⛈ StormNET Documentation

Urban water modeling — design like LEGO, simulate like a twin. StormNET stands on EPA SWMM and operates above it, adding conceptual modeling features that make rich SWMM models faster to build. Performance, hydraulics, and lifecycle cost are evaluated together while the design is still flexible. Real watersheds anchored to real DEM and real rainfall, or synthetic conceptual models for testing and instantly running the global SWMM community's existing library — both first-class.

▶ See StormNET in Action ⛈ Launch StormNET 💰 Cost Model 🤖 Ask StormNET AI

Browse the Documentation

Three complementary pillars. Start with tutorials for the full workflow, reach for the how-to guide when you need a focused answer, dive into Realtime Help for concepts, methods, and reference.

Two-way enrichment with EPA SWMM. StormNET models live as standard SWMM .INP files — yours exports out, theirs loads in. The bridge is more than file compatibility: StormNET adds a conceptual modeling layer above SWMM — visual LID design (rain gardens, bio-swales, green roofs, permeable surfaces), irregular ponds and wetlands as first-class geo-realistic storage objects, predefined storage units. Load a basic SWMM model, enrich it inside StormNET, save it back as a richer SWMM file. Synthetic mode is the entry point for legacy files; geo-referenced mode anchors new models to real data.

Cost in the loop. StormNET ships with a first-class, physics-based, bottom-up cost engine — not a spreadsheet add-on. Pipes, conduits, manholes, storage units (tanks, ponds, wetlands, irregular geo-realistic shapes), channels, canals, weirs, outfalls, pumps, LID green infrastructure (rain gardens, bio-swales, green roofs, permeable surfaces) — all costed together. Run cost analysis before or after simulation; iterate alternatives in the same view. See the cost model methodology →

⛈ StormNET — Quick Tutorials

Step-by-step walkthroughs covering the full range of StormNET capabilities. Start with the comprehensive georeferenced model that covers site characterization, design storm generation, conduits, catch basins, storage / detention, LID green infrastructure, water quality, groundwater interaction, and 3D visualization. Use the synthetic model as a focused SWMM Quick Start. Use the urban-watershed methodology study to understand subcatchment-level runoff processes without infrastructure distraction.

Quick Tutorial · Comprehensive
Georeferenced Stormwater Model
Haslett, Michigan — full workflow with screenshots
Build a complete georeferenced stormwater model from scratch — subcatchments, junctions, conduits, trapezoidal storage unit, weir, outfall, rain gages. Simulate a 24-hour 100-year Type II SCS storm. Plan view and 3D visualization, water budgets. Then refine with evaporation, infiltration, groundwater seepage, water quality (pollutants and land uses), and green infrastructure LID controls including a green roof.
GeoreferencedSubcatchmentsStorage Unit3D VisualizationLID / Green RoofWater Quality
Quick Tutorial · Basics
Synthetic Stormwater Model
EPA SWMM Quick Start — focused first build
Build a synthetic stormwater model from scratch — three subcatchments, four junctions, four circular conduits, one outfall, one rain gage. Configure Modified Green-Ampt infiltration, kinematic wave routing, and a custom 6-hour rainfall event. Run a 12-hour simulation and visualize results with color-coded network maps, 3D pipe profiles, and flow time series. Based on the EPA SWMM5 Tutorial.
SyntheticQuick StartGreen-AmptKinematic WaveProfile ViewTime Series
Quick Tutorial · Methodology
Modeling an Urban Watershed
Subcatchment runoff focus — minimal piping by design
A focused conceptual study of subcatchment-by-subcatchment runoff modeling. Water balance across precipitation, snowmelt, evaporation, infiltration, and overland flow. Sheet flow via effective Manning's equation. Runoff depths derived from the water balance. Piping is deliberately minimal — a single conduit leading to a pond just closes the hydraulic loop — so the focus stays on the subcatchment processes themselves, not the infrastructure.
SubcatchmentWater BalanceInfiltrationOverland FlowManning's EquationMethodology

⛈ StormNET — How-To Guide

Focused procedural answers to common StormNET modeling questions — concise bullet-by-bullet guidance, organized in clear categories. Different from the step-by-step tutorials above: less narrative, fewer screenshots, more reach-for-it-when-you-need-it. Open the viewer for a sidebar-navigated reading experience.

How-To Procedures

Concise bullet-by-bullet guidance, organized across six categories. Click to open the viewer.

Open viewer →
⚙️Setup & Configuration 🏗️Storage Units 🌊Hydraulic Components 🌿Green Infrastructure (LID) 🌧️Climate & Hydrology 🎛️Controls & Visualization
📖 Also available as a full SEO-indexed reference — Open static reference →

🛠️ Realtime Help

Realtime Help is more than a reference library — it's the knowledge layer of the platform. Modeling concepts, governing science, numerical methods, per-element operational help, visualization guidance, and the foundational engine references — organized hierarchically so you can stop at any depth and still have what you need. Especially deep on urban hydrology, sewer system design, combined-sewer dynamics, LID configuration, irregular ponds and wetlands, storage unit libraries, the SWMM input grammar, and the bottom-up location-aware cost engine.

⛈️ Browse the StormNET Reference Library
Per-element reference for every StormNET UI component, hierarchically organized — open the dedicated reference index to navigate by topic area.

What's inside: Conduit network setup · subcatchment delineation · LID controls · storage and detention · climate forcing · simulation options · result visualization · output analysis

Why a separate index? Flat lists hide structure and overwhelm. The reference library groups related topics into clear categories so you find what you need in seconds, not minutes.
Network SetupSubcatchmentsLID ControlsStorageSimulationOutput Analysis
Open Reference Library →

📚 EPA SWMM Engine References

StormNET is built on the EPA's SWMM (Storm Water Management Model). These are the authoritative reference manuals — the numerical engine documentation, hydraulic theory, water quality science, and cost analysis methods.

📖

Hydrology

Rainfall-runoff, infiltration, evaporation, snowmelt, and surface water hydrology
🌊

Hydraulics

Open channel flow, pipe routing, dynamic wave, kinematic wave, and surcharge
🔬

Water Quality

Pollutant buildup, washoff, treatment, and reactive transport in drainage systems
📋

User's Manual & Application

Complete user guide, interface reference, and application examples
💰

BMP Cost Analysis

Cost estimation for stormwater best management practices and green infrastructure
Open StormNET AI Launch StormNET ← All Documentation
← SwaNET Docs ↑ Top ConduitNET Docs →