What is Stormwater?
Stormwater is rainwater that washes through our property and streets, taking with it any debris that may be in its path.  This mixture of rain, debris, oil and waste is known as "runoff". 

What is Stormwater Management?
Stormwater Management is a mechanism for controlling stormwater runoff.  These practices are incorporated into the design of a development to mitigate any impacts the development may have on the aquatic environment.  Stormwater Management practices address two major issues, the quantity or volume of stormwater and the quality of the stormwater.

Stormwater Quantity
Pervious (or vegetated) surfaces, such as fields, meadows and woodlands, absorb and infiltrate rainfall and generate little runoff.  As land develops, these areas are typically covered with impervious surfaces, such as pavement and rooftops.  These impervious surfaces generate more runoff every time it rains. The quantity of runoff from these areas can overwhelm natural channels and streams.  Stormwater Management practices are designed to offset these increases in runoff.

Stormwater Quality
The pervious and impervious surfaces in the urbanized landscape collect pollutants such as automobile oil, grease, brake pad dust, sediment from construction sites, bacteria from animal waste, excess lawn care fertilizers and pesticides, as well as atmospheric deposition of phosphorus, nitrogen and other airborne pollutants. Rainfall washes these surfaces so that the initial flush of runoff can carry high concentrations of these pollutants to nearby drinking water supplies, waterways, beaches and properties. Pollution washed from the land surface by rainfall is called nonpoint source pollution.  Stormwater Management practices also provide water quality treatment to help prevent additional pollution from entering streams and rivers.