A Novel Multicriteria Decision Making Model for Sustainable Stormwater Management

Precipitation not absorbed by the soil or local vegetation and remain on the surface leading to stormwater can cause soil erosion, flooding, property damage, and overflow to wastewater treatment facilities. This paper introduces a novel multicriteria decision-making model to choose among various sustainable solutions that can help in managing stormwater. This model is intended to help decision-makers in handling stormwater through proper utilization of precipitation while ensuring public safety and adhering to runoff regulations. The model also aims to present sustainable technologies that can help in reducing harmful stormwater overflows. As a way of constructing and validating the model, precipitation and other relevant data from the North-Eastern region of the United States were used. The model can be altered though to suit other regions in the world. The model was further validated by seeking the opinion of a group of experts on its constructs. Statistical analysis identified high item-to-total correlations for model constructs and a model Cronbach's alpha value of 0.84 leading to conclude that the model is valid. Yet, green solutions presented in this study and the developed model should be considered as a first step in determining sustainable stormwater solutions and further research in this area is needed.