Restoring groundwater surface-water interactions at urban drains

Abstract

Impervious areas from urbanization minimizes infiltration in a catchment, resulting in an increase of peak flows during storms. To efficiently divert stormwater away from developed areas, Singapore has built a network of waterways consisting of 7,000 km of concrete lined canals and drains, and has successfully alleviated flooding in many flood-prone areas. Unfortunately, it has also tremendously degraded many riverine habitats and removed the natural groundwater-surface water interactions and the riparian zones. River restoration is multi-disciplinary and multi-faceted. This study particularly examines the possibility of rehabilitating the urban drains in Singapore by restoring the groundwater-surface water interactions without significantly comprising their conveyance capabilities. It first compares and contrasts the groundwater-surface water ...