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Network Topology and Rainfall Controls on the Variability of Combined Sewer Overflows and Loads
Author(s) -
McGrath Gavan,
Kaeseberg Thomas,
Reyes Silva Julian David,
Jawitz James W.,
Blumensaat Frank,
Borchardt Dietrich,
Mellander PerErik,
Paik Kyungrock,
Krebs Peter,
Rao P. Suresh C.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
water resources research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.863
H-Index - 217
eISSN - 1944-7973
pISSN - 0043-1397
DOI - 10.1029/2019wr025336
Subject(s) - combined sewer , environmental science , storm , network topology , pollutant , hydrology (agriculture) , probabilistic logic , topology (electrical circuits) , stormwater , meteorology , computer science , geology , engineering , surface runoff , geotechnical engineering , geography , ecology , electrical engineering , biology , artificial intelligence , operating system
Water and pollutant fluxes from combined sewer overflows (CSO) have a significant impact on receiving waters. The random nature of rainfall forcing dominates the variability of sewer discharges, pollutant loads, and concentrations. An analytical model developed here shows how sewer network topology and rainfall properties variously impact the stochasticity of CSO functioning. Probability distributions of sewer discharge and concentration compare well with the results from a calibrated Storm Water Management Model in an application to a sewershed located in Dresden, Germany. The model is determined by only four parameters, three of which can be predicted a priori, two from the rainfall record and one from the network topology using geomorphological flow recession theory, while the fourth can be estimated from a short discharge time series. The sensitivity of CSO and wastewater treatment loads to network structure suggests simple topologies may be more vulnerable to poor performance. The analytical model is useful for evaluating various CSO management strategies to reduce adverse impacts on receiving waters in a probabilistic setting.