The allocation of resources to stormwater pollution control

Limited resources for ameliorating stormwater pollution in urban areas raises the issue of selecting and implementing appropriate methods of pollutant reduction. An effective stormwater management programme should consist of strategies that will achieve the goal at the minimum cost, thereby making the best use of limited available resources. This paper presents an optimization scheme that sizes various stormwater pollution control options. The options include a wide range of strategies, from street sweeping to constructed wetlands. The objective is to select the most effective strategies for limited funds. The nonlinear problem is solved using LINGO, a nonlinear problem solver. A heuristic method is used to select various possible options. The algorithm is applied to Plumpton Park in Blacktown, a suburb in Western Sydney, Australia.