Solutions to Global Challenges

Sustainable Stormwater Management

Efficiently drain surface water while minimising pollution and its impact on water quality with smart, sustainable solutions to control and treat stormwater.

The issue

Urban landscapes continue to expand in the midst of a changing climate. Growing populations, development and densification combined with more frequent severe weather events is overwhelming traditional drainage systems. In cities with mostly hard surfaces, the pollution content in runoff from traffic, building materials and air pollution is threatening water quality in open waters.

Why it matters

To transform a city from a funnel into a sponge, the harvesting of stormwater within its water cycle should be considered for long-term, resilient water balance and reuse. Through vegetation, storage and infiltration, sustainable urban drainage systems (SuDS) or low impact development (LID) rely on natural processes to absorb, filter and break down pollutant substances to protect receiving waters and their biological environment from hazardous substances.

How we can help

The best way to minimise environmental degradation is to integrate the entire water cycle into your planning process. DHI supports the design and implementation of SuDS and LID for both new and existing developments. Through advanced hydraulic and catchment modelling, comprehensive risk assessments and flood mapping, your city can benefit from reduced runoff and improved water quality, efficiency and resilience to climate change.

Download Flyer

Integrated solutions

Here are some ways DHI can help city planners, water utilities, municipalities and urban developers revitalise infrastructure and receiving water bodies for greener cities.

Network simulations under real-time conditions to address capacity concerns

Integrated catchment modelling to futureproof your drainage system

Incorporation of green solutions into your existing drainage network

Terrain modelling and hydraulic assessments to improve water quality

Master planning process optimisation to support new developments

Comprehensive evaluation of potential climate change impacts

Related technology

Learn more about the technological solutions that can help you tackle your stormwater management challenges.

Integrated modelling software

MIKE+

Evaluate green solutions and create hydraulic and water quality assessments.

Read more

Ecological modelling software

MIKE ECO Lab

Simulate the potential reduction of bacteria & pollutants with green infrastructure.

Read more

Satellite-based mapping

Water Quality Monitoring

Access near real-time information to assess water quality and its variability.

Read more

Satellite-based mapping

Urban Mapping

Visualise impervious surfaces for spatially distributed hydrological modelling evaluations.

Model stormwater drainage, water distribution, and sewer collection systems as well as simple rivers, LID options and soakaways with select MIKE+, WEST and MIKE ECO Lab modules.

See what's included

Software subscription package
Urban Flooding

Model virtually any urban flooding problem including surcharging sewers and drainage systems, contaminant fate analysis and water quality with modules from MIKE+ and MIKE ECO Lab.

See what's included

Software subscription package
Hydrology and Hydraulics

A great add-on package for existing MIKE+ users, enabling you to couple your MIKE+ models to MIKE SHE for consideration of stormwater infiltration through bio retention cells, for example.

See what's included

Client successes

Malmö (Sweden) confirms effectiveness of Sustainable Urban Drainage System (SUDS)

Read how they evaluated the flood protection efficiency of their new open stormwater system compared to an old pipe-based system.

Tell me more

Dagang (China) implements 'Sponge City' initiative to decrease runoff rate and alleviate flood losses

Tell me more

New Zealand manages stormwater quality more effectively with online portal

Discover how a geospatial decision support system is helping the regional council assess the effectiveness of their stormwater management options.

Tell me more

Olomouc (Czech Republic) develops a sustainable urban water management plan

Learn how an overview of Olomouc’s current and future water supply stages, sewer networks and open channel networks was developed.

Tell me more

Aarhus, Denmark reduces the hazard of sewage overflows

Read how Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) was used to investigate ways to improve the settling efficiency of the retention basin.

Tell me more

The municipalities of Tát and Tokod (Hungary) discover new ways to manage increased storm water and adapt to climate change

Learn how modelling was used to analyse their current system status and effects of future plans with several climate change scenarios.

Tell me more

Skawina Economic Zone (Poland) creates a stormwater management plan to protect the area from flooding

See how integrated hydraulic modelling provided an innovative approach to assess flood risk.

Tell me more

How to manage urban stormwater quality in three steps

To guide the selection of stormwater management options to reduce the impact of polluted stormwater runoff to water quality in receiving bodies, it’s necessary to characterise the catchment and untreated runoff quality both spatially and temporally. A spatial analysis and planning system can identify critical source areas for pollutant load reduction, prioritise mitigation based on contaminant influence on in-stream ecological health, and provide mitigation options through best practice stormwater management systems.

Read more

Shaping the future of our cities with sustainable urban drainage systems

Sustainable urban drainage systems (SuDS) or low-impact development (LID) are approaches in managing surface water. With efficient SuDS in place, governments and water utilities can better manage flood risks and water quality to improve spaces where we work, live and play. With many national planning policies now encouraging the use of SuDS, government and regulators are increasingly expecting this approach to be incorporated in new developments.

Read more

PODCAST

Urban Water Management

Learn the latest in integrated urban water management, water quality and scarcity, aging infrastructure and more. Whether you’re in urban planning or utilities, we’ll cover the tips and tech to help you tackle it all!

Listen now

Featured training

SELF-PACED ONLINE COURSE

Getting started with urban flood modelling

Take advantage of this no-fee*, self-paced, modular online course for step-by-step introductions on the basic functions of MIKE+ Urban Flooding. Learn how to couple a 1D network to a 2D overland model and run your very first simulation in MIKE+!

Available anytime | Register

SELF-PACED ONLINE COURSE

Getting started with urban drainage modelling

Receive easy to follow introductions on the basic functions of MIKE+ Collection System (MIKE 1D). Upon completion of this no-fee*, self-paced, modular online course, you will be able to set up and run your first model in MIKE+ CS and be ready to take our more advanced MIKE+ courses.

Available anytime | Register

SELF-PACED ONLINE COURSE

Getting started with flood modelling using MIKE FLOOD

Participate in this no-fee*, self-paced course for tips on how to address flooding more holistically. Learn the basic functions of MIKE FLOOD and see how it can help you tackle the most pressing water management challenges of today.

Available anytime | Register

*In exchange for course access, I agree to receive marketing material from DHI Group through e-mails, social media and apps about our products and services. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Tell us about your project

Book a complimentary 30-minute consultation with a stormwater expert to discuss the specific needs of your project.

Ask a question

Request a consultation or more information

DHI is here to provide you with more information, answer any questions you may have, and discuss the best services and technological solutions to help tackle your stormwater management challenges.

About us
Careers
Blog
Get inspired
Contact us

DHI are the first people you should call when you have a tough challenge to solve in a water environment – be it a river, a reservoir, an ocean, a coastline, within a city or a factory. Our knowledge of water environments is second-to-none. It represents more than 50 years of dedicated research and real-life experience from more than 140 countries. We strive to make this knowledge globally accessible to clients and partners by channelling it through our local teams and unique software. Our world is water. So whether you need to save water, share it fairly, improve its quality, quantify its impact or manage its flow, we can help. Our knowledge, combined with our team’s expertise and the power of our technology, holds the key to unlocking the right solution.