Stormwater Management And Why To Do It

| Monday, April 18, 2011
By Ryan Gilbert


Stormwater management is the procedure or the act of dealing with the quantity and quality of storm water. This includes structural or engineered control devices and systems (such as retention ponds) meant for managing contaminated water, and also operational or procedural practices. Management of storm water is critical, especially in cities where storm water runoff is often a concern.

Stormwater is not just water which is brought by rains and storms. The word is applied to more or less all water coming from precipitation events, which includes snowfall or runoff water brought on by overwatering. Stormwater is of concern for two main reasons. One particular reason relates to the amount and timing of runoff water (including flood management and water supplies) and the other relates to the possible contaminants that the water is carrying.

Unlike loose dirt or sand, impervious surfaces like car parking lots, highways, homes, as well as compacted dirt never allow rainfall to seep into the soil. This is the reason a lot more runoff water is produced within metropolitan areas and urbanized places in comparison with non-urban or forested places. This really is unfortunate and can also be detrimental to the environment since rather than getting lost as runoff water, it would have refreshed groundwater or supply stream base flow in dry conditions.

Research has shown that more runoff will erode watercourses, such as streams and rivers, and lead to floods when the water collection process is overwhelmed by the additional flow. If not effectively managed, runoff water from serious or continuous rainfall might cause severe destruction to lives and property.

Polluted runoff water might result from impurities entering surface waters during precipitation events. It's not as uncommon as one might think. Everyday human activities deposit impurities on streets, turf, rooftops, and farm areas. These are gathered by runoffs then eventually end up in streams, ponds and oceans in substantial amounts.

In a few places, dirty runoff produced by roadways and freeways might be the largest cause of water pollution. Other unwanted effects of polluted storm water are stream erosion, weed invasion as well as alteration to natural circulation patterns. Unfortunately, a lot of native species depend on all those patterns and circulation rates for breeding, growth and also migration. Several management methods are designed to eliminate impurities from the runoffs before they pollute surface waters or even groundwater sources.

Management of water may be source management, so unsafe substances are taken care of to stop release of pollution into the ecosystem. However, natural rivers that still exist or can be rehabilitated can be acquired and protected. Building soft structures like ponds, swales or even wetlands to work alongside existing or "hard" drainage structures (like pipes and concrete channels) can 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 the things they can do to better the situation. Current laws and ordinances should be enhanced to cope with extensive storm water needs and make sure that people think about the results of stormwater before, during and after development of their property. On the whole, people working together with the law could make a big difference in reducing the unwanted side effects of runoff on the environment.




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