Improper storm water drainage system can be very harmful?explain how?
Answers
WHAT IS STORMWATER AND WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?
Stormwater and how it is managed can greatly affect your quality of life. If not properly managed, it can be very damaging to our waterways and drinking water. Stormwater runoff can contain higher amounts of pollutants than raw sanitary sewage and can contribute more than 80% of the pollutants affecting our lakes and reservoirs. Often we don't see the damage that improperly managed stormwater runoff has caused, because we don't know what to look for. Other times the damage becomes so great that it cannot be missed. Protecting our environment and managing stormwater requires everyone's help.
I. The IMPORTANCE OF STORMWATER RUNOFF
What is stormwater runoff?
When it rains, or when snow melts, only a portion of the water will soak, or infiltrate into the ground. The portion of the water which does not soak into the ground ends up traveling overland until it reaches a body of water. The water that travels overland is called stormwater runoff. There are two principal areas of concern with stormwater runoff: the amount of stormwater runoff that occurs and the quality of that runoff.
A change in the ground cover from forest to lawn, or some type of impervious surface causes an increase in the volume of stormwater runoff. Increasing the volume of stormwater released during a storm event can increase the potential for downstream flooding. Increasing the volume of stormwater can also cause more water to flow through a stream channel, causing significant changes to the stream channel. These increases can cause substantial property damage as well as damage to the environment.
These same changes to ground cover can also affect the quality of the stormwater runoff by increasing the concentration of pollutants. As stormwater runoff travels over land, it picks up and carries many natural and man-made substances such as sediment, nutrients and other pollutants that may impact water quality. In fact, almost anything on the ground can become a source of contamination as stormwater travels over land and is carried into the storm drains and discharges into the surrounding watershed. The faster the stormwater moves the more pollutants it can carry. Because sediment, nutrients and other pollutants found in stormwater runoff come from many poorly defined or indiscreet sources, this type of pollution is often referred to as nonpoint source pollution. Changes in stormwater quality can result in changes to wildlife habitats, increased flooding, a reduction in the populations of fish and other aquatic organisms, and stream bank erosion.
There are a number of characteristics of the natural landscape that help to protect the quantity and quality of stormwater. Trees intercept rainfall and slow its velocity. Trees also provide cooling of stormwater which is important to certain fish habitats. Undisturbed areas of the landscape are generally full of very small natural depressions that temporarily pond stormwater and allow more time for the water to infiltrate into the ground. Similarly, the spongy humus layer of leaves on the forest floor slows the velocity of stormwater and allows more water to infiltrate into the ground.
However, as the land is altered by people, several changes occur. Trees that had intercepted rainfall are removed, the natural depressions that had temporarily ponded water are graded to a uniform slope, the spongy humus layer of the forest floor that had absorbed rainfall is scraped off, and the underlying soils are eroded or severely compacted. These changes result in an increase in the quantity of stormwater, and a decrease in its quality, which together affect watershed ecology. The quantity and quality of stormwater also changes as the land’s surface is changed from forest to lawns to roofs, driveways and parking lots.
One of the primary sources of concentrated amounts of pollutants entering our waterways, and the area of greatest concern are impervious surfaces. Impervious surfaces are areas, including roads, parking lots, driveways and rooftops, which are so dense and hard that they prevent rainfall from entering into the ground. Many different pollutants accumulate on these surfaces from the atmosphere, from vehicles, or are windblown from adjacent areas. During storm events these pollutants quickly wash off, and are rapidly delivered to downstream waters.
The following are the problems associated with the improper drainage system during storm:
Explanation:
- A storm is a meteorological process where heavy rain and wind occurs.
- The water will cause flooding and water logging in the area.
- The improper drainage system will cause soil erosion,
- The improper drainage system when merge with the water bodies will pollute the water,
- The improper drainage system will expose the human beings and animals to the water borne diseases.
- The improper drainage system will cover the area with water and this will restrict the transportation in an area.
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