Adoption of Ecohydrology Approaches for Urban Stormwater Management and Advancing the Circular Economy Concept

Abstract

Sustainable stormwater management is important to mitigate stormwater pollution as well as reuse stormwater resources. This chapter initially discusses the current environmental issues caused by stormwater pollution and the key challenges inherent in urban stormwater management. In response, ecohydrology proposes an innovative approach for urban stormwater management which can reduce urban flood risk, mitigate water pollution, protect habitats and biodiversity, and improve the aesthetics of the urban environment. Ecohydrology can be a key enabler for cities to achieve a circular economy as it can contribute to shifting from the linear to the circular management of stormwater resources in cities for realizing urban sustainability. To enable a circular economy, ecohydrology can be applied for sustainable stormwater management through restoring and maintaining the stormwater cycle, stormwater treatment and reuse, and nutrient recovery and reuse. Several recommendations are provided based on the current knowledge gaps in relation to the application of ecohydrology for urban stormwater management from a circular economy viewpoint.