About Stormwater
The EPA defines Stormwater as "runoff [that] is generated from rain and snowmelt events that flow over land or impervious surfaces, such as paved streets, parking lots, and building rooftops, and does not soak into the ground." Some of the concerns of stormwater are that "the runoff picks up pollutants like trash, chemicals, oils, and dirt/sediment that can harm our rivers, streams, lakes, and coastal waters."
Stormwater is one of the pollutants that is regulated under the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). "The NPDES stormwater program regulates some stormwater discharges from three potential sources: municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4s), construction activities, and industrial activities."
Monitoring for stormwater can be challenging. Monitoring activities could explore facets of stormwater such as:
- The depth and duration of standing water in an area,
- How much rainwater can be harvested from an area,
- How much water can be absorbed by an area,
- How different ground covers react to stormwater events, and
- How well infrastructure is working to handle stormwater runoff.
This page was created to compile some activities, questions, updates and projects surrounding issues of stormwater. Click the links below to add to this growing resource!
Stormwater Activities
| Purpose | Category | Status | Author | Time | Difficulty | Replications |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Measuring water in a rain gauge | - | - | @stevie | - | - | 0 replications: Try it » |
| Catch Basins 101: How to clean a catch basin with one person in 68 minutes. | - | - | @dmunchak | - | - | 0 replications: Try it » |
| Photo Documentation of Turbid Waters for Advocacy | - | - | @gretchengehrke | - | - | 0 replications: Try it » |
| Stormwater Workshop Two Report: Community Mapping | - | - | @stevie | - | - | 0 replications: Try it » |
| How to visually document a site | - | - | @stevie | - | - | 1 replications: Try it » |
| Stormwater Workshop 3 Report: Designing a Stormwater Study | - | - | @stevie | - | - | 0 replications: Try it » |
| Testing - water depth from camera image | - | - | @chalmers | - | - | 0 replications: Try it » |
| Gathering rain data from weather underground | - | - | @stevie | - | - | 0 replications: Try it » |
| How to determine peak discharge from drainage basin runoff | - | - | @stevie | - | - | 0 replications: Try it » |
Add an activity or request an activity guide you don't see listed
Activities should include a materials list, costs and a step-by-step guide to construction with photos. Learn what makes a good activity here.
Frequently Asked Questions
| Title | Author | Updated | Likes |
|---|---|---|---|
| How do I join a volunteer Disaster Response Team for flooding? | @warren | over 1 year ago | 1 |
| Are there any exemptions under the NPDES? | @stevie | over 2 years ago | 0 |
| What types of NPDES permits are there? | @stevie | over 2 years ago | 0 |
| How is stormwater regulated? | @stevie | over 2 years ago | 0 |
| How does slope affect runoff calculations? | @stevie | over 2 years ago | 0 |
| Is there any way to figure out how much water can be absorbed by different ground covers? | @stevie | over 2 years ago | 0 |
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Lead image from Commons Wikimedia
