What is storm water?

Storm water is defined as surface runoff, primarily from

rain, but also snow melt and other forms of precipitation.

Storm water is an important environmental concern. As storm water flows across

the ground, off of a roof, or through a parking lot, it can pick up various pollutants
such as oil, grease, spilled materials, and other debris. In addition, storm water
can also pick up eroded soil from construction sites.

All storm water runoff at Quantico eventually discharges into the Potomac River,
which itself drains into the Chesapeake Bay. Although discharged in relatively
small quantities, over time these pollutants and eroded soil can harm our surface
waters and affect our environment, our economy, and overall quality of life. For
example, polluting the Chesapeake Bay can harm plant and animal life, impact the
commercially important seafood catches from the bay, and harm its recreational
quality. 3

Storm water regulations and environmental impacts from storm water make it
important for you to be aware of the basic principles of storm water management
and take a role in preventing storm water impacts. It is also important to
understand the relationship between your daily activities and storm water quality.
Many of the solutions to storm water pollution rest on the decisions and actions
that you take on a daily basis. For example, it is illegal to discharge any chemicals
or materials other than storm water into a storm drain. Therefore, it is important
for you to properly dispose of any used chemicals or spilled materials that could
impact storm water. Before these regulations came into effect, it was acceptable
to let the water from washing vehicles go down the storm drain. The current
storm water regulations expressly prohibit such activities in industrial areas.

STORM SEWER VS. SANITARY SEWER It is important to understand the difference

between the storm sewer and the sanitary sewer. Although they appear to be the
same, there are some very important differences that you need to know about.
Waste water that leaves your work building or house, such as through a bathroom
or kitchen sink, is discharged through the sanitary sewer system. Every building
that contains plumbing is connected to the sanitary sewer. The waste that goes
down these pipes drains to a sewage treatment plant. The treatment plant is
designed to treat and remove pollutants and sewage from the wastewater before
it is discharged to the Potomac River. Although the treatment plant is designed to
remove pollutants, it cannot remove all pollutants such as solvents or oils, which
is why you should not discharge these types chemicals into the sink.

5 The storm sewer is also a collection of underground pipes, but these pipes drain
storm water directly into the River or one if its tributaries without removing any
pollutants. Therefore, if you dump a quart of oil down the storm sewer, that quart
of oil will drain directly into the river.

How can you tell the difference between a storm drain and a sanitary drain? A
good rule of thumb is that any drain inside a building, such as a sink or floor drain,
will lead to the sanitary sewer system. Any drain outside a building, such as a
storm drain or storm grate, will drain into the storm sewer system.
DID YOU KNOW: Storm water discharges are often the #1 source of water
pollution that One quart of oil can contaminate 250,000 gallons of water. One
pint of motor oil can produce an oil slick one acre in size. Nutrients, primarily
nitrogen and phosphorus, carried into the Chesapeake Bay by storm water runoff
from agricultural lands can create algal blooms. Algal blooms can cut off light for
Bay organisms such as underwater grasses. Decaying algae can remove dissolved
oxygen from the water, turning large sections of the Bay into dead zones. A
typical city block generates 9 times more storm water runoff volume than a
woodland area of the same size. 7 These are just a few of the facts indicating that
storm water runoff contributes significantly to the pollution of our nation's
surface waters. Each of us must do our part in controlling discharges of pollutants
into storm water runoff. Awareness of this issue and recognition of its adverse
impacts on the environment and quality of life is the first step towards solving the
problem. After completing this course, it is important that you not only apply
what you have learned both at work and at home, but also share this beneficial
information with your family, particularly your children

8 SO HOW DOES YOUR WORK AFFECT STORM WATER? There are various types of
contaminants that can come into contact with storm water runoff. There are also
various ways those contaminants may enter the storm drain system. It is
important to look around your facility and identify what potential sources of
storm water pollution may exist. Let’s look at some of the common pollutants
here at Quantico.
PETROLEUM One of the most common sources of storm water pollution at
industrial sites is petroleum, such as oil, grease, or fuel, leaking from equipment
and vehicles (e.g. fork lifts). Many leaks or drips go unnoticed and result in
staining of the pavement. During storm events, runoff becomes contaminated
with the oil, grease, or fuel. Oil-contaminated runoff is often evidenced by a bluish
sheen, or "rainbows," on top of the water

10 WASH WATER Water used to wash vehicles, equipment, floors, etc. should not
ever be allowed into a storm drain. This water not only contains soap, but can
also contain various other chemicals, such as petroleum, heavy metals, oil and
grease. All wash water disposal should be directed to the sanitary sewer 11
TRASH Obviously, the storm drain system isn’t a place for trash. But if you litter
outside, eventually that’s where that litter is going to go—into the storm drain
and out to the river! All trash, including cigarette butts, bottles, etc., should be
properly disposed of in a CLOSED trash container. If the container is left open, the
purpose is kind of defeated. Not only can storm water get into the container and
wash out pollutants, open trash containers are also great attractors of insects,
animals and birds.

12 SEDIMENT Believe it or not, one of the most serious problems in the

Chesapeake Bay right now is sediment. Dirt coming off of construction sites,
agricultural operations, forestry and natural erosion is one of the three biggest
pollutants we have today (the other two are nutrients—phosphorous and
nitrogen). We usually don’t think of sediment as a “pollutant,” but it is. Too much
sediment in the river can clog fish gills and lead to suffocation. It can also
suffocate plants and fill in areas with large sediment deposits, thereby disrupting
the normal flow of the river. If you would like to learn more than you probably
ever wanted to know about sediment, check out the “Construction” module after
you finish this session.

