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Summary:
This Article explains SIX important topics of runoff including impacts of impervious surfaces, health impacts of pollution, and the benefits of green infrastructure.

Personal Thoughts:
This is a very useful article in explaining runoff. It goes more in depth about the issue even including future prevention solutions. I like how it touches on green infrastructure here and its ability to absorb runoff while also cleaning the water. The article also expresses some health risks that occur when dangerous toxins in runoff enter our water sources.

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Rivers are dependent on their surrounding lands (known as the watershed) for a consistent supply of clean water. Altering a watershed does many things; one of the most significant is to alter the way stormwater soaks into the ground or flows to the local river.

When managed properly, this water is a valuable resource. However, when stormwater is managed like a waste product, it exacerbates flooding and becomes contaminated with pollutants.

What is stormwater?

Stormwater (or polluted runoff) is rain or melting snow that flows over the ground. In urban or developed areas, stormwater runs over pavement and parking lots, picking up oil and other pollutants before flowing into a nearby river or stream. In more natural areas including forests and wetlands, stormwater can soak into the ground, or be stored and filtered.

What are the impacts of "impervious surfaces"?

Impervious surfaces such as roads, parking lots, and roofs associated with sprawling urban development significantly change natural river flow patterns and the recharge of underground water supplies.

Rainfall cannot soak into the ground through these surfaces and thus does not replenish groundwater supplies. Impervious surfaces also increase the amount and speed of water entering rivers and other water bodies.

The result is an increase in the severity and frequency of floods, the displacement and destruction of habitat for fish and other water dependent species, and a decrease in base flows in our streams and water in our aquifers.

What are the health impacts of pollution?

Urbanization has fundamentally altered the way that water moves through the landscape. When rainwater can't soak into the ground, it runs along streets and parking lots and picks up pollutants.

This polluted runoff can flow into our rivers and streams, or overwhelm local infrastructure to cause sewage overflows.

The public health and environmental implications of sewage overflows are tremendous.

Sewage pollutes our waters with pathogens, excess nutrients, heavy metals, and other toxins.

It kills aquatic life and creates algal blooms that can suffocate fisheries. Sewage carries pathogens that can end up in our drinking water supplies and swimming areas. These disease-causing microorganisms cause diarrhea, vomiting, respiratory, and other infections, hepatitis, dysentery, and other diseases.

How should we manage stormwater?

Traditionally, our water infrastructure- such as storm drains and culverts - has treated precipitation as something to dispose of rather than something to protect. This infrastructure channels rainfall and snowmelt into storm drains and pipes, and dumps it into receiving waters, often far from its place of origin. The consequences are the loss of groundwater recharge, reduced base flows in streams, increased flooding, and lower water quality.

Instead of channeling stormwater into pipes and drains, a more natural method of water management has benefits for the environment and economy.

Natural stormwater management refers to management approaches that accomplish one of three things:

Use soil and vegetation in a constructed technique, such as rain gardens or green roofs, to mimic natural hydrologic processes like percolation through soil and plant uptake and transpiration.

Preserve natural features, such as floodplains with a natural vegetation buffer along streams that can slow, filter, and store polluted runoff.

Minimize or disconnect impervious surfaces (such as pavement), using methods such as rain barrels, narrower streets and permeable paving.

Though these approaches are not as "natural" as other techniques, they still protect the natural water cycle by slowing or infiltrating precipitation rather than sending it directly into storm sewers or nearby streams.

These approaches, when used properly, help maintain a more natural watershed, which in turn keeps our rivers clean and our communities healthy.

The benefits of green infrastructure

Green infrastructure solutions (such as permeable pavement, green roofs, and rain gardens) reduce the stormwater runoff that flows into sewer systems and triggers sewage overflows. Green infrastructure practices make cities act more like forests by capturing rainwater where it falls, filtering out pollutants and reducing large volumes of runoff.

From rain gardens to green roofs, green infrastructure practices decrease pollutant loadings into waters, which can reduce illness from recreational contact or polluted drinking water. Green infrastructure solutions can also improve air quality and mitigate the urban heat island effect to lower heat stress related fatalities. Green infrastructure can mitigate localized flooding. These practices improve access to healthy and affordable food when combined with urban agriculture strategies and to green space for recreation.

