Universit de Tunis El Manar

Ecole Nationale dIngnieurs de Tunis

EXAMPLE 3. DETENTION
POND DESIGN

PLAN

Introduction
System representation
Model setup
Model results
Conclusion

INTRODUCTION

This example illustrates how to define, design, and

evaluate a detention pond using SWMM.

Based on the results of the previous models, it is

required to design a detention pond immediately
downstream of the planned urban development to
both prevent flooding and protect water quality in a
receiving stream.

SYSTEM REPRESENTATION
The main elements used to design detention
ponds in SWMM are :

Storage units

Orifices

Weirs
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MODEL SETUP

The three main steps used to design the storage

pond are:
Estimate the water quality capture volume (WQCV).
Size the storage volume and the outlet to control the
release rate of the WQCV.
Size the storage volume and the outlet to control the
peak runoff rates from the 2-, 10-and 100-yr design
storms.

MODEL SETUP
1-Estimation of the water quality capture volume (WQCV)
The WQCV is the critical runoff volume to be used in the
design of stormwater quality enhancement facilities.

determine the developed sites average Directly Connected

Impervious Area (DCIA).

1-Estimation of the water quality capture volume

(WQCV)

Calculate the sites average percent imperviousness by weighting the

imperviousness of each subcatchment by its area and dividing by the
total area (28.94-ac) of the study area.

Determine the WQCV in watershed inches

Adjust the WQCV if the conditions arent verified using the following
equation :

1-Estimation of the water quality capture volume

(WQCV)
Pond Geometry and Dimensions

The steps used to determine the dimensions of the WQCV

are:
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Solve for L3 using the WQCV found in the previous

section and h1

solve for the other dimensions of the WQCV using

L3 and h1

L1=171 ft ; L2=184 ft ; L4=98 ft

1-Estimation of the water quality capture volume

(WQCV)
Adding a Storage Unit to the Model

Properties of storage unit SU1

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2-SIZING THE WQCV ORIFICE

Add a side oriffice O1 between the storage unit
(SU1) and the node (J_out)
Set the simulation time step ( 15 s )
Run SWMM several times using Dynamic wave

The table below shows the drainage time for three iterations

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3-SIZING THE 10-YR DESIGN STORM ORIFICE

The storage curve SU1 is modified by replacing the surface

area-depth pairs d2,A2 and d3,A3 with the following three
surface area-depth pairs: d2=2.22ft, A2=19659 ft2; d3=2.3ft,
A3 = 39317 ft2 and d4 = 6 ft, A = 2452644 ft
The pre-development peak discharge for the 10-yr storm is
7.34 cfs which means that the storage unit volume can again
be decreased by adding another orifice
A new 10-yr storm orifice (Or3) is added directly, the resulting
orifice area is 0.073 ft2
This is sufficiently close to the target discharge to accept this
orifice size (height = 0.25 ft, width = 0.35 ft).
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Model results

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Model results

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Model results

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Model results

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Conclusion

This example showed how SWMM could be used to

design a detention pond and its outlet structure to provide
both a water quality capture volume (WQCV) and peak
runoff control. The WQCV was designed to provide a 40
hour drawdown time to satisfy water quality treatment
requirements while the peak runoff goal was to limit the
maximum post-development discharges for the 2-, 10and 100-yr storms to their pre-development values.

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Thank you for

your attention

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