SmartSWM®

The state of wireless connectivity and microcomputer technology make it now practical to precisely control the timing, volume, and rate of discharge from stormwater management facilities; thereby greatly enhancing their performance. Traditional Stormwater Management design techniques utilize static synthetic rainfall distributions that are assumed to last exactly 24 hours thereby severely thwarting their performance. Over the last several years, Century Engineering has developed the ultimate solution to this fundamental problem. SmartSWM® utilizes actual weather forecasts to control the functionality of a stormwater management facility. Stormwater management facilities leveraging SmartSWM® adapt their behavior to the actual NWS precipitation forecast, including the precipitation quantity, probability, and temporal distribution. Century’s SmartSWM® system reacts to this weather data in real time, even when there’s an update in the forecast.

The SmartSWM® system continuously monitors the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) precipitation forecast data and other live sensory data to make automated decisions on when to release or store water held in a stormwater management facility. In its simplest form, the SmartSWM® program logic is designed to maximize the retention time between rain events. Discharge from a stormwater facility occurs in advance of the rain event. Only that volume deemed necessary to fully capture the forecasted runoff volume is released; thereby eliminating wet weather discharges during all, but the most infrequent rain events.

The pre-rain event timing of pond releases minimizes impacts (thermal and erosive) to receiving stream channels, reduces downstream flooding during the wet weather event, and maximizes the potential for runoff reduction, groundwater recharge, and the opportunity for rainwater reuse. To prevent stream channel erosion, the SmartSWM® system is designed to discharge at a very low and steady discharge rate over a user defined dewatering period preceding precipitation events. The SmartSWM® system represents the next generation of stormwater management and a state-of-the-art tool to mitigate climate change, remove pollutants from stormwater runoff, and reduce downstream flooding.

For any questions about SmartSWM®, please contact Bob Bathurst, PE at bbathurst@centuryeng.com

© 2018 – 2020 Century Engineering, Inc.

U.S. Patent No. 10,640,964