These solutions are cost-effective. Oregon's Museum of Science and Industry re-designed its parking lots to minimize stormwater runoff and maximize local infiltration of rainwater. OMSI's parking lot now has capacity to infiltrate almost .5 inches of rainfall every time it rains, and construction costs fell $78,000.

Local governments can reconfigure traditional stormwater infrastructure to increase infiltration. For example, the City of Seattle reduced runoff by 97 percent the year after converting an open ditch stormwater drain to an attractive roadside swale garden, decreasing the width of the adjacent street and planting native vegetation.

Solutions for the future

One of the biggest challenges of climate change is the uncertainty and expense it is imposing on communities and businesses. Among the greatest appeals of green infrastructure is the fact that it is cost-effective and reliable - saving money and bringing a much greater degree of certainty and stability to planning processes and investment decisions.

That is why many forward-looking cities are already embracing green infrastructure, including New York, Chicago, Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Milwaukee, Kansas City, Toledo, Cincinnati, and Philadelphia.

The investments we make today are ones we will live with for decades and possibly centuries to come. American Rivers is ensuring our leaders make the right decisions for rivers, clean water, and communities and that green solutions become the preferred way to ensure the health and well-being of our children and grandchildren.

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How Stormwater Affects Your Rivers - American Rivers

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Rivers are dependent on their surrounding lands (known as the watershed) for a consistent supply of clean water. Altering a watershed does many things; one of the most significant is to alter the way stormwater soaks into the ground or flows to the local river. When managed properly, this water is a valuable resource.

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Summary:
This article indicates the most common types of pollutants in stormwater runoff. It also why the pollution is bad and what you can do to prevent pollution.

Personal thoughts:
I choose this article because it references many types of common pollutants that hurt the environment. One that wasn't mentioned in the article which I pictured above is road salts used during the winter for snow. It is a shorter source than some but I think it is helpful in understanding what types of things can cause the most dangerous to us and wildlife. A fascinating fact I pulled from the article was, if swimming in front of a flowing storm drain you are 50% more likely to get an illness than 400 yards away it.

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Summary:
This article answers the basic questions about why and how green solutions are implemented in today's world. On top of that is discusses how green infrastructure is a benefit to jobs and the economy.

Personal thoughts:
I felt that this article did a very through job in pointing out why using natural available sources saves money and helps protect the environment. It talks about various methods of green infrastructure including engineered systems and restoring the environment. I like how it depicts our need to focus on money saving and community protecting projects. At the end of the article it even highlights the future visions of stormwater.

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Green infrastructure is a term that can encompass a wide array of specific practices, and a number of definitions exist (see the EPA's definition here). In our view:

Green infrastructure is an approach to water management that protects, restores, or mimics the natural water cycle. Green infrastructure is effective, economical, and enhances community safety and quality of life.

It means planting trees and restoring wetlands, rather than building a costly new water treatment plant. It means choosing water efficiency instead of building a new water supply dam. It means restoring floodplains instead of building taller levees.

Green infrastructure incorporates both the natural environment and engineered systems to provide clean water, conserve ecosystem values and functions, and provide a wide array of benefits to people and wildlife.

Green infrastructure solutions can be applied on different scales, from the house or building level, to the broader landscape level. On the local level, green infrastructure practices include rain gardens, permeable pavements, green roofs, infiltration planters, trees and tree boxes, and rainwater harvesting systems. At the largest scale, the preservation and restoration of natural landscapes (such as forests, floodplains and wetlands) are critical components of green infrastructure.

Green infrastructure investments boost the economy, enhance community health and safety, and provide recreation, wildlife, and other benefits.

Many forward-looking cities are already embracing green infrastructure, including New York, Chicago, Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Milwaukee, Kansas City, Toledo, Cincinnati, and Philadelphia, as well as many others.

Why Choose Green Infrastructure?

