Hydraulic functionality of vegetated stormwater systems within the road-right-of-way

One funded project is available on hydraulic functionality of vegetated stormwater systems within the road-right-of-way with The University of Melbourne (UoM) and The University of Toronto (Canada). GRs participating in the joint program will be enrolled at both institutions and will spend a minimum of 18 months at the host institution. Funding includes a full scholarship, health insurance and mobility support.

Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) has been developed and deployed around the world to mitigate urban temperatures as well as the destruction of waterway ecosystems, targeting the runoff generated from road networks.

Common streetscape GSI technologies include bioretention systems, bioswales, soil-cells and stormwater receiving street trees.

GSI has evolved independently in Canada and Australia to reflect the unique climate, urban environments and anthropogenic stressors present in each region. Despite over three decades of practice, examples of underperforming GSI are routinely found in Melbourne and Toronto.

We predict that the common mechanisms for hydraulic failure in operational systems i) clogging associated with construction practices, ii) flow bypassing, i.e., stormwater misses the inlet or flows to an overflow outlet prematurely, iii) inlet blockages, due to undersized entrances or lack of maintenance, or iv) short-circuiting, i.e. water flows out of the system too quickly via an underdrain eliminating the opportunity for infiltration remain the same in both environments.

This PhD project forms part of a cluster collaboration between the University of Toronto and the University of Melbourne which aims to optimise green infrastructure to both protect urban waterways and cool urban communities.