The Importance Of Stormwater Treatment
3 min readThe Importance Of Stormwater Treatment
The process of stormwater treatment is a mechanism whereby stormwater treatment practices improve the runoff quality of stormwater, along with reducing the runoff volume, the runoff peak-flow, and any combinations of these.
An example of this includes dry ponds that hold stormwater and then releases the water slowly to the downstream receiving water. The main stormwater treatment process for dry ponds includes sedimentation as the majority of the pollution in the stormwater better known as pollutants will be retained by the dry pond and then settled out when the runoff from stormwater is retained in this pond.
Due to the fact that these treatment processes are important, the treatment practices used are generally organized according to the surrounding environment. To gain an understanding of stormwater processes, it becomes important to examine the impacts and the composition stormwater can have on a particular environment.
Stormwater treatment involves a few important stages that include:
1. The Primary Treatment
The stormwater will flow into a drainage system whereby the majority of the larger pollutants, which includes trash will be removed.
2. The Secondary Treatment
The stormwater is then retained inside a type of treatment device whereby sedimentation, fine particles, and any attached pollutants will be removed.
3. The Tertiary Treatment
Before the water is returned to the surrounding environment, the last cleaning process takes place. This process includes the removal of colloidal particulates, heavy metals, and dissolved nutrients. Stormwater filters and treatment wetlands are involved in this final process.
What You Need To Know About Stormwater Management
Stormwater management involves an effort to decrease the runoff of melted snow and rainwater into the streets, lawns, and various other sites along with improving the quality of the water.
As the stormwater absorbs into the ground and soil, it is naturally filtered before it flows into river and streams or replenishes aquifers. However, in the case of heavy rainfall, the ground becomes saturated which results in an excess amount of moisture where the water flows across the surfaces and into road ditches and storm sewers.
This is the water which carries chemicals, eroded soil, debris, bacteria, and a host of other pollutants, which is then carried into lakes, wetlands, rivers, and streams.
How Does Stormwater Management Help?
In developed and urban areas, the impervious surfaces like roofs and pavements stop the precipitation from soaking naturally into the soil. Instead, this water rapidly flows into drainage ditches, sewer systems, and storm drains which can result in erosion, flooding, turbidity, along with sanitary sewer and storm system overflow, and in some cases infrastructure damages. The present stormwater designs work on capturing and reusing stormwater in order to restore or maintain natural hydrologies.
Detaining the stormwater and then removing the pollutants is the main aim of stormwater treatment and management. The impervious surfaces which are typically porous which allow snowmelt and rainfall to absorb into the ground, the Gray infrastructures like culverts, storm sewers, gutters, and piped drainage, along with Green/Blue infrastructures which restore, protect or even mimic natural water cycles, all work together to achieve effective stormwater management.