Nature works best: Rivers, streams, wetlands, floodplains, and forests provide a suite of critical services like clean water and flood protection, and should be viewed as essential and effective components of our water infrastructure. New York City has great quality tap water because the city invested in water protection by purchasing land around its Catskills reservoirs to ensure that polluted runoff from roads and lawns doesn't enter the water supply.The city's $600 million investment in Catskills land protection and restoration did the job of $6 billion in capital costs to construct a water filtration plant as well as $200-300 million in annual operation and maintenance costs.

We can't waste money: Spending money wisely means investing in multi-purpose solutions that lower costs and provide more benefits. Recently, the City of Indianapolis announced that by using wetlands, trees, and downspout disconnection to reduce stormwater flows into their combined sewer system, the City will be able to reduce the diameter of the planned new sewer pipe from 33' to 26', saving over $300 million.

We must enhance community safety and enjoyment: Traditional infrastructure isn't designed to handle the increased floods and droughts that come with global warming, so we need a modern approach to protect public health, safety, and quality of life. Green solutions give communities the security and flexibility they need. Napa, CA solved flooding problems by choosing to restore the Napa River's natural channel and wetlands, rather than lining the river with concrete. The effort has protected 2,700 homes and prevented $26 million in flood damage each year, and has created new parks and open space.

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Green Infrastructure Is Good For Jobs And The Economy

These green solutions create good jobs in many sectors, including plumbing, landscaping, engineering, building, and design. Green infrastructure also supports supply chains and the jobs connected with manufacturing of materials including roof membranes, rainwater harvesting systems, and permeable pavement.

New York City's broad sustainability plan, PlaNYC, includes substantial investments in green infrastructure to reduce stormwater and sewage overflows and protect drinking water supplies. The City estimates that full implementation of PlaNYC will create 4,449 water infrastructure jobs of all types per year.

Other countries are utilizing green water technologies at a much higher rate than the United States. We cannot afford to fall behind other nations in this vital area, it is a matter of economic competitiveness as well as quality of life and community security.

A New Vision For Water

We are at a crossroads today in how we manage our water. Traditional water infrastructure will continue to play a role, but it is static, solves only a single problem, and requires a huge expense to build and maintain. We must use this transformational moment to move from old 19th Century infrastructure to a wiser combination of green and traditional infrastructure that will meet the needs of the 21st Century.

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What is Green Infrastructure? | American Rivers

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Green infrastructure is a term that can encompass a wide array of specific practices, and a number of definitions exist (see the EPA's definition here). In our view: Green infrastructure is an approach to water management that protects, restores, or mimics the natural water cycle.

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Updated 2018 by The PSU of Agricultural Administration

Summary:
This article briefly explains the how and why snowmelt affects streams and homes. It also gives tips at the end for protecting your property from this particular source (snowmelt) of storm water.

Personal thoughts:
In my opinion, the PennState Extension article is a short and sweet source for understanding the effects of snowmelt. It is easy to find basic information in this article. In particular, I like the tips in gives near the end for managing your property. They are all simple things everyone should do to for not only for the sake of our waters but homes as well.

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Winter snow often puts a pristine white coat over every surface that makes for beautiful photos and lots of family fun. However, it's not long before the sun comes out to expose a host of issues created by the melting snow. Just like when rain falls the rest of the year, melting snow turns into stormwater runoff. Heavy rains sweeping across your yard and driveway carry pollution and high volumes of water into our nearby streams, lakes, and other waterways. Melting snow does the same things. Both rain and snow melt can seriously impair Pennsylvania's waters when they travel over the land in our developed communities. They can also cause significant property damage at your home.

In winter, melting snow actually causes a few unique stormwater problems. Because the ground is often frozen at the surface, melting snow can't infiltrate into the soil the way a light or moderate rain would be able to. So even a small amount of snow can cause localized flooding on your property. When snow builds up over several small storm events without melting in between, it can turn into large winter storm impacts when it finally does melt - leading to potential community wide flooding events. In both cases, that standing and flowing water on the ground is picking up all kinds of debris, pollutants (especially de-icing salts and chemicals), and litter that will find their way into nearby streams.

