Biomimicry in Stormwater Management

Urban stormwater management faces pressures from climate-induced rainfall intensity. Traditional infrastructure often fails under these conditions, which causes flooding and pollutions. Engineers have now reverted to biomimicry (emulating nature-like qualities) to create more effective solutions.

Nature has many existing and effective water management systems that slow, spread, and sink water through vegetation, landforms, and soil. Systems that mimic these designs replicate these processes with constructed wetlands, vegetated swales, and permeable pavements that are similar to the natural filtration systems.

There are many different kinds of biomimicry across stormwater management systems across the globe. Examples include Portland’s Green Streets program, which use bioswales that have reduced runoff by around 85%. Also, Singapore’s Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park transformed a concrete canal to a natural river based on patterns of natural waterways. These projects demonstrated how biomimicry approaches can effectively manage stormwater while blending into the existing environment.

These nature-inspired systems typically cost less than normal infrastructure and are often self-sustaining (requiring less maintenance). As civil engineering shifts to be more proactive, biomimicry approaches represent a fundamental shift to how engineers across the globe approach this field.