Work

Improving hydrological modelling of urban drainage swales through use of soil water content observations

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Flow observations alone may not provide sufficient information for calibration of detailed hydrological models of urban drainage swales. Therefore this study investigated the added value of using soil water content (SWC) observations made throughout the swale. Two possible options for doing this are (1) including SWC in the likelihood function that is used to quantify model performance or (2) by using the SWC observations to set initial conditions in the model. The results show that combining outflow and SWC in the likelihood function is necessary to obtain reliable and precise predictions for both variables, and that this improves the identifiability of suitable values of some model parameters. Using SWC observations to set initial model conditions improves model performance and affects the degree to which soil hydraulic parameters are identifiable. Overall, it is concluded that SWC observations may be a valuable complement to outflow observations in the modelling of urban swales.

Source: Urban Water Journal

DOI: 10.1080/1573062x.2026.2715094

Authors: Ico Broekhuizen, Hendrik Rujner, Günther Leonhardt, Maria Roldin, Maria Viklander

Institutions: Luleå University of Technology, DHI

Language: English

Topic: Urban Stormwater Management Solutions

Subfield: Environmental Engineering

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Clean water and sanitation, Sustainable cities and communities

Open Access status: hybrid

Funders: VINNOVA, Svenska Forskningsrådet Formas, Svenskt Vatten