Managing stormwater runoff in rural towns
Managing stormwater runoff in rural towns
Managing stormwater runoff in rural towns
When rain falls, it either soaks into the ground to become groundwater, or it flows on top of the ground and becomes storm water runoff.
When water soaks into the ground, the soil acts as a “filter,” catching and holding onto most anything that the rain water brought with it. Native plant-life also capture the nutrients that the water brings along, much like a sponge. This is the ideal outcome for storm water.
However, when storm water has no way to enter the ground, it will keep flowing above ground until it meets the nearest river, stream, or lake. Since this water had no opportunity to be filtered by the soil or native plants, it deposits whatever it has picked up along the way into the next body of water.
What does stormwater carry with it?
Managing stormwater runoff in rural towns
Managing stormwater runoff in rural towns
Storm water runoff picks up whatever it comes into contact with as it travels to its lowest elevation. Dirt, nutrients, manure, fertilizer, pet waste, trash, pesticides... storm water does not discriminate. The contaminants that it picks up as it flows cause significant damage when it enters our waters.
Our lakes are becoming inundated with storm water runoff filled with phosphorus and nitrates that cause major changes to the water quality and throw off the lake’s natural balance.