Chapter 3

3-1. Hydrologic Impacts

Fundamentals of Stormwater
Management
Chapter 3 describes several fundamental concepts of stormwater
management. Among these are the relationships between land use and water
quantity and quality, sources of stormwater pollutants, watershed planning,
and traditional stormwater management concerns. This chapter may be useful
to better understand the basic concerns and causes of stormwater pollution
and to help understand the interconnectedness of activities in a watershed to
plan for protection and restoration of water quality.

3-1. Hydrologic Impacts

Development activities can alter the natural hydrologic cycle and the
movement of water off of the land. Development removes natural vegetation
and introduces impervious surfaces, such as roads, rooftops, driveways, and
parking areas. Precipitation falling on these impervious areas can no longer
soak into the ground, resulting in an increase in
stormwater runoff. Vegetation no longer slows
down the rate of flow. Because of this, developed
areas generate a greater amount of stormwater,
and this runoff reaches rivers and lakes in a shorter
amount of time. This runoff picks up sediment
and other pollutants in its flow path, and carries
these pollutants to the receiving waterbodies. The
increased runoff can also result in erosion of the
land surface, conveying the resultant sediment load
to the receiving waters as well.

Potential hydrologic impacts from development

activities include the following3: Stormwater flows into a catch basin from a
●● Changes to Stream Flow commercial parking lot during a rainstorm in
Concord, New Hampshire.
●● Increased runoff volumes

●● Increased peak runoff discharges

●● Increased runoff velocities

●● Increased frequency of bank-full & near bank-full events

●● Increased flooding

3 Adapted from Minnesota Stormwater Manual, 2006.

 ●● Lower baseflows (dry weather flows)
3-2. Water Quality Impacts

Changes to Stream Geomorphology

●● Stream widening & bank erosion

●● Changes in flow velocities

●● Stream degradation (downcutting) or aggradation (rise in channel

elevation due to sediment deposition), resulting from changes in
flows or sediment load

●● Other changes in stream bed due to sedimentation

●● Loss of riparian vegetation & canopy

●● Increased flood elevation

●● Isolation of the primary channel from its natural flood plain, resulting
in further changes in channel geometry

Changes to Aquatic Habitat

●● Degrading of habitat structure - channel scour, streambank erosion,

riparian vegetation loss, sediment deposition

●● Loss of pool-riffle structure

●● Reduced baseflows

●● Increased stream temperatures

●● Decline in abundance and biodiversity of fish and benthic organisms

3-2. Water Quality Impacts

In addition to the water quantity impacts from development activities,
stormwater runoff also affects water quality. The pollutants affecting water
quality come from changes in land use and associated activities as well
as social behavior. As the population grows, many changes occur in the
landscape. Forests and other undisturbed lands are converted to make room
for homes and businesses. Transportation infrastructure is expanded including
roads, highways, and parking lots, which are salted and sanded for safety.
This decreases the amount of vegetated areas that are available to naturally
treat stormwater and increases the impervious surfaces. Fertilizers and other
household products, including pet waste, septic system leachate, trash, and a
variety of other pollutants are introduced into the environment, all of which
would not be present in the undeveloped landscape (CT DEP, 2004).

These pollutants are picked up and carried by stormwater runoff and

discharged to receiving waters. Fortunately, there are ways to lessen the water
quality impacts of these changes in the landscape through environmentally
sensitive site planning. Implementing better site design techniques and best

3-3. Concerns with Conventional Stormwater Management

management practices can not only reduce the volume and velocity of runoff
leaving a site, but can also reduce pollutant runoff that can threaten water
quality.

●● Potential water quality impacts from development activities may

result in:

●● Shellfish bed closures due to bacterial

contamination.

●● Swimming beach closures due to bacterial

contamination.

●● Pathogenic bacteria/viruses from fecal material

in combined sewer overflows (CSOs), pet and
wildlife waste.

●● Nuisance algal growth from excess nutrients

in runoff. Turbidity in Hodgson Brook,
Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
●● Toxicity from ammonia, metals, organic
compounds, pesticides, and other
contaminants.

●● Depleted dissolved oxygen (DO) levels due to increased biochemical

oxygen demand (BOD) of the water from biodegradable organic
material – leading to oxygen deprivation of aquatic organisms.

●● Increased temperatures due to warm impervious surfaces and loss of

shade from decreased riparian canopy, leading to reduced DO levels
as warm water can hold less oxygen than cold water.

●● Contamination of groundwater with soluble organic chemicals,

metals, nitrates, and salt.

3-3. Concerns with Conventional Stormwater Management

Conventional stormwater management has focused on removing stormwater
from a site as quickly as possible to reduce on-site flooding. This has meant
implementing management techniques, such as curb and gutter and piping
systems, that discharge runoff to the nearest receiving water, or implementing
detention type BMPs to reduce peak runoff discharge rates (CEI, 2003).

Although this is an efficient way to remove water quickly and prevent on-site
flooding, it has proven to be devastating to downstream waters by increasing
the frequency and magnitude of floods, altering stream channel morphology
(alignment, cross-section geometry, streambed composition) and reducing
groundwater recharge, all of which make less water available for drinking
water withdrawal and stream base flows.
 These shortcomings of traditional stormwater
3-3. Concerns with Conventional Stormwater Management

management are largely because the methods used

rely on conveyance efficiency and end-of-pipe
treatment. Although end-of-pipe practices still have
their place in stormwater control and treatment, the
key to effective management of stormwater runoff is to
reduce the amount of stormwater generated in the first
place by maintaining and working with the hydrology
of a site and managing stormwater at the source.

Subsequent chapters of Volume 1 present alternative

measures to this conventional approach to
Flooding of New Hampshire’s Exeter and stormwater management. As will be seen in the
Squamscott Rivers, April, 2007. discussion of the Antidegradation Provisions in
Chapter 5, New Hampshire’s approach to managing
stormwater to meet water quality standards
includes objectives to limit increased impervious surface and to retain
natural undisturbed areas. Chapter 6 offers guidance to address site design,
including low impact development techniques, to minimize the generation of
stormwater, and to control quantity and quality impacts close to its source.

Chapter 3 References
Center for Watershed Protection. 2003. Impacts of Impervious Cover on
Aquatic Systems. Watershed Protection Research Monograph No. 1. March
2003.

Comprehensive Environmental Inc. City of Nashua, New Hampshire

Alternative Stormwater Management Methods Planning and Guidance. Part
1. March 2003.

Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection. Connecticut

Stormwater Quality Manual. 2004.

Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. Massachusetts

Nonpoint Source Pollution Management Manual the Clean Water Toolkit.
May 4, 2006.

Minnesota Stormwater Steering Committee. Minnesota Stormwater Manual.

September, 2006.

New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services. Best Management

Practices to Control Nonpoint Source Pollution A Guide for Citizens and Town
Officials. January 2004.