Here are some tips for managing your property for winter stormwater this season:

When piling your snow after shoveling and plowing, choose locations where the snow will have the most opportunity to infiltrate instead of becoming stormwater runoff. Pile your snow in areas where you don't usually have ponding in the spring rains, on relatively flat areas, and away from sensitive areas like streams, ponds, and your private well if you have one.

Clear your downspouts to allow melting roof snow to flow and not collect at your foundation.

Make sure your nearest storm drains are clear. Do not pile snow on storm drains and make sure your neighborhood plow is not piling snow over the drains too. Clear away any snow that may have been kicked onto the drains by passing cars.

Use de-icing chemicals and salts judiciously. Use what you need to make your walkways and driveways safe, but try to avoid spreading around sensitive areas like waterways and your private well.

Postpone outdoor construction projects in winter, when you can't establish new vegetation to reduce soil loss and muddy runoff.

Pay special attention to places that are eroding during snow melt, and make a plan to improve these areas in spring using plants that can slow and stop erosion, like native grasses and meadow plants or native trees and shrubs

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Winter snow often puts a pristine white coat over every surface that makes for beautiful photos and lots of family fun. However, it's not long before the sun comes out to expose a host of issues created by the melting snow. Just like when rain falls the rest of the year, melting snow turns into stormwater runoff.

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Summary:
An article that discuses the means to manage stormwater runoff. Provides a good list of simple Drainage solutions anyone can use.

Personal Thoughts:
Overall I like the article but, it could explain more about the WHY behind stormwater issues. However, it is a useful source for solutions which I why I picked this article. There are ten solutions pointed out here. One thing that stood out to me was how it pointed not only to minimize the volume of water, but also the amount of pollutants in water.

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Stormwater effects on the Chesapeake Bay

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Stormwater effects on the Chesapeake Bay

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Summary:
A short article talking about the specific impacts of stormwater on the Chesapeake Bay. It also mentions how to take action and why this issue is so important.

Personal Thoughts:
I liked this article because it was eye opening about the other types of problems stormwater causes besides the common direct pollution. One thing in particular I never thought about before was how the sediment picked up by stormwater along the way blocks sunlight from reaching vegetation and wildlife. Shorter articles like this one are good ways to spread important information because the key points are easy to understand.

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Overview

What happens to a drop of rain when it falls onto the ground? It may land on a tree and evaporate; it may land on a farm field and soak into the soil; or it may land on a rooftop, driveway or road and travel down the street into a storm drain or stream. Precipitation in an urban or suburban area that does not evaporate or soak into the ground but instead runs across the land and into the nearest waterway is considered stormwater runoff. Increased development across the watershed has made stormwater runoff (also called polluted runoff) the fastest growing source of pollution to the Chesapeake Bay.

How does stormwater runoff affect the Chesapeake Bay?

As stormwater flows across streets, sidewalks, lawns and golf courses, it can pick up harmful pollutants and push them into storm drains, rivers and streams. These pollutants can include lawn and garden fertilizers, pet waste, sand and sediment, chemical contaminants and litter.

Stormwater runoff can cause a number of environmental problems:

Fast-moving stormwater runoff can erode stream banks, damaging hundreds of miles of aquatic habitat.

Stormwater runoff can push excess nutrients from fertilizers, pet waste and other sources into rivers and streams. Nutrients can fuel the growth of algae blooms that create low-oxygen dead zones that suffocate marine life.

Stormwater runoff can push excess sediment into rivers and streams. Sediment can block sunlight from reaching underwater grasses and suffocate shellfish.

Stormwater runoff can push pesticides, leaking fuel or motor oil and other chemical contaminants into rivers and streams. Chemical contaminants can harm the health of humans and wildlife.

Stormwater runoff can also lead to flooding in urban and suburban areas.

Forests, wetlands and other vegetated areas can trap water and pollutants, slowing the flow of stormwater runoff. But when urban and suburban development increases, builders often remove these natural buffers to make room for the impervious surfaces that encourage stormwater to flow freely into local waterways.

What are impervious surfaces and why are they a problem?

Impervious surfaces are paved or hardened surfaces that do not allow water to pass through. Roads, rooftops, sidewalks, pools, patios and parking lots are all impervious surfaces.

