Why You Can’t Ignore Storm-Water Management

While a rainy day may be an annoyance to some people, this weather phenomenon is a boon to the planet. Aside from replenishing water reserves, the cascading water also helps clean the ground of debris.

Unfortunately, rainwater is absorbed differently in rural and urban areas. In the former, water is often readily absorbed by the ground on its way to returning to the water table. In cities, however, the paved roads prevent rapid absorption, which means that rainwater becomes runoff.

If the runoff rainwater isn’t managed properly, towns and cities may encounter problems that endanger the lives and property of residents. Below is just a brief sampling of such issues.

Flooding

Water can be a bane as much as it can be a boon. If rainwater is not properly handled by the storm-water system, it can lead to overflows that can swamp streets and even homes with filthy water.

Contamination

Runoff rainwater doesn’t have the chance to get treated at your local water treatment facility; whatever debris and harmful chemicals it picks up along the way gets carried straight into rivers and oceans, contaminating the water and endangering both aquatic life and swimmers.

Erosion

When too much water passes through a creek, the soil at its edges can be eroded by the rush of water. If buildings and roads parallel creeks, the erosion can slowly eat away at their structural integrity.

As you can guess, managing rainwater runoff is of utmost importance. Luckily, there are firms that specialize in a field called storm-water management. These companies can build infrastructures such as retention ponds to help control the flow, volume, and absorption of excess rainwater in urban areas, protecting both the people and the properties found there.