Abstract

BRINK, I C. Small-scale dispersed Green Infrastructure – a fitting civil engineering solution to stormwater quality improvement?. J. S. Afr. Inst. Civ. Eng. [online]. 2019, vol.61, n.4, pp.42-49. ISSN 2309-8775.  http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/2309-8775/2019/v61n4a4.

Stormwater quality has been researched for decades, but design innovation has stagnated. The design engineer is commonly faced with a large array of design options, each with complex mechanisms requiring specialised knowledge, often in fields that do not form part of civil engineering training. Adequately combining and establishing the necessary knowledge from these fields requires a practically valid design focus. An investigation into whether small-scale dispersed Green Infrastructure (GI) can serve as such a focus for stormwater runoff quality improvement was performed. It was found that small-scale GI application provides a dispersed and passive treatment response to the spatially diffuse nature of stormwater runoff. This technology has comparable efficiencies to other traditional stormwater structures, with the added advantage of being incorporable into existing infrastructure. It is, however, not without its share of disadvantages and knowledge gaps. Future research into many aspects ranging from data collection to implementation is warranted.

Keywords : stormwater quality; green infrastructure; small-scale; dispersed; practical design focus.

        · text in English     · English ( pdf )