Sustainable Drainage Systems

Urban water management has somewhat changed since the publication of The Sustainable Drainage System (SuDS) Manual in 2007 [1], transforming from building traditional sewers to implementing SuDS, which are part of the best management practice techniques used in the USA and seen as contributing to water-sensitive urban design in Australia. Most SuDS, such as infiltration trenches, swales, green roofs, ponds, and wetlands, address water quality and quantity challenges, and enhance the local biodiversity while also being acceptable aesthetically to the public. Barriers to the implementation of SuDS include adoption problems, flood and diffuse pollution control challenges, negative public perception, and a lack of decision support tools addressing, particularly, the retrofitting of these systems while enhancing ecosystem services. This Special Issue on SuDS disseminates recent findings on current challenges faced by practicing sustainable drainage engineers and scientists. Twelve papers were selected in a rigorous peer review procedure with the aim of rapid and wide dissemination of research results and critical reviews, as well as developments and applications of relevance to both academics and practitioners. Original research papers and reviews addressing the following and related areas were initially invited: infiltration techniques, ponds and wetland systems, adoption of sustainable drainage systems, climate change adaptation measures, public perception of sustainable drainage, integration of sustainable drainage into water-sensitive urban design, and SuDS decision-support systems. This timely issue focuses on sediment transport through swales, water sensitive urban design and green infrastructure tools, hydrodynamic performance of air-water flows in gullies, fecal coliform loads in urban watersheds, infiltration performance of pavements, bioretention challenges, climate change, and urbanization. Furthermore, the increased importance of ecosystem services offered by SuDS became particularly apparent. In times of recession, this Special Issue on modern SuDS has shown that expert systems supporting drainage engineers and scientists undergo a revival. However, the retrofitting of sustainable water structures is predominantly undertaken ad hoc using engineering experience supported by minimal OPEN ACCESS