Continuous Monitoring and Adaptive Control — The Internet of Things Transforms Stormwater Management

Both traditional (gray) and green stormwater management practices have almost entirelybeen designed as passive systems governed by a fixed control structure to achieve a target water qualityand/or quantity objective (i.e., treatment volume, attenuation). Passive systems, however, rarely representoptimal solutions. Advances in low-cost, Internet-accessible controller systems and wired and wirelesscommunications have made real-time and dynamic controls of distributed stormwater facilities nowviable, cost-effective options for new construction as well as retrofits. The physical setup of continuousmonitoring and adaptive control (CMAC) stormwater systems includes three primary components: a waterlevel sensor to provide data on the facility’s current state, an actuated valve to control its hydraulics(typically outflow), and an Internet connection most often provided in remote locations by cellular data.CMAC facilities have been deployed throughout the United States to enhance underperforming facilitiesand optimize designs for multiple objectives, such as flood protection, water quality treatment, water reuseand channel protection.