Evaluation of the use of flood attenuation controls for the management of urban stormwater impacts in Cape Town, South Africa
| dc.contributor.advisor | Basson, G. R. | en |
| dc.contributor.author | Hotchkiss, Timothy Stephen | en |
| dc.contributor.other | Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Civil Engineering. | en_ZA |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2015-05-20T09:27:22Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2015-05-20T09:27:22Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2015-03 | en |
| dc.description | Thesis (MSc)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In the context of rapidly expanding cities, it is imperative that urban planning in South Africa has sufficient guidance regarding stormwater and river corridor management, in order to provide solutions that address issues of flood risk and the environmental health of river systems. Attenuation of stormwater runoff, the focus of this study, is one of the most important structural mechanisms used for the mitigation of many of the negative impacts caused by uncontrolled urban runoff. Typically, it involves the use of attenuation ponds or wetlands, which temporarily store runoff during a storm and release flow downstream at a reduced rate so as to mimic natural flow patterns. The focus of urban stormwater management and flood control has historically been on the protection of human life and property. However, in recent decades, through growing environmental awareness and the advancement of the concept of sustainable development, urban stormwater management has become a growing field of research worldwide, with a broader focus which considers not only flood control, but also water quality, aquatic biodiversity and the amenity value of urban drainage systems. Flood attenuation controls are becoming more widely used within South African urban areas, primarily due to policies or legislation brought into effect by local authorities. However, there is often little understanding regarding the positive and perhaps negative effects that these attenuation controls are having on receiving watercourses downstream. Three case studies were assessed by means of stormwater modelling simulations to evaluate various flood attenuation practices which are currently in use in South Africa. Two of the study areas, the Mosselbank River Catchment and the Bayside Canal Catchment, were selected in areas of Cape Town where future development has been proposed by spatial planners. The third study area, the Upper Kuils River Catchment, was evaluated in terms of the performance of existing attenuation facilities in an area which is already almost completely developed. The study found that attenuation facilities constructed with a single culvert-type outlet structure, designed to reduce flows during large storm events, do not mitigate the impact of post-development runoff occurring during lower recurrence interval storm events. Attenuation facilities with multi-stage outlet structures were found to be much more effective at mimicking pre-development flow during a range of storm events. It was also found that because attenuation does not reduce post-development runoff volumes to pre-development levels, but merely reduces peak flow rates, the cumulative runoff from multiple attenuation controls across a large (>30 km2) urban catchment resulted in higher runoff peaks in downstream watercourses. The study concluded that more widespread use of stormwater Best Management Practices (BMPs) and Sustainable Drainage System (SuDS) controls allows a greater portion of runoff to infiltrate, resulting in less runoff volume and therefore reduced peak flows downstream, especially during low recurrence interval storm events. In addition, the study recommended the use of detailed catchment-wide stormwater modelling to understand specific catchment dynamics holistically, thus increasing the potential for designing effective attenuation controls in urban stormwater systems. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In die konteks van die vinnige tempo van stedelike uitbreiding, is dit noodsaaklik dat stedelike beplanning in Suid-Afrika plaasvind met in aggenome van voldoende riglyne vir die bestuur van stormwater en rivierkorridors, ten einde oplossings te vind vir die kwessies van vloedrisiko en die omgewingsgesondheid van rivierstelsels. Vloedvertraging, wat die fokus van hierdie studie is, is een van die belangrikste strukturele meganismes wat gebruik word vir die verligting van talle negatiewe impakte wat veroorsaak word deur onbeheerde stormwaterafloop in stedelike gebiede. Tipies behels dit die gebruik van vloedvertragingsdamme of vleilande, wat afloop vertraag tydens 'n storm en dus vloei stroom-af teen 'n verlaagde tempo uitlaat met die doel om natuurlike vloeipatrone na te boots. Die fokus van stedelike stormwaterbestuur en vloedbeheer was in die verlede hoofsaaklik op die beskerming van lewe en eiendom gefokus, maar het egter die afgelope dekades verskuif na water gehalte, die biodiversiteit van waterekosisteme en die geriefswaarde van stedelike dreineringstelsels. Hierdie verskuiwing van fokus is weens die groeiende omgewingsbewustheid en die bevordering van die konsep van volhoubare ontwikkeling wat wêreldwyd 'n groter navorsingsgebied geraak het. Vloedvertraging beheermeganismes word al hoe meer algemeen gebruik in Suid-Afrikaanse stedelike gebiede, hoofsaaklik as gevolg van die beleide of wetgewing wat deur plaaslike owerhede in werking gestel is. Daar is egter dikwels min begrip vir die positiewe en moontlike negatiewe gevolge wat hierdie vertragingsmeganismes op stroom-af sisteme het. Drie gevallestudies is geëvalueer deur middel van numeriese modelstudies wat verskeie benaderings van vloed beheer, wat tans in Suid-Afrika gebruik is, in ag neem. Twee van die studie areas, naamlik die Mosselbank en die Bayside-kanaal opvanggebiede in die Kaapse metropool, is gekies in areas waar toekomstige ontwikkeling in die vooruitsig gestel is deur stadsbeplanners. Die derde studie area, die opvangsgebied van die bolope van die Kuilsrivier, is in terme van die prestasie van bestaande stormwater infrastruktuur in 'n gebied wat reeds byna heeltemal ontwikkel is, geëvalueer. Die studie het bevind dat vloedvertragingsfasiliteite met 'n enkele duiker uitlaatstruktuur, wat ontwerp is met die doel om die vloeispitse tydens groot storms te demp, nie die impak van die na-ontwikkeling afloop, wat gedurende storms met laer herhalingsinterval voorkom, verminder nie. In terme van vloedvertragingsfasiliteite met 'n veelvuldige uitlaatstruktuur, is dit bevind dat voorontwikkelingsafloop tydens 'n reeks van groot en kleiner storms veel meer effektief nageboots word. Daar is egter ook bevind dat die demping van die vloedspitse nie die naontwikkeling afloopvolumes verminder tot voorontwikkelingsvlakke nie, maar slegs tot die vermindering van maksimum snelhede lei. Die gevolg is dat die totale afloop van ‘n kombinasie van ‘n aantal vertragingsdamme oor 'n groot (> 30 km2) stedelike opvanggebied ‘n hoër spitsvloei in die stroom-af riviere tot gevolg het. Die studie het bevind dat die wydverspreide gebruik van bestebestuurspraktyke (BMPs) en volhoubare stedelike dreineringstelsels (SuDS) tot die infiltrasie van ‘n groter gedeelte van die afloop lei, wat laer afloopvolume en dus verminderde spitsvloei stroomaf tot gevolg het, veral gedurende storms met ‘n lae herhalingsinterval. Daarbenewens word die aanwending van gedetailleerde modellering van stormwatersisteme binne die groter opvangsgebied aanbeveel ten einde ‘n meer holistiese begrip van spesifieke aspekte van die opvangegebied dinamika, om sodoende die potensiaal vir die ontwerp van effektiewe vloedvertragingskontroles in stedelike stormwaterstelsels te verbeter. | af_ZA |
| dc.format.extent | 151 pages : illustrations, maps | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/96774 | |
| dc.language.iso | en_ZA | en_ZA |
| dc.publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University | en_ZA |
| dc.rights.holder | Stellenbosch University | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Flood attenuation | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Urban stormwater management -- South Africa -- Cape Town | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | UCTD | en_ZA |
| dc.title | Evaluation of the use of flood attenuation controls for the management of urban stormwater impacts in Cape Town, South Africa | en_ZA |
| dc.type | Thesis | en_ZA |