What Should You Know?

Why should we care about stormwater? Stormwater runoff can have negative affects on our environment.  When chemicals, oil, grease, salt, etc. are carried into our rivers, lakes, and streams, all of these bodies of water become polluted.  Pollution of our water may not be immediate, but as the pollutants keep appearing and chemicals increase, our waters may become unusable for fishing, swimming, canoeing, etc.  Even our drinking water can be affected. 

Does development affect stormwater runoff? It most certainly can.  As development and imperviousness increases (due to construction of roads, buildings, parking lots), the infiltration ability of soil decreases.  Consequently, more rainfall becomes stormwater runoff, which can cause erosion of land areas and stream banks or increased flooding.  The diagram to the side portrays the causes of development on stormwater runoff.

Learn about Low Impact Development - a better way to develop that land that protects natural resources and water quality.