Impervious surfaces can cause a number of environmental problems:

Impervious surfaces can increase the amount and speed of stormwater runoff, which can alter natural stream flow and pollute aquatic habitats.

Impervious surfaces limit the amount of precipitation that is able to soak into the soil and replenish groundwater supplies, which are an important source of drinking water in some communities.

Impervious surfaces that replace soil and plants remove the environment's natural ability to absorb and break down airborne pollutants.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the presence of roads, rooftops and other impervious surfaces in urban areas means a typical city block generates more than five times more runoff than a forested area of the same size.

Impervious surface data are used to measure the rate of development across the watershed and to identify high-growth areas and patterns of sprawling development. Between 1990 and 2007, impervious surfaces associated with growth in single-family homes are estimated to have increased about 34 percent, while the region's population increased by 18 percent. This indicates that our personal footprint on the landscape is growing.

How much pollution does stormwater runoff send into the Chesapeake Bay?

Stormwater runoff is the fastest growing source of pollution to the Chesapeake Bay. According to data from the Chesapeake Bay Program's Watershed Model, stormwater contributed 16 percent of nitrogen loads, 18 percent of phosphorus loads and 24 percent of sediment loads to the Bay in 2015.

Take Action

To lessen the impacts of stormwater runoff on the Bay, consider reducing the amount of precipitation that can run off of your property. Install a green roof, rain garden or rain barrel to capture and absorb rainfall; use porous surfaces like gravel or pavers in place of asphalt or concrete; and redirect home downspouts onto grass or gravel rather than paved driveways or sidewalks.

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Stormwater Runoff | Chesapeake Bay Program

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What happens to a drop of rain when it falls onto the ground? It may land on a tree and evaporate; it may land on a farm field and soak into the soil; or it may land on a rooftop, driveway or road and travel down the street into a storm drain or stream.

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The Link Between Urban Runoff and Disease 

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The Link Between Urban Runoff and Disease 

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Summary:
This document follows a research study on the public health risks of stormwater overflow. It primarily discusses waterborne diseases and the links to runoff in urban areas.

Personal Thoughts:
Its an unique study that I feel highlights an interesting aspect of the health issues related to drinking water. The study talked about whether it is more cost effective to treat the diseases or try and prevent them from the source. The article doesn't go deep into what kinds of diseases you may gain but discusses more of the link between run off and disease instead. I think the study seemed professional and contain lots of factual information.

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Summary:
The article explains how keeping up with Infrastructure is important as well as planning for the future so immediate building designs aren't out of date.

Personal thoughts:
I think this article discusses a fascinating problem that exists within building stormwater infrastructure. Building and designing these plans can be be hard because you need to expect the future. Infrastructure that fits today's problems may not be adequate long term. Upgrades like these are constant needs and can be expensive but ultimately worth it when you look at the opposing risks.

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By Peter Chawaga

As the country grapples with woefully outdated wastewater and stormwater infrastructure, much of the work being done to confront the problem may become outdated before it's even complete.

"Experts warn that the wastewater system upgrades planned by some cities are 'already obsolete,'" per Planetizen. "The designs are based on decades-old rainfall estimates that do not reflect current - let alone future - climate risk."

Wastewater and stormwater infrastructure in cities across the country are increasingly unable to handle the volume of water brought by storms, leading to "combined sewer overflows" that drive massive amounts of untreated sewage directly into waterbodies. These failings are violations of the U.S. EPA's Clean Water Act, and result in these cities being required to upgrade their infrastructure to prevent the problems from repeating.

But as it often takes many years to execute such upgrades, some wastewater infrastructure projects will already be insufficient to handle increasing storm surge as they come online in the near future.

"In the decades since cities' plans were first approved, storms in the Midwest have grown more frequent and intense," according to Grist. "Total annual precipitation in the Great Lakes region has increased by 14 percent ... and the amount of rainfall from the heaviest storms has grown by 35 percent."

