Project Factsheet Smart Stormwater Systems Out Now

Image courtesy: City of Mitcham 

We are proud to share the research of Environment Institute members Assoc. Professor Mark Thyer and Professor Holger Maier, alongside Ruijie (Jerry) Liang, PhD and Emeritus Professor Graeme Dandy, from the University of Adelaide, on "Smart Stormwater Systems: Opportunities for smart technology to reduce flood infrastructure costs and provide water for urban greening".

As cities grow and climate change intensifies, stormwater systems are under increasing pressure. Urbanization creates more impervious surfaces, leading to higher stormwater flows and a greater risk of flooding. Climate change amplifies this problem by increasing the intensity of extreme rainfall, further increasing the risk of flooding and increasing the infrastructure costs required to manage stormwater.

Traditional stormwater systems rely on upgrading infrastructure like pipes and channels to handle greater stormwater flows. However, this approach is costly, disruptive, space-intensive, and not adaptable to future changes. Smart stormwater systems offer an innovative alternative. These systems strategically manage stormwater flows using:

Smart Design: Using advanced machine learning to identify the best locations and sizes for stormwater storage. This balances cost, space, and performance while incorporating user preferences.

Smart Control: Adding real-time controls to storage outlets to dynamically adapt water release before, during and after storms. This approach reduces peak flows, prevents flooding, and allows for water harvesting for urban greening.

Benefits of Smart Stormwater Systems include: 

Cost Savings: Cheaper than traditional infrastructure upgrades.

Space Efficiency: Flexible placement in less crowded areas, like side streets and reserves.

Adaptability: Can evolve with future climate and urbanization changes.

Co-Benefits: Harvests water for greening cities, reduces heatwave impacts, and improves water quality.

Two case studies were conducted in Adelaide, South Australia, highlighting the opportunities for smart stormwater systems. The Trinity Valley Case Study reduced costs by 10% and avoided disruptive pipe upgrades and the Pasadena Case Study reduced costs by 60%, saved space, and doubled water availability for greening projects compared with more conventional infrastructure upgrade approaches. A physical prototype of a smart control system developed at the University of Adelaide demonstrated that even with a simulated 87% increase in rainfall intensity, smart control prevented peak flow increases, while conventional methods saw a 33% rise in peak flows.

The results obtained so far have made it clear that smart stormwater systems offer a forward-thinking, cost-effective, and sustainable way to manage urban flooding while supporting greener, cooler cities.

Want to know more?

For further information on Smart Stormwater Systems  

• Read the  Fact Sheet
• Listen to  Podcast
• Watch the Video Presentation
• See the collection of Smart Stormwater Systems Presentations, Videos and Reports
• Contact Assoc Prof Mark Thyer (email) or Professor Holger Maier (email)