MWRD Stormwater Master Plan for Northbrook
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The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) conducted a pilot study in the form of a Stormwater Management Master Plan for the Village of Northbrook and surrounding unincorporated areas. The purpose of the study was to determine the extent of flooding from a 100-year storm event, conduct a public outreach campaign to solcite public participation in data gathering, and identify possible alternatives that could be implemented to mitigate the damage. GIS analysis was essential to this project and was incorporated into every phase of the study.
GIS allowed for watersheds and subwatersheds to be easily deliniated, and the storm sewer data was exported from GIS into EPA SWMM and XPSWMM for analysis. The flooding data provided by XPSWMM 2D was then exported into GIS for further analysis and exhibit delineations. Exhibits were then produced for each subwatershed to be shared with the public. Public participation was an integral part of the flood study. ERA created an website and online public survey where residents could describe flooding issues in their community and discuss their interest in green infrastructure as a means of flood mitigation. Collected data could then be georeferenced into GIS for further analysis and to help identify problem areas. Finally, select EPA SWMM models were incorporated into Optimatics to determine possible proposed gray and green infrastructure improvements that could be used to mitigate flooding. These results were then imported into GIS for further analysis and public exhibits. |