Progress in Research and Development of Storm Water Management Model: Applications from China and Abroad

Abstract

The Storm Water Management Model (SWMM), developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the 1970s, is a widely used hydrological and hydraulic modeling tool for simulating urban stormwater quantity and quality. It enables the comprehensive simulation of rainfall-runoff processes, including precipitation events, surface runoff generation, infiltration, and pollutant transport, as well as flow routing through drainage networks, storage units, and treatment facilities. SWMM has been extensively applied in urban flood risk assessment, rainwater harvesting system design, low-impact development (LID) evaluation, and the analysis of complex hydrogeological conditions, such as karst terrains. This paper presents a systematic review of the historical development, technical improvements, and derivative models of SWMM. It further examines current limitations in model performance and application scope, and proposes future research directions aimed at enhancing its accuracy, adaptability, and integration with real-time monitoring and climate change scenarios.