Urban stormwater modelling in Australia : comparison of three commercial software packages

![CDATA[The design and evaluation of urban stormwater drainage systems requires extensive analysis and data manipulation, which are most commonly undertaken with the use of urban stormwater modelling software packages. For this task, there are a large number of software packages available in Australia. Each of these software packages has its own merits and can be used for a number of applications. Designers and consultants often need to a select a software package to use and purchase, which appears to be a difficult decision to make. This paper reviews three commonly used urban stormwater software packages (XP-SWMM, DRAINS and MUSIC) in Australia, to provide an overview on their general capabilities, strengths and application to the design of on-site detention system. The selected software packages are evaluated using a subjective procedure involving information from published literature and discussions with consultants and designers. A case study has been used in this paper to compare the input requirements and output options of these software packages. It has been concluded that XP-SWMM is perhaps a more versatile option among the three software packages examined in this paper. It is, however, suggested that improvements could be made to DRAINS to include continuous modelling and water quality to ensure a competitive Australian alternative. In addition, MUSIC could be modified to include hydrologic and hydraulic modelling to enhance its applicability.]]