Modeling the impact of rainwater harvesting on stormwater runoff

Abstract

One way to save water is rainwater harvesting (RWH). For highly urbanized areas, the advantages of RWH include not only collecting water but also mitigating the negative impacts of stormwater runoff on receiving water bodies. In this research, the use of RWH is investigated along with Permeable Pavement to reduce runoff volume and peak flow in Al-Huryai city, a small watershed in central Baghdad, Iraq as a case study using a Personalized Computer Storm Water Management Model (PCSWMM). The simulation results showed that RWH has a significant impact on runoff reduction when compiled with Al-Huryai-PP scenario. The peak flow rates for Al-Huryai as-is scenario and Al-Huryai-PP+RWH scenario were 0.004 m3/s and 0.0038 respectively. Thus, the predevelopment conditions were met and flooding was controlled.