Stormwater is a significant natural asset. It is a part of the H2O cycle at the stage when it is affected by surface factors. Storm water management is intended to prevent its degrading and the resultant harm.
Runoff is trapped by features in the natural landscape that allow rainwater to filter into the ground. Ponds and wetlands retain this resource while grasslands and forests freely absorb it. These natural features also remove pollutants and lower the rate of surface runoff. But, development can interfere with the natural absorption process. It hinders the ability of nature to moderate runoff naturally. The result is soil erosion, flooding and pollution. This turns a beneficial resource into a costly and dangerous problem.
In order to develop a plan to handle this challenge the basic elements need to be understood, Managers need to become acquainted with different stages of the H2O cycle. The varying means of this water transfer need to be taken into account. Only then will the devised plan be able to become effective.
In the initial precipitation sequence four things can take place. There is ground run-off, evaporation, or infiltrate plant cover material or it may penetrate the soil. Federal and state laws mandate standards of action for different parties impacting what happens.
The Environmental Protection Agency plays a role in policies developed to manage this responsibility. The federal government has made this agency responsible for protecting the natural environment. In this challenge the agency first addressed the point source discharge of pollutants. Its initial focus was on wastewater from industrial plants and municipal treatment facilities.
Subsequently, diffuse pollutant sources, also known as non-point sources have been recognized as significant contributors to pollution in many areas. Generally urban stormwater is diffuse in nature. But as it is discharged through outfall points it is classified as a point source. Consequently, the federal agency has begun to regulate such discharge as a point source by requiring urban governments to obtain a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit.
Originally enacted in 1972, the Clean Water Act, contains the legal requirements for protecting water resources. In 1990, Phase I of the NPDES Program was developed by the USEPA in response to 1987 Amendments to the Clean Water Act. Municipalities with populations exceeding 100,000 began to develop and implement programs meeting its requirements. Phase II of the regulations required urban municipalities with smaller populations to develop and implement such programs.
Developments can cause flooding and erosion by disturbing a natural cycle. They can also contribute to pollution of lakes, streams, rivers and estuaries. The regulatory goal is to absorb or retain such effluent so that it conditions before development. Preventing problems caused by complications from developing requires precautionary policies. Because local governments are principally responsible for managing land use, federal and state laws require programs to maintain pre-developmental runoff conditions. In short, runoff should not be significantly different from what it was before a site was developed. The mandates allow flexibility in storm water management that suits the individual conditions of a municipality. They have the flexibility to meet the intended goals of governmental policies to protect our resources and quality of life.
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