Independent Validation of the SWMM Green Roof Module

Abstract

Green roofs are a popular sustainable drainage systems technology. They provide multiple benefits, amongst which the retention of rainfall and detention of runoff are of particular interest to stormwater engineers. The hydrological performance of green roofs has been represented in various models, including the Storm Water Management Model (SWMM). The latest version of SWMM includes a new low-impact development green roof module, which makes it possible to model the hydrological performance of a green roof by directly defining the physical parameters of a green roof’s three layers. However, to date, no study has validated the capability of this module for representing the hydrological performance of an extensive green roof in response to actual rainfall events. In this study, data from a previously monitored extensive green roof test bed have been used to validate the SWMM green roof module for both long-term (173 events over a year) and short-term (per-event) simulations. With only 0.357% difference between measured and modeled annual retention, the uncalibrated model provided good estimates of total annual retention, but the modeled runoff depths deviated significantly from the measured data at certain times (particularly during summer) in the year. Retention results improved [with the difference between modeled and measured annual retention decreasing to 0.169% and the Nash–Sutcliffe model efficiency (NSME) coefficient for per-event rainfall depth reaching 0.948] when reductions in actual evapotranspiration (ET) due to reduced substrate moisture availability during prolonged dry conditions were used to provide revised estimates of monthly ET. However, this aspect of the model’s performance is ultimately limited by the failure to account for the influence of substrate moisture on actual ET rates. With significant differences existing between measured and simulated runoff and NSME coefficients below 0.5, the uncalibrated model failed to provide reasonable predictions of the green roof’s detention performance, although this was significantly improved through calibration. To precisely model the hydrological behavior of an extensive green roof with a plastic board drainage layer, some of the modeling structures in SWMM green roof module require further refinement.