MODELING STORMWATER CONVEYANCE IN BARBADOS TO SUPPORT MARINE WATER QUALITY

摘要

Flooding from storm water runoff and associated pollutants have long been problematic for many areas of Barbados and the near-shore marine environment. Rapid runoff from convective storm events has caused damaging floods to numerous communities around the island. Sediment and nutrients in storm water runoff also contribute to excessive algal blooms and reduced water clarity in near-shore marine environments. The combined effects are detrimental to island residents, transportation infrastructure, quality of shallow freshwater aquifers, and the marine and coral ecosystems.rnAs part of an ongoing effort by the government of Barbados to protect and restore these amenities, we conducted an extensive review of existing storm water, water quality, and related literature. We identified new means of improving on historical storm water studies works and developed recommendations for proceeding with ongoing and future storm water infrastructure projects. Field reconnaissance, stormwater runoff analysis and modeling of a large urban area were conducted. Complex flow pathways, suck wells, and losses to coral fissures were incorporated into the modeling and resulted in dramatic reductions in predicted runoff volumes. Review of flooding from interviews with local residents and media review also concluded flooding was less than had been previously estimated. This revised approach to stormwater analyses and modeling has been recommended for future assessments of flood risk, stormwater runoff, and development of stormwater quality projects. Future modeling will incorporate water quality parameters to address stormwater nutrient and sediment loading.