Urban stormwater management in the United States

• Main Authors: Committee on Reducing Stormwater Discharge Contributions to Water Pollution, National Research Council, Council, National Research, Staff, Division on Earth and Life Studies, Staff, Water Science and Technology Board
• Format: eBook Book
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, D.C National Academies Press 2009
• Edition: 1
• Subjects: Management; NATURE; United States. Environmental Protection Agency; Urban runoff; Urban runoff > United States > Management; Water quality management; Water quality management > United States; United States
• ISBN: 0309125391; 9780309125390; 0309125405; 9780309125406
• DOI: 10.17226/12465

The rapid conversion of land to urban and suburban areas has profoundly altered how water flows during and following storm events, putting higher volumes of water and more pollutants into the nation's rivers, lakes, and estuaries. These changes have degraded water quality and habitat in virtually every urban stream system. The Clean Water Act regulatory framework for addressing sewage and industrial wastes is not well suited to the more difficult problem of stormwater discharges. This book calls for an entirely new permitting structure that would put authority and accountability for stormwater discharges at the municipal level. A number of additional actions, such as conserving natural areas, reducing hard surface cover (e.g., roads and parking lots), and retrofitting urban areas with features that hold and treat stormwater, are recommended.