Rainwater is valuable resource if we manage it properly! When rainwater falls on natural/undeveloped areas, just the right amount evaporates or runs off the land and into our streams, and the rest is absorbed into the ground and filtered – ultimately replenishing aquifers and streams and rivers. In developed areas, impervious surfaces such as pavement and roofs prevent rain from naturally soaking into the ground. Instead, the water is concentrated and runs rapidly into storm drains, sewer systems, and drainage ditches causing toxins and pollution to flow into our watercourses, creating erosion, and overtaxing existing stormwater infrastructure built mostly to keep our lots and roads dry.
Rainwater management involves capturing, directing, and slowly releasing rainfall into natural waterways to control flooding, erosion and water quality. When all forms of human development including houses, subdivisions, roads, businesses, schools, and playgrounds do their part to manage rainwater, our region can avoid having to build extremely costly stormwater infrastructure such as pumping stations and lengthy piping systems to manage average amounts of rainfall. There will always be the need to manage large and extreme rainfall amounts.