entity that will preserve, promote and extend the US EPA SWMM and EPANETsoftware applications, and potentially other applications. SWMM and EPANET are two foremost tools for assessment of watershed hydrology and pipe network hydraulics, respectively, and are perhaps unparalleled examples of technical community accomplishments conducted as a partnership of stakeholders from all avenues of professional practice. Build over decades with participation from regulatory, academic, consulting, owner/operator, vendors, and institutional support under the continuing leadership of the US EPA, these tools are used around the world as 'first choice' software applications in many, many situations. They will remain as first choice tools for years to come. A key question, therefore, is how to ensure these hallmarks of professional practice can be maintained, promoted, and developed going forward. The expectations of users has evolved, needs have evolved, so the tools and their support mechanisms must evolve along with them.  |
| Figure 1 You see the data on the map and you can edit the data in the Attribute Browser (AB) and DB Editor. |
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| InfoSWMM Calibration Files |
Expanding Runoff Surface Types for Upcoming SWMM Versions 💧🌍🌆🌦
The Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) has been an instrumental tool in simulating urban hydrological processes. Over the years, SWMM has evolved, adding new features and capabilities 🚀. One area ripe for expansion is the classification of runoff surfaces 🌿🌃.
Current Runoff Surfaces in SWMM:
Enhancements in SWMM4 and SWMM5 introduced more intricate routing capabilities 🌐 and the integration of Low Impact Development (LID) methodologies 🌳🌼.
Proposed Enhancements for Future SWMM Iterations 🌟:
To reflect the complexity of urban terrains more accurately, there's a proposal to expand the number of runoff surfaces from the current 3 to a more comprehensive 12 📊. Each of these surfaces should have customizable properties, such as:
The existing SWMM framework provides a single slope and width for various runoff surfaces, which doesn't always mirror real-world scenarios. By allowing each surface to have distinct characteristics, it could enhance the model's accuracy and simplify the calibration process 🎯📉.
Technical Implications ⚙🖥:
Implementing these changes would entail:
cenum SubAreaType {
IMPERV0, // impervious surface without depression storage
IMPERV1, // impervious surface with depression storage
PERV // pervious surface
// ... Additional surfaces can be added here
};
While these enhancements would certainly increase the model's complexity, the benefits in terms of accuracy and representation of real-world conditions could be invaluable for urban hydrologists and planners 🌆🌍🌧🌳.
