) using EPA SWMM modeling software was developed for a large part of the campus that drains into outfall near 12th street. The modeling was followed by field investigation and detailed geospatial analysis of the study area. It was found that the drainage system is inadequate to the needs of a sustainable storm water management standard. It also pointed to the need of updating the existing database. However, significant improvement in the storm water drainage was attainable when hypothetical best management practices (BMP) were incorporated into the system. This implies that the storm water drainage of the campus could be improved by enriching the database and implementing simple yet effective management practices. This research should work as a baseline for future planning of the campus storm water management upon fine tuning and rigorous field validation.