In 1970, rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival asked the seminal question, “Who will stop the rain?” Well, when it comes to rain and stormwater runoff, no one can. In fact, over the last 20 years, we have seen an increase in the frequency and magnitude of large-scale stormwater events. 

In 2022, there were 17 stormwater-related natural disasters in the United States that each cost over $1 billion. These large-scale disasters, which include severe storms, tropical cyclones, flooding, droughts and winter storms, collectively cost a staggering $174 billion. By comparison, if we look back 20 years, there were just five of these types of events in 2002.

This higher volume of stormwater is putting a strain on natural waterways and municipal infrastructures, which is causing an increase in flooding, hazards to life and property and allowing pollutants to make their way into streams, rivers and lakes. This is significantly impacting communities, causing economic disruptions and contributing to environmental damage. 

This also comes at a time when many municipalities are dealing with aging stormwater infrastructures in need of repair or upgrades to adequately handle the increase in stormwater volume and keep residents and businesses safe from flooding.  

To overcome these challenges, municipalities need to evolve how they approach the management of stormwater runoff. The following are three recommendations to help more effectively and efficiently manage stormwater runoff in today’s challenging environment. 

MANAGE THE ENTIRE LIFECYCLE OF A RAINDROP

The natural growth of cities, including construction of buildings, homes and roads, disrupts the natural ability of stormwater to infiltrate the ground. To effectively safeguard water and protect your community, you need a stormwater management approach that considers the entire lifecycle of a raindrop. This means managing the stormwater from the moment a raindrop hits the ground until it is returned to the environment. 

THIS APPROACH INCLUDES FOUR KEY STEPS:

Capture: Collect and direct runoff to an underground conveyance system. 

Conveyance: To prevent flooding, safely move water away from developed sites to be reintroduced to the water cycle.

Storage: To mitigate erosion and flooding, use retention and detention systems to manage infiltration and recharge stormwater prior to the treatment process.

Treatment: Remove trash, debris and pollutants from runoff collected in previous steps, ensuring only clean water is discharged back into the community.  

THINK BIG, SITE-SPECIFIC AND OUTSIDE THE BOX

Stormwater knows no political boundaries, flowing across all jurisdictions and borders. To ensure long-term effective solutions that manage the lifecycle of a raindrop, you need to work with agencies at all levels (e.g., federal, state, county and township).

At the same time, you need to view each situation as site-specific. During the design phase of any municipal project, you should ask specific questions as it relates to stormwater runoff management. These include: What is our current problem? What are we trying to solve? Are there multiple benefits to multiple solutions? What is the expected service life of the solution? What are the performance criteria? What are the future maintenance needs? What types of structural/hydraulic/contaminant loading will this site see in the future?

Additionally, don’t feel constrained by traditional solutions, and instead be open to solutions that are outside the box. For instance, when capable, some municipalities are turning toward detention, infiltration and reuse solutions. Depending on the region and the runoff quality, multiple solutions may even be used. 

ADOPT A BLEND OF RESILIENCY AND SUSTAINABILITY 

View every project as an opportunity to build a resilient and sustainable infrastructure for your city’s stormwater management. This means choosing stormwater management solutions designed to provide long-term value and rapid recovery when time is of the essence, as well as contribute to achieving your sustainability goals. 

This could include replacing parts of your gray infrastructure (e.g., gutters, pipes and tunnels) with green infrastructure systems (e.g., bioswales, rain gardens and permeable pavements) that mimic natural hydrology, filter and absorb stormwater where it falls, and offer environmental, social and economic benefits. 

It could also mean utilizing plastic drainage pipes made from recycled single-use plastics. There are a variety of durable plastic pipes available on the market that can be quickly adopted into project specifications, offer a smaller carbon footprint and have a 100-year service life. 

When enacted together, these three steps can help municipalities evolve their approach to stormwater management. Not only will it better position your city to properly address your current water management challenges, it will also enable you to plan for the future more effectively and successfully recover from major storm events.

Brian King is the executive vice president of marketing, product management and sustainability at Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc.