Book contents
- Impact of Urban Floods on Water Quality
- International Hydrology Series
- Impact of Urban Floods on Water Quality
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- 1 Urbanisation Process and Urban Water Challenges
- 2 General Approaches on Urban Water Challenges
- 3 Integrating Water Quality in Urban Flood Risk Management
- 4 Impacts of Urban Drainage Management on Water Quality Following Extreme Rainfall
- 5 Online Forecast Model for Urban Flooding and Induced Water Contamination
- 6 Identifying the Contaminant Levels in River Floods That Occurred in the Past
- 7 Coping with Water Supply and Water Quality Problems during Floods and Their Management
- 8 Impact of Urban Flooding on Water Quality in India with Special Reference to Mumbai
- 9 The 2016 Seine River Flood and Its Impacts to the Paris Sanitation System and on the River’s Water Quality
- 10 “The Sponge City” Initiative in China
- Conclusions
- Index
- References
4 - Impacts of Urban Drainage Management on Water Quality Following Extreme Rainfall
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 23 October 2025
Book contents
- Impact of Urban Floods on Water Quality
- International Hydrology Series
- Impact of Urban Floods on Water Quality
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- 1 Urbanisation Process and Urban Water Challenges
- 2 General Approaches on Urban Water Challenges
- 3 Integrating Water Quality in Urban Flood Risk Management
- 4 Impacts of Urban Drainage Management on Water Quality Following Extreme Rainfall
- 5 Online Forecast Model for Urban Flooding and Induced Water Contamination
- 6 Identifying the Contaminant Levels in River Floods That Occurred in the Past
- 7 Coping with Water Supply and Water Quality Problems during Floods and Their Management
- 8 Impact of Urban Flooding on Water Quality in India with Special Reference to Mumbai
- 9 The 2016 Seine River Flood and Its Impacts to the Paris Sanitation System and on the River’s Water Quality
- 10 “The Sponge City” Initiative in China
- Conclusions
- Index
- References
Summary
Chapter 4 explores the challenges posed by urbanisation on water quality, particularly during extreme rainfall events. The chapter traces the historical development of sewer systems designed to channel stormwater out of cities and into water bodies, emphasising the subsequent need for wastewater treatment to protect water sources. The proliferation of impervious surfaces in cities has led to increased flooding, prompting the construction of larger sewers, albeit quantity-focussed solutions. This approach, coupled with the misconception that stormwater is uncontaminated, exacerbates environmental pollution. The chapter advocates for comprehensive urban drainage management during floods to minimise water pollutants. Storm water tanks and SUDs are mentioned as means to reduce pollution loads to reach water bodies. It discusses the factors crucial for effective management, ranging from maintenance and short-term rain forecasting to the importance of pollutographs in long-term planning. Emphasising citizen involvement and a shift towards sustainable drainage techniques, the chapter provides insights for preserving urban environments amidst increasing extreme rainfall events and climate change threats.
Keywords
Information
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Impact of Urban Floods on Water Quality , pp. 44 - 54Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2025
References
Bach, P. M., McCarthy, D. T. and Deletic, A. (2010) Redefining the storm water first flush phenomenon. Water Research Journal 44(8), 2487–2498. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2010.01.022.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
De Feo, G., Antoniou, G., Fardin, H. F., El-Gohary, F., Zheng, X. Y., Reklaityte, I., Butler, D., Yannopoulos, S. and Angelakis, A. N. (2014) The historical development of sewers worldwide. Sustainability 6, 3936–3974. https://doi.org/10.3390/su6063936.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
De Man, H., Leenen, I., Van Knapen, F. and Roda Husman, A. M. (2013) Potential health risk associated with exposure to microorganisms in urban Flood. In proceedings NOVATECH 2013, Lyon. France.Google Scholar
Easterling, D. R., Meehl, G. A., Parmesan, C., Changnon, S. A., Karl, T. R. and Mearns, L. O. (2000) Climate extremes: Observations, modeling, and impacts. Science, Washington, USA.Google ScholarPubMed
Goonetilleke, A., Thomas, E., Ginn, S. and Gilbert, D. (2005) Understanding the role of land use in urban stormwater quality management. Journal of Environmental Management 74(1), 31–42.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gutierrez Andrés, J. and Gallin, A. (2009) New simple methodology to estimate degree of dilution in CSO discharges from sewer systems. Proceedings of WaPUG Spring Meeting, UK.Google Scholar
Huang, J., Du, P., Ao, Ch., Lei, M., Zhao, D., Ho, M. and Wang, Z. (2007) Characterization of surface runoff from a subtropics urban catchment. Journal of Environmental Sciences 19(2), 148–152.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jimenez, B., Mendez, J., Barrios, J., Salgado, G. and Sheinbaum, C. (2004) Characterization and evaluation of potential reuse options for wastewater sludge and combined sewer systems in Mexico. Water Science and Technology 49(10), 171–178.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jimenez Cisneros, B. E., Oki, T., Arnell, N. W., Benito, G., Cogley, J. G., Döll, P., Jiang, T. and Mwakalila, S. S. (2014) Freshwater resources. Chapter 3 In: Climate change impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability. Part A, Edition 1st. Global and sectoral aspects. Contribution of working Group II to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK and New York, NY, 229–269 pp.Google Scholar
