The term stormwater is commonly used to refer to runoff in urban settings. Urban stormwater runoff has traditionally been seen as a nuisance to be flushed away through a network of drains.
However, the growing threat of water scarcity and the desire to increase local water supply is changing the way that we manage stormwater in California.
While stormwater capture is helping many urban centers in Southern California reduce their reliance on imported water, it involves a number of challenges, including developing funding for retrofit of stormwater systems, removing urban pollutants from the stormwater, developing adequate recharge facilities, and developing flood protection plans.
Key information
The Potential for Urban Stormwater as a Water Supply
From the California Urban Water Agencies:
Interest in the potential use of urban stormwater as a water supply in California is growing, and new funding sources to better manage and develop urban stormwater as a resource are being explored.
This white paper aims to inform the ongoing statewide dialogue by characterizing current urban stormwater uses and the opportunities and challenges associated with its increased capture to supplement California’s water supply.
Groundwater & Stormwater Management
From the Groundwater Protection Council:
Contaminated stormwater is a major source of groundwater and surface water degradation. Furthermore, land-development practices often create impervious surfaces that increase stormwater runoff and inhibit groundwater recharge.
A combination of approaches is needed to improve runoff quality and maximize quality recharge to ground water. These approaches include preventing the contamination of stormwater, minimizing impervious surfaces, segregating clean and contaminated stormwater, and applying best management practices (BMPs) that promote natural aquifer recharge and treat stormwater sufficiently before it is discharged to groundwater.
Resource Management Strategy: Urban stormwater runoff management
CWP-RMS-Ch-19-Urban_Stormwater_Runoff_Mgt_July2016Stormwater articles at Maven’s Notebook
- Notebook stormwater posts
Explore stormwater topics at the California Water Library
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