What More Can You Learn About Stormwater?

Stormwater management is the process or the action of managing the amount and quality of stormwater. This includes structural and engineered control devices and systems (e.g. retention ponds) meant for dealing with contaminated stormwater, as well as functional or procedural routines. Management of stormwater is very important, specifically in urban areas where stormwater runoff is a challenge.

Stormwater is not merely water which is produced by rains or stormy weather. The term includes all of the water coming from precipitation events, including snowfall and runoff water caused by overwatering. Stormwater is of concern for a couple main reasons. The first reason relates to the volume and time of runoff water (including flood management and water supplies) and the other is related to the likely impurities that the water is carrying.

In contrast to loose earth or sand, impervious areas such as parking lots, streets, homes, and compacted dirt don't allow for rain to filter into the earth. This is why more runoff water can be generated in cities and urbanized places in comparison with non-urban or forested areas. This is unfortunate and can be harmful to the natural environment since rather than being wasted as runoff water, it could have refilled groundwater or supply stream base flow in dry weather.

Stormwater management research shows that added runoff may erode watercourses, such as streams and rivers, as well as cause floods when the stormwater collection process is overpowered with the additional flow. If not effectively managed, runoff water coming from serious or ongoing rain could cause significant destruction to lives and property.

Dirty runoff migh result from pollution getting into surface waters in the course of precipitation events. It is not as uncommon as one may imagine. Routine human actions deposit contaminants on streets, lawns, roofs, farm fields and other surfaces. These are gathered by runoffs then eventually wind up in rivers, wetlands and seas in serious amounts.

In a few areas, contaminated runoff from roads and freeways may be the largest supply of water pollution. Other side-effects of polluted stormwater are stream erosion, weed invasion and alteration of natural circulation patterns. Unfortunately, numerous indigenous types depend on all those patterns and flow rates for breeding, juvenile development and also migration. A number of stormwater management techniques were created to remove contaminants from the runoffs before they pollute surface waters or groundwater resources.

Management of stormwater is often in the form of source control, to ensure detrimental elements are taken care of to stop release of impurities into the natural environment. However, natural rivers that remain or could be rehabilitated could be acquired and protected. Building soft structures like ponds, swales or even wetlands to work alongside pre-existing or “hard” drainage systems (such as water lines and concrete channels) may also be useful for managing runoffs.

Stormwater management might be more productive by educating people about how human actions have an impact on water quality and what they can do to improve the situation. Existing laws and ordinances should be improved to address extensive stormwater needs and ensure that people take into account the results of stormwater prior to, during as well as following development of their property. All in all, people working together with the law could make a big difference in minimizing the unwanted side effects of stormwater runoff on the environment.