Urban stormwater research in cold climates: an evidence synthesis (2023-2024)

This research review and synthesis project is undertaken as a collaboration between Luleå University of Technology and Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. The project will synthesize pertinent research findings relevant to a Nordic climate to provide an evidence base of the impact of urban stormwater runoff on receiving waters, the use of design and implementation tools, and approaches to raising societal awareness of the benefits of installing multifunctional blue-green infrastructure (BGI). This integrated knowledge base will be interrogated to identify opportunities for sustainable stormwater management to contribute to the delivery of national and international policy objectives, with findings presented in a concise accessible format to facilitate their use by stormwater practitioners.

Best practice for the management of urban stormwater has radically changed over the last 30 years. The traditional approach of rapidly draining runoff to the closest water body is no longer fit for purpose as a component of either current or future city living. The use of pipes moves - rather than manages – stormwater quantity and results in the direct discharge of a cocktail of pollutants to receiving waters from sources including traffic, industry and building materials. The use of BGI (e.g. ponds, wetlands and swales) can detain and infiltrate stormwater at source and offer a range of benefits including water quality enhancement and greater biodiversity. However, transitioning to a more sustainable approach to managing stormwater is not easy. Whilst a considerable body of research has been undertaken, without a standard method for stormwater sampling and analysis, results of studies on the impact of stormwater runoff on receiving waters and the design and treatment provided by BGI under differing climates and contexts are hard to compare. Further, the use of decentralised BGI often involves the installation of management approaches in public spaces, often bringing communities into contact with water management systems for the first time and little is understood about the public perception of BGI.

Besides the contact persons at Luleå University of Technology, the core research team undertaking the review and synthesis consists also of:

Hanna Fors External link., Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Thomas Randrup External link., Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

This project is funded by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency and Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management and going on from March 1, 2023 to August 31, 2024.