"From Aging Pipes to Green Infrastructure: Enhancing Ecohydrological Resilience in Baltimore Urban Watersheds”
CUERE Spring 2026 Seminar Series
UMBC: Center for Urban Environmental Research and Education
Spring 2026 Seminar Series
virtually presents
Dr. Ruoyu (Roy) Zhang
Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia
"From Aging Pipes to Green Infrastructure: Enhancing Ecohydrological Resilience in Baltimore Urban Watersheds”
Friday, May 1, 2026
2:00 PM online
This seminar is free and open to the public.
Abstract
Urban watersheds function differently from natural systems because of extensive human modifications, including impervious surfaces, stormwater and sanitary sewer infrastructure, and elevated nutrient inputs. These disturbances often produce flashy hydrologic responses, with higher storm peaks, greater flood risk, and increased nutrient export that can degrade both local and downstream water quality and threaten aquatic ecosystem health. Drawing on long-term collaborations among the Baltimore Ecosystem Study, Baltimore Social-Environmental Collaborative, and the Baltimore City Department of Public Works, this seminar discusses efforts to better understand the complexity of urban watershed processes and evaluate strategies to improve their resilience. Specifically, we will present a modeling framework for assessing nature-based solutions aimed at reducing hydrologic flashiness and nutrient loads in Baltimore watersheds. We will also discuss our recent work on inflow and infiltration (I&I) in sanitary sewer systems, an often overlooked but important component of the urban water balance that shapes watershed hydrology and remains poorly monitored.
Bios
Ruoyu (Roy) Zhang is a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Virginia. His research focuses on ecohydrology, watershed modeling, and how land use and climate change affect water quantity, water quality, and ecosystem resilience in both urban and forest watersheds.
Claire Welty
Director, Center for Urban Environmental Research and Education