Kim, L. H., Kayhanian, M., Lau, S. L. and Stenstrom, M. K. (2005) A new modelling approach for estimating first flush metal mass loading. Water Science Technology 51(3–4), 159–167.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lau, J., Butler, D. and Schütze, M. (2002) Is combined sewer overflow spill frequency/volume a good indicator of receiving water quality impact? Urban Water 4(2), 181–189.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Launay, M., Dittmer, U., Steinmetz, H. and Roda Kuch, B. (2013) Temporal variations of organic pollutants levels during storm events in an urban receiving water body. University of Stuttgart, Germany.Google Scholar
Liu, A., Egodawatta, P., Guan, Y. and Goonetilleke, A. (2013) Influence of rainfall and catchment characteristics on urban stormwater quality. Science of the Total Environment 444, 255–262.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McCarthy, D. T. (2008) A traditional first flush assessment of E. coli in urban stormwater runoff. 11th International Conference on Urban Drainage, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Parzybok, T., Clarke, B. and Hultstrand, D. M. (2011) Average recurrence interval of extreme rainfall in real-time. Earthzine. [Available online at http://earthzine.org/2011/04/19/average-recurrence-interval-of-extreme-rainfall-in-real-time/.]CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Passerat, J., Ouattara, N. K., MoucheL, J. M., Rocher, V. and Servais, P. (2010) Impact of an intense combined sewer overflow event on the microbiological water quality of the Seine River. Water Research 45(2), 893–903.Google ScholarPubMed
Shamseldin, A. Y. (2011) Storm water first flush analysis in the Auckland Region. Prepared by Auckland UniServices Ltd for Auckland Regional Council. Auckland Council Technical Report 2011/007.Google Scholar
Sterk, G., Ten Veldhuis, J. A. E., Clemens, F. L. H. R. and Berends, B. R. (2008) Risk assessment for urban pluvial flooding. 11th International Conference on Urban Drainage, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.Google Scholar
Suarez, J. and Puertas, J. (2005) Determination of COD, BOD and suspended solids loads during combined sewer overflow events in some combined catchment in Spain. Ecological Engineer 24(3), 199–217.Google Scholar
Woods Ballard, B., Wilson, S., Udale-Clarke, H., Illman, S., Scott, T., Ashley, R. and Kellagher, R. (2015) The SUDS manual. CIRIA, UK.Google Scholar
Zhou, Y., Lau, W. K. and Huffman, G. J (2015) Mapping TRMM TMPA into average recurrence interval for monitoring extreme precipitation events. Journal of Applied Meteorological and Climatology, 54(5), 979–995.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Accessibility standard: WCAG 2.0 A
Why this information is here
This section outlines the accessibility features of this content - including support for screen readers, full keyboard navigation and high-contrast display options. This may not be relevant for you.Accessibility Information
The HTML of this chapter
conforms to version 2.0 of the
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
(WCAG), ensuring core accessibility principles are addressed and meets the basic
(A)
level of WCAG compliance, addressing essential accessibility barriers.
Content Navigation
Table of contents navigation
Allows you to navigate directly to chapters, sections, or non‐text items through a linked table of contents, reducing the need for extensive scrolling.
Allows you to navigate directly to chapters, sections, or non‐text items through a linked table of contents, reducing the need for extensive scrolling.
Index navigation
Provides an interactive index, letting you go straight to where a term or subject appears in the text without manual searching.
Provides an interactive index, letting you go straight to where a term or subject appears in the text without manual searching.
Reading Order & Textual Equivalents
Single logical reading order
You will encounter all content (including footnotes, captions, etc.) in a clear, sequential flow, making it easier to follow with assistive tools like screen readers.
You will encounter all content (including footnotes, captions, etc.) in a clear, sequential flow, making it easier to follow with assistive tools like screen readers.
Short alternative textual descriptions
You get concise descriptions (for images, charts, or media clips), ensuring you do not miss crucial information when visual or audio elements are not accessible.
You get concise descriptions (for images, charts, or media clips), ensuring you do not miss crucial information when visual or audio elements are not accessible.
Full alternative textual descriptions
You get more than just short alt text: you have comprehensive text equivalents, transcripts, captions, or audio descriptions for substantial non‐text content, which is especially helpful for complex visuals or multimedia.
You get more than just short alt text: you have comprehensive text equivalents, transcripts, captions, or audio descriptions for substantial non‐text content, which is especially helpful for complex visuals or multimedia.
Visual Accessibility
Use of high contrast between text and background colour
You benefit from high‐contrast text, which improves legibility if you have low vision or if you are reading in less‐than‐ideal lighting conditions.
You benefit from high‐contrast text, which improves legibility if you have low vision or if you are reading in less‐than‐ideal lighting conditions.
Structural and Technical Features
ARIA roles provided
You gain clarity from ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) roles and attributes, as they help assistive technologies interpret how each part of the content functions.
You gain clarity from ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) roles and attributes, as they help assistive technologies interpret how each part of the content functions.