This dynamic is becoming even more urgent as a landmark infrastructure bill signed late last year is poised to allocate billions of dollars for improving the nation's wastewater systems. As a solution to the growing climate risks, many cities are now considering implementing green infrastructure to reduce the amount of stormwater that inundates systems from the start.

"[Cleveland's] Project Clean Lake includes $42 Million in green infrastructure investments," per Grist. "Milwaukee, which completed its own 'deep tunnel' in 1993, now aims to eliminate sewer overflows entirely by 2035, capturing 50 million gallons of runoff with green infrastructure alone."

Still, the costs of implementing such resilient infrastructure throughout the country, and the funding needed to maintain it, present significant challenges for wastewater systems throughout the U.S.

To read more about how cities around the country handle increased rainfall, visit Water Online's Stormwater Management Solutions Center.

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Billion-Dollar Wastewater Infrastructure Upgrades May Already Be Outdated

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By Peter Chawaga As the country grapples with woefully outdated wastewater and stormwater infrastructure, much of the work being done to confront the problem may become outdated before it's even complete. "Experts warn that the wastewater system upgrades planned by some cities are 'already obsolete,'" per Planetizen.

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Summary:
With the expected 70% population increase by 2050, this article explains the visions for the future of stormwater. Specifically, it addresses management challenges and how to transform stromwater runoff into an innovative resource.

Personal Thoughts:
I thought this report was a well written resource for understanding how run off can be used to benefit the community. I picked this article to highlight chapter one, "A vision for the future of stormwater" and chapter seven, "Engage the community". A particular thing that fascinated me about this source was how it gave case studies in each chapter to show real life results from runoff management practices. This report is full of information (52 pages worth) but it is a great source for extra applicable knowledge.

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Press release
Report overview
Executive summary
Full report

Stormwater is the only growing source of water pollution in many watersheds across the country. With urban populations expected to grow to nearly 70% by 2050, and more frequent and intense storms occurring across the country, there is ever-increasing pressure on stormwater systems and water infrastructure.

While the challenges of stormwater management appear to be vast, overcoming them creates a unique opportunity for governments, industry, academia, and civil society to further advance sustainability, resilience, and community livability.

Based on input from leading stormwater professionals, Rainfall to results: the future of stormwater details the challenges, opportunities, and pathways to improving the nation's stormwater systems to make them more efficient, effective, and sustainable.

The report is the first product of the Water Environment Federation (WEF) Stormwater Institute and charts a path forward for the sector with a vision, broad objectives, and specific actions for achieving a healthier water environment.

Vision for the future of stormwater

In the future, all stormwater will be considered a resource and managed through an optimized mix of affordable and sustainable green, gray, and natural infrastructure. Pollutant source control and management of runoff volume will be pursued aggressively as a complement to traditional stormwater controls. Stormwater infrastructure will be funded fully and managed by a true utility with a comprehensive asset management plan that benchmarks for future success. Management techniques will improve continually through new science, experiences, technical innovations, and responsive regulations. Stormwater management will be part of doing business and part of community resiliency and quality of life. The community will value and understand the many benefits of stormwater infrastructure.
The report identifies six objectives that are central to supporting the future of stormwater vision:

Work at the watershed scale - all communities will have integrated, watershed-scale assessments of water resources needs and challenges.

Transform stormwater governance - communities will catalyze further formation of stormwater utilities and stormwater regulations will stimulate stormwater control innovation and performance improvement by focusing on program outcomes.

Support innovation and best practices - a broad suite of verified stormwater controls and best practices will support confident planning and maintenance.

Manage assets and resources - stormwater systems will be maintained through robust asset management programs and supported by innovative information technology.

Close the funding gap - communities will align stormwater management efforts with broader community goals to garner funding options and have access to innovative financing opportunities.

Engage the community - communities will understand and value the contribution stormwater management makes to flood risk reduction, clean and safe water, climate resiliency, and other benefits.

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Rainfall to results: The future of stormwater

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Press release Report overview Executive summary Full report Stormwater is the only growing source of water pollution in many watersheds across the country. With urban populations expected to grow to nearly 70% by 2050, and more frequent and intense storms occurring across the country, there is ever-increasing pressure on stormwater systems and water infrastructure.