Utilizing Existing PCSWMM Modeling to Inform Watershed Solutions
Kaitlyn Morrow, EIT
Rebecca Oaks, PE
RK&K
Baltimore, MD
The Spring Ridge Community, located in Frederick County, Maryland, has had substantial flooding problems since its creation in the 1990s. The community was created from piecemeal residential development over the course of about 15 years, from the 1990s through the mid-2000s. This segmented and outdated development strategy resulted in undersized stormwater infrastructure and flashy stream hydraulics. Frederick County contacted RK&K to create innovative solutions to flooding within the Spring Ridge Community watershed. During field investigations, it was found that there were multiple areas within the watershed where large bypass pipes were used to move water in and out of the stream and flow parallel to the stream. Additionally, the watershed includes two, large, on-line water quantity storage facilities at the downstream of two different reaches, which influence the stream functions during large storm events.
When studying a watershed with complicated open channel and closed systems, and a multitude of stormwater facilities, hydrograph timing is a critical part of the analysis. In order to properly understand the complicated hydraulics in this area a comprehensive PCSWMM model was developed for the watershed to study the multi-faceted stormwater management and flow hydraulics in the area. The results of the PCSWMM model were used to inform the County representatives and design engineers on the inner workings of the existing complicated system. By creating the PCSWMM model for this watershed we were able to fully understand how water is flowing within this suburban system between the storm system and existing streams. We were able to mark areas of significant flooding and test different solutions within the program to see how it affected the flooding to present to the stakeholders.
About Kaitlyn Morrow, EIT
Kaitlyn Morrow, EIT is an Engineer II at RK&K in the environmental, water resources department with 7 years of experience. She has a Bachelor of Science in Biological Engineering from the Pennsylvania State University and a Master’s of Science in Environmental Engineering and Science from Johns Hopkins University. Kaitlyn specializes in watershed modeling and stream restoration in the Baltimore Environmental Water Resources Department. She is interested in urban flooding and community stormwater management planning.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaitlyn-morrow-eit/
About Rebecca Oaks, PE
Rebecca Oaks, PE is an Project Engineer at RK&K in the environmental, water resources department with 8 years of experience. She has a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering from the University of Buffalo and a Master’s of Science in Environmental Engineering from Johns Hopkins University. Rebecca is the stream restoration lead for the Baltimore Environmental Water Resources Department. She is passionate about stream restoration and connecting urban residents with their local waterways and environment.