Conquering the Stormwater Management Challenge
One of the problems with large storms that’s not talked enough about is stormwater management. More than 80% of the U.S. population lives in a community covered by a stormwater system, but when these systems become overwhelmed, the resulting polluted floodwaters can compromise the local water supply and make people sick.
Current Issues with Stormwater Management
The crux of the problem is that stormwater systems are often old, so they tend to be outdated and may not be equipped to handle the increased amount of stormwater that comes with the increased frequency and severity of storms, not to mention population growth.
According to the NMSA State of Stormwater Report, there are multiple challenges with stormwater management:
- Lack of investment funds available at the municipal level to maintain these systems
- Outdated technologies and software systems
- Urbanization that has pushed some systems beyond their intended capacity
- Global warming, which is gradually increasing storm activity over time
These challenges in turn create offshoot challenges for utility emergency preparedness efforts, including but not limited to:
- Polluted drinking water that must be restored by local water utilities
- Flooding across roadways and properties that slow electric and gas utility restoration progress
- Displacement of residents which can clog roadways, further hindering restoration efforts
- Compromised health and safety of crews
As you can see, stormwater problems impact everybody – residents, businesses, local municipalities, and utilities. Unfortunately, there is no line of sight to a viable solution, especially considering that there are over 7,500 community stormwater systems across the U.S. Therefore, utilities in all sectors should create plans to mitigate the impact of overwhelmed stormwater systems, and should include scenarios involving this into exercises and drills.
