Master Thesis Defense

Design of Low Impact Development and Green Infrastructure at Flood Prone Areas in the City of Miami Beach, Florida, USA

By: Noura Alsarawi

       This Thesis investigates the effectiveness of Low Imapact Development (LID) and Green Infrastructure (GI) in reducing flooding resulting from heavy rainfall events and sea-level rise, and in improving stormwater quality in the City of Miami Beach. InfoSWMM was used to stimulate the 5, 10, and 100-year, 24-hour storm events, total suspended solids (TSS), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), and chemical oxygen demand (COD) loadings, and in designing LID and GI in Northshore neighborhood.

Post-development results revealed a decrease of 48%, 45%, and 39% in runoff, a decrease of 57%, 59%, and 61% in TSS, a decrease of 81%, 81%, and 83% in BOD, and a decrease of 68%, 69%, and 70% in COD loadings. SWMM5.1 was also used to simulate the king tide effect in a cross section in Indian Creek Drive. The proposed design successfully controlled the flooding, showing that innovative technologies offer the city opportunities to cope with climate impacts.

Date: June 29th, 2018 | Time: 11:00 a.m. | Place: EC 3350, Engineering Center

Major Professor: Dr. Hector R. Fuentes