Articles Tagged: Stormwater Systems

Culverts are among the most common pieces of stormwater and roadway infrastructure in the United States, yet they often receive far less attention than they deserve. When properly sized and maintained, culverts allow water to move freely beneath roads, driveways, trails, and rail lines. When they ar…

One of the greatest challenges facing municipalities with Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permits is getting the public to care about stormwater. Residents rarely think about catch basins, roadside ditches, detention ponds, or illicit discharges until flooding occurs or a nearby stream b…

Every drop of rain that falls on the landscape has several possible destinations. Some water evaporates back into the atmosphere. Some is absorbed by plants and later released through transpiration. Some flows across the land as stormwater runoff into ditches, streams, rivers, and lakes. Another por…

When stormwater professionals encounter an unexplained discharge, a suspicious pipe, or a drainage system that does not behave as expected, one of the most effective investigative tools available is dye testing. Used by municipalities, engineers, environmental consultants, utility operators, and reg…

The Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) program is one of the cornerstones of stormwater regulation in the United States. Established under the federal Clean Water Act and administered through the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), the MS4 program requires municipalitie…

For much of the last century, stormwater management followed a simple philosophy: collect runoff as quickly as possible and move it downstream through pipes, ditches, culverts, and channels. Success was often measured by how rapidly water could be removed from streets and developed areas. That appro…

Rain gardens are among the most recognizable and effective forms of green infrastructure. Although they often resemble attractive landscaped planting beds, a properly designed rain garden is a carefully engineered stormwater management system. Every component, from the shape of the basin to the soil…

Stormwater management has traditionally focused on one primary goal, moving runoff away from roads, buildings, and neighborhoods as quickly as possible. While this approach successfully reduces flooding, it often leaves behind landscapes dominated by pavement, pipes, and manicured turf that provide …

Waterfront properties are among a community's most valuable and desirable lands. They offer scenic views, recreational opportunities, and direct access to lakes, rivers, ponds, and coastal waters. Yet the landscaping practices commonly used to maintain these properties can unintentionally become…

Stormwater drainage systems are among the most critical yet overlooked components of rural infrastructure. Hidden beneath roads, driveways, fields, and stream crossings, culverts and drainage pipes quietly transport runoff away from roadways and developed areas. Many rural drainage systems were inst…

When most people think about stormwater pollution, they think of sediment, nutrients, oils, trash, or road salt. However, heat itself can be a pollutant. Thermal pollution occurs when stormwater runoff becomes significantly warmer than the natural receiving waters it eventually enters. Elevated wate…

In stormwater management, some of the most serious failures begin as subtle warning signs that are easy to overlook unless someone is paying close attention. A cross culvert that appears nearly full on a dry day, with no recent rainfall to explain elevated water levels, is one of those warning signs…