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Real-Time Control of Rainwater Harvesting Systems: The Benefits of Increasing Rainfall Forecast Window
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  • Wei D. Xu,
  • Tim D. Fletcher,
  • Matthew J. Burns,
  • Frédéric Cherqui
Wei D. Xu
The University of Melbourne, The University of Melbourne, The University of Melbourne

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Tim D. Fletcher
The University of Melbourne, The University of Melbourne, The University of Melbourne
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Matthew J. Burns
University of Melbourne, University of Melbourne, University of Melbourne
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Frédéric Cherqui
Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Lyon, Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Lyon, Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Lyon
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Abstract

Use of Real-Time Control (RTC) technology in Rainwater Harvesting Systems (RWH) can improve performance across water supply, flood protection, and environmental flow provision. Such systems make the most of rainfall forecast information, to release water prior to storm events and thus minimise uncontrolled overflows. To date, most advanced applications have adopted 24-hr forecast information, leaving longer-term forecasts largely untested. In this study, we aimed to predict the performance of four different RTC strategies, based on different forecast lead-time and preferred objectives. RTC systems were predicted to yield comparatively slightly less harvested rainwater than conventional passive systems, but delivered superior performance in terms of flood mitigation and delivery of environmental water for streamflow restoration. More importantly, using a 7-day rainfall forecast, the longest commercially available prediction window, was shown to enhance the ability of RTC in mitigating flood risks and delivering an outflow regime that is close to the natural (reference) streamflow. Such a finding suggests that RTC combined with 7-day forecast can enhance the functionality of rainwater harvesting systems to restore and even mimick the entire natural flow regimes in receiving streams. This also opens up a new opportunity for practitioners to implement smart technology in managing urban stormwater in a range of contexts and for a range of stream health objectives.
Sep 2020Published in Water Resources Research volume 56 issue 9. 10.1029/2020WR027856