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Stormwater Management

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Background

Stormwater is rainwater and melted snow that runs off streets, lawns, farms, and construction and industrial sites. Under natural conditions, stormwater is absorbed into the ground, where it is filtered and ultimately replenishes aquifers, or slowly flows through forests and meadows into streams and rivers. In developed areas, however, pavement and building roofs prevent precipitation from naturally entering the soil, and both the quantity and quality of that stormwater can affect the environment.

While storm drains and sewers can capture rain that falls on these impervious surfaces, they also accelerate the flow of rainwater, causing stream bank erosion and flooding, and accumulating fertilizers, dirt, pesticides, oil, grease, and many other pollutants along the way. Stormwater runoff is the most common cause of water pollution. Stormwater management addresses these concerns through a variety of techniques, including strategic site design, measures to control the sources of runoff, and thoughtful landscape planning.

EPA's Federal Triangle Complex

EPA's Federal Triangle Headquarters Complex project in Washington, DC, is incorporating strategies to demonstrate management of urban stormwater. By retrofitting these facilities to incorporate low impact development (LID) strategies, EPA hopes to demonstrate reduction of the peak volume and pollutant load of its stormwater runoff and serve as a model for future LID projects in the DC metropolitan area and nationwide. In addition, EPA is using this project to demonstrate that sustainable design and LID can be utilized in high profile, urban sites that must pass through rigorous aesthetic design reviews.

More on Stormwater Management

Read more in-depth descriptions and examples of stormwater management techniques.

Find additional resources on stormwater management and water conservation.

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