subject: Many Stormwater Management Practices Need to be Revisited [print this page] Managing storm water often makes the difference between a community being flooded or not being flooded. It's easy to talk about these systems and practices and unfortunately talking about storms and the resultant problems with flooding have become ordinary. These terms often come up in discussions about environmental and ecological concerns without anyone probing the deeper realities and results of such situations.
In many areas of the country storm water is managed by default meaning that the problem is addressed when and if it happens. In some areas it has actually become a stormwater practice to catch rainwater and snowmelt because planning and redesigning the infrastructure to contain and manage serious storm water overflow is too costly. An interesting comparison might be made about how much a community pays over years to clean up after floods compared to the money required to invest in a proper system for storm water control.
Waste water which comes from homes and buildings is managed and monitored every day; however in contrast storm water is managed and monitored only when it storms. What many don't realize is that when a really large storm comes it's very possible that the systems in place to manage the present storm water are not designed to handle the water from a very heavy rainstorm.
Some have claimed that it costs too much to protect neighborhoods in areas prone to flooding even though there is continual pressure to continue building in order to increase the land value and tax base. Some homeowners even know that they are located in an storm water systems area where severe flooding could destroy their homes, yet they do not insist that storm water systems be located in that vicinity.
On a brighter side, homeowners can take the necessary steps on their own property and activate stormwater best management practices immediately.
Many Stormwater Management Practices Need to be Revisited
