Improving our understanding of bioretention hydrologic and water quality performance through modelling and field investigation

This thesis investigated stormwater management using bioretention systems through modelling and field techniques. A meta-analysis and statistical modelling using data from the literature revealed certain design parameters can be used to optimise bioretention performance. Stormwater modelling practise in Australia showed that an industry-standard hydrological modelling tool for simulating bioretention had mixed results for multiple reasons. The field investigation showed that there is spatial variation of saturated hydraulic conductivity within bioretention basins, which can be improved by focusing on inlet maintenance.