Evaluating storm impacts in real time
4Site Inc. recently designed an 85,000-square-foot commercial development using Civil 3D and then exporting data from the 3D model into Autodesk Storm and Sanitary Analysis software to analyze the stormwater network. During the design process, 4Site's engineers were able to model the entire project as a whole instead of in parts, adjust stormwater pipe sizes on the fly, see the impact that various storm events would have on the proposed system, and then make adjustments in real time. The project achieved LEED Gold Certification utilizing site credits for both stormwater quality and quantity, with more than 50-percent reduction in potable water use for irrigation.

4Site accurately modeled many rain gardens throughout a commercial development site by specifying individual infiltration rates instead of relying on traditional outflow structures.

Stormwater year in review
2011 was a year of significant events, impacts, projects, and programs related to stormwater that reflect the challenges and opportunities facing civil engineers in the year ahead and beyond. From record flooding along the Mississippi River and in the Northeast to numerous consent decrees and green infrastructure projects, review some of the major stormwater news stories and resources that you may have missed.