WHAT ARE STORM WATER MANAGEMENT STRUCTURES?
Storm water management structures are structures designed to collect and control runoff from precipitation that falls on the land. Many of these structures are ponds like the one pictured above. Other types of storm water management structures include underground storage structures, usually located under parking lots in commercial areas, and curbside inlets that remove oil and grit from storm water runoff. There are approximately 2,500 storm water management structures located throughout Howard County. WHY DO WE NEED TO MANAGE STORM WATER? We need to manage storm water because development removes wooded and grassed areas and replaces them with roads, homes and businesses. Storm water is not able to percolate into these impervious structures and cannot flow naturally into the nearby rivers and streams. Instead, development increases the flow and force of stormwater thus resulting in increased and unnatural flows into our stream banks. This can lead to erosion, damaged wildlife habitats,
