Assessment of LID Performance through Integration of Permeable Pavements with Digital Twins

Urbanization is responsible for the alteration of the hydrologic flow regime, which, associated with the increase in frequency and intensity of storms caused by climate change, threatens the sustainability of urban stormwater systems. Low impact development (LID) are stormwater control measures designed to alleviate the impacts of urbanization and climate change by restoring the pre-development hydrologic characteristics of urban watersheds. More recent advancements in computation, communication, and sensing offer the opportunity for LID stormwater control measures to be monitored in real time with high-resolution data, which objectively assesses how the systems are performing. To achieve this goal, this study showcases a scalable, cost-effective monitoring framework suitable for the concept of digital twins, which are digital representations of systems states in real time. Such a framework has several benefits, including forecast and feedback for real-time operations. The proposed methodology uses ESP32 microcontrollers and open-source software for data collection, transmission, and analysis, such as data validation and sensor error detection. The study explores the integration of digital twins with four permeable pavement LID parking lots located on top of the Edwards Aquifer's recharge zone, a major water source for South-Central Texas. The findings suggest that the LID control measures integrated with the digital twin framework can enhance systems operation, paving the way for smarter, more sustainable urban stormwater systems.