ABSTRACT
Detention and retention basins are the major storage facilities designed for stormwater quantity and quality controls. This chapter presents the methods to calculate the required detention storage volume. Stormwater management is aimed at reducing the negative impact of urbanization on receiving water bodies. Stormwater best management practices (BMPs) include the following: source controls, collection system controls, storage and treatment, and complex controls incorporating the above elements together. Using the functionality as the criterion, detention basins are classified into three major categories: flood-control detention basin, stormwater retention basin, and infiltrating basin and trench. Based on the location, detention basins are classified as: upstream and downstream basins, on stream and off stream basins, local and regional basins, and on site and off site basins. Design of a detention system is an integration of functional integrity, land value, esthetics, recreation, and safety to merge into urban setting. Inlets and outlets of a detention basin shall be protected from erosion and deposition of sediments.
