How Can Stormwater Management Be Effectively Initiated?
A stormwater management plan should ideally be carried out within a given drainage area or watershed. The land uses and land condition within a given watershed will often manifest themselves in the condition of downstream channels, wetlands and water bodies. In the mid-to-upper reaches of most watersheds, it is usually desirable to detain water to ensure that post-development runoff rates do not exceed predevelopment rates. In lower reaches of watersheds, faster runoff rates should be encouraged to prevent the peak flows from upper and lower areas within the watershed from coinciding. Only a full hydrologic analysis of the watershed and downstream areas can tell the story.
