Developing an Actionable Stormwater Platform
The City of Portsmouth is currently developing a flood resilience strategy to protect the community from flood hazards, reduce risks like street flooding, and enhance safety services during storm events. It is also building a citywide stormwater model using the USEPA Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) to analyze existing drainage systems and develop potential mitigation measures. The next step is to create an Actionable Stormwater Platform (ASP) that integrates models with real-time and forecasted weather data. This ASP will provide predictive flood analytics, assessing the impact of historical and upcoming storms on the city's stormwater system. Improved preparedness and response, along with timely flood information and advanced warnings, can boost community resilience. The ASP platform will offer the City a cloud-based dashboard with insights on forecasts, stormwater system performance, and potential proactive measures. It will help with emergency management, storm preparation, and targeted maintenance based on real-time and forecasted weather and tide data, as well as forecasted model results. The platform will provide detailed information about potential flooded areas at a street-by-street level, considering forecasted storm conditions, enabling data-driven water management decisions. This presentation will provide an overview of the items required to implement an ASP, including the steps to integrate watershed stormwater modeling with real-time and forecasted precipitation and tide levels. It will also outline topics such as available data, forecast models, and the delivery of model results via dashboards.Author Bio
Alex Carlson is a Civil Engineer with Arcadis located in the Virginia Beach. He has 9 years of experience in site development and stormwater design. His expertise extends to hydrology and hydraulics, watershed master planning and modeling, site design, flood protection and mitigation, as well as innovative stormwater management and green infrastructure. Alex graduated from Old Dominion University with a bachelor’s in civil engineering and is currently a Licensed Professional Engineer in Virginia along with a Virginia Certified Stormwater Plan Reviewer and Nutrient Management Planner.
