Stormwater Management
Stormwater is basically a way of describing an accumulation of rainwater. This rainwater is either absorbed into porous surfaces like grass, forests, farm fields and other areas of "open ground," or the rainwater collects on non-porous (or impervious) surfaces like streets, parking lots and rooftops.
It’s these impervious areas where rainwater collects that is the challenge for stormwater planners. In order to keep these impervious areas from flooding, streets, parking lots and buildings are often designed with underground pipes and basins that drain this stormwater. However stormwater managers are faced with three primary challenges:
- Drain stormwater quickly in order to prevent flooding, and
- Make sure that stormwater is clean of any contaminants picked up along the way, and
- Use that stormwater to recharge our groundwater so that drinking water supplies will be available.
In addition, these challenges must be accomplished taking into account existing infrastructure, working within limited space and using a limited budget as economically as possible.
Regulatory and Economic Resources
Lourdes M. Gomez
Stephen P. Clark Center
111 NW 1st Street,
11th Floor
Miami, FL 33128
305-375-2877 | [email protected]
Herbert S. Saffir Permitting and Inspection Center
11805 SW 26 Street,
Miami, FL 33175
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