ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

What is Stormwater Runoff, and Why Should We Care About It?

Updated on October 17, 2014
CWanamaker profile image

Chris is a registered professional civil engineer and has worked on a more than 300 public and private projects over the last decade.

An algae bloom in a pond.
An algae bloom in a pond. | Source

Stormwater runoff is the portion of precipitation that does not initially get absorbed into the ground after a storm event. Excess rainfall accumulates on the earth’s surface during the storm and begins to flow downhill. As it flows toward natural streams and other concentration points, it collects contaminants from the surfaces that it passes over. These contaminants eventually reach rivers, lakes, and the ocean. A portion of this water also infiltrates into the soil and contributes to the contamination of our groundwater. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, around 80,000 miles of streams and rivers in the United States are considered ‘impaired’ due to poor stormwater quality.

Where Do Stormwater Contaminants Come From?

The main source of contamination of stormwater runoff is the urban environment. Many streams suffer from increased phosphorus and nitrogen concentrations due to the fertilizers and pesticides that have been applied on our lawns, parks, and landscaped areas. Another major source of stormwater contamination is our roadways. Brake and tire dust (as well as oils and other petroleum by-products) from our vehicles accumulate on the pavement surface until a good rain comes and washes it away. Urban surfaces have also played a significant role in the increased concentrations of metals (specifically cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, manganese, nickel and zinc) that have been found in our nation’s waters. Sediments from construction sites are also considered a contaminant of stormwater runoff.

Polluted water has destroyed this habitat
Polluted water has destroyed this habitat

What are the Impacts of Poor Stormwater Quality?

Stormwater quality can have significant impacts on our nation’s food supply, health, and the environment. Contaminated stormwater can destroy entire ecosystems killing thousands of plants and animals. Even animals that don’t live in the vicinity of the polluted waters are at risk. Many contaminants can have collateral damage as they are bio-accumulated through the food chain. High concentrations of certain chemicals, such as phosphorus, can lead to an overgrowth of potentially toxic plants. Impaired waterways can also harbor diseases placing humans at risk. High concentrations of certain chemical contaminants have been shown to cause cancer. Our food supply is also at risk as many of the irrigation systems that we use to water our crops are, or have the potential to become, tainted by polluted stormwater runoff.

What You Can Do Reduce Stormwater Contamination?

  • Minimize your use of pesticides and fertilizers. Use natural or environmentally friendly chemicals instead.
  • Maintain your car and make sure your tires are properly inflated. This will help prevent unnecessary wear on vehicle parts which could lead to an increased presence of contaminants on the road. Maintained vehicles will also have fewer leaks.
  • Utilize stormwater harvesting techniques to capture the rainfall that lands on your property rather than letting it runoff. Use that water to quench the thirst of the vegetables in your garden or the flowers in your pots. This will also conserve water.
  • Whenever doing construction activities such as landscaping and grading, utilize best management practices (BMPs) such as silt fences and sediment traps to minimize the negative impacts to stormwater quality.
  • Properly dispose of trash in a landfill. Do not litter. Recycle whenever possible. Chemicals, paints, batteries, CFL bulbs, used motor oil and other potentially toxic substances should be disposed of properly. These items should be recycled and not taken to a landfill or poured down the drain.
  • Avoid washing your car in your driveway and utilize commercial car washes instead. Use biodegradable soaps when at home car washing is necessary.
  • Properly dispose of your pet’s waste. Improper disposal can lead to contamination of local streams, lakes, and rivers.

References/Resources

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). National Menu of Stormwater Best Management Practices. 2011. <http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/stormwater/menuofbmps/>

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)