Sustainable Urban Drainage: An Alternative for Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico

Abstract

Urban areas generate more stormwater runoff than natural areas because waterproofing of surfaces reduces water infiltration. Given this, the trend of sustainable management of natural resources has created new approaches to urban design and planning that include the use of innovative drainage systems. Therefore, the present study aims to determine the viability for the creation and implementation of infiltration wells as a sustainable storm drainage system, at the household level, in urban areas of the municipality of Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico. The viability results indicate that people's interest in adopting and investing in infrastructure for storm drainage (66.67 %), its low cost (75 %), as well as the physical characteristics of the areas (83 % in stable areas) are relevant in the application of this type of project, without neglecting the environmental benefits (91.67 %). The technical characteristics (the soil, geotechnics, infiltration capacity) are a priority for the use of alternative storm drainage in houses in Xalapa. With this, the construction and use of alternative storm drainage systems are a measure applicable to houses in the urban area of ​​Xalapa, which can be a complement to the traditional drainage system.