13 CONTAINER STORAGE Improper storage of drums and other containers is a

common source of storm water pollution. All containers should be stored within
secondary containment and either covered or kept inside a building. If containers
are not stored properly, leaks or spilled materials may be washed into the storm
drain.

14 VEHICLE MAINTENANCE AND STORAGE Vehicles stored outside can drip fuel
and oil, as previously mentioned. Drip pans should be provided for these vehicles
instead of letting them drip on the ground. Deadlined vehicles should be drained
of all fluids, and the fluids disposed of properly. Vehicle and equipment
maintenance performed outdoors can also cause pollution. All vehicle
maintenance should be performed indoors to reduce the chance of fuel leaks and
spills and improper disposal.
These are the openings through which the surface runoff and storm water is
admitted and conveyed to the storm water sewer or combined sewer. ? The inlet
is a box of concrete or brick masonry with the clear opening not more than
25mm. ? Maximum spacing depends on road surface, it varies between 30 to 60
m.

Where Does Storm Water Goes? Stormwater flows to storm drains along streets. .
It may carry soil, pet waste, oil, pesticides, & other pollutants with it. . This
polluted runoff goes to streams & lakes untreated.

Curb Inlet is formed by a collection chamber, located directly beneath the

sidewalk, with a vertical opening in the curb being its uptake site.

A gutter is a triangle open channel along the curb stone of streets which carry the
storm water along streets to inlets.
Stormwater inlets, also known as gully inlets, are mainly provided to collect this stormwater from the
paved surfaces, parks, landscaped and open space areas, and transfer it to underground pipe drains.
Even where an open drain system is used, the inlets connect to the open drains by means of pipes. The
provisions apply to both types of drainage system.

Inlets will not function properly if the downstream pipe or open drain system has insufficient capacity,
causing backwater. As a guideline it is desirable to have at least 1.0 m height difference between the
road level and the drain invert in order for the inlets to operate correctly. Installing of inlets is
encouraged in a more highly urbanised areas, for draining more runoff from streets, parking lots and
airport facilities although more developed countries are now beginning to shift from hard engineering to
soft engineering using roadside swale.

Storm Gutter Inlets, also known as Storm Grate Inlets are effective in intercepting
gutter flows, and they also provide an access opening for maintenance. In some
situations they are prone to blockage. All grates on road should be an approved,
bicycle-friendly design.
It's a network of structures, channels and underground pipes that carry
stormwater (rain water) to ponds, lakes, streams and rivers. The network consists
of both public and private systems.

It's an integral part of the stormwater management system in the county that is
designed to control the quantity, quality, timing and distribution of storm runoff.

It's not part of the wastewater (sanitary sewer) system, which carries water and
waste from drains (sinks, bathtubs, showers, etc.) and toilets to a treatment plant
to be treated and filtered. Stormwater does not flow to a treatment plant.

Stormwater running over rural land or from our catchment towns can pick up a
range of pollutants:

dissolved chemicals from various sources including pesticides and herbicides

waste from livestock and pets

sewerage and effluent from falling onsite wastewater treatment systems

soil from ploughed paddocks, eroded land or construction sites.

Stormwater can also:

alter river flows

change flooding patterns

increase flow velocity, turbidity, erosion

affect the availability of water for irrigation.

Storm water

Stormwater is rainwater plus anything the rain carries along with it. As rainwater
runs across different surfaces, it can pick up various types of pollutants including:
sediment from exposed soil

oil and grease from driveways and roads

leaves and animal droppings that collect in gutters

chemicals from lawns and gardens.

In urban areas, rain that falls on house roofs, paved areas like driveways, roads
and footpaths, or flows from saturated gardens and grass fields, is carried away
through stormwater pipes and canals to the ocean, via creeks and rivers. In the
Sydney drinking water catchment, stormwater is carried, not to the ocean, but
into local creeks and rivers that flow into major drinking water supply dams. This
makes stormwater pollution from rural properties and towns in the catchment a
major risk to the quality of our drinking water - a risk that everyone living in the
catchment can help reduce.
Management

Stormwater management is the effort to reduce runoff of rainwater or melted

snow into streets, lawns and other sites and the improvement of water quality.
Detaining stormwater and removing pollutants is the primary purpose of
stormwater management.

STORMWATER MANAGEMENT

ADVANTAGES

 Provides proper drainage of surface run-off and avoids damages on

infrastructure such as private properties and streets.
 Provides possibility to recharge groundwater and re-use precipitation water
and surface run-off as irrigation or household water.
 Minimizing health risks.
 Provides effective storm water flood control.
 Can be integrated into the urban landscape and provide green and
recreational areas.
 Revenue generated by a storm water utility can be used as a new,
dedicated source of funds to supplement or replace the community's
current storm water management funding, enabling tax-based funding to
be used for other community needs.

DISADVANTAGES

 Expert planning, implementation, operation and maintenance required for

a storm water management.
 It depends on the technique, a lot of operation and labour required.
 There is risk of clogging infiltration system caused by high sedimentation
rates.
 Temporary covering methods, such as plastic sheeting, can become torn or
ripped, exposing the contaminant to precipitation and/or storm water
runoff.
Contaminants in water may include algae, air pollution, bird excrement,
and leaves, sand, and dust. Local wells have dealt with these problems for
decades.
Installation of filtration and purification equipment can remove these
contaminants at home as well.
First, take measures to keep foreign matter out of the incoming rain water,
flush devices, gutter screens and other screening mechanisms keep the
rainwater as clean as possible before it enters the conveyance system.
Using screens and filters will greatly reduce maintenance and lengthen the
life of the pump and filtration / purification system.