Stormwater includes melted snow and rainwater running from the house, lawns, streets, and other places into the drainage system. The problem with stormwater is they tend to get blocked in the drainage system due to the presence of pollutants and trash. In the forested areas, there is no need for stormwater treatment because of natural hydrology and water balance. The rainwater evaporates, transpires from plant growth, or infiltrates through the soil. But, that’s not the case in urban areas. Due to the lack of enough trees and soil, stormwater treatment systems become essential.

How to treat stormwater

There is a lack of natural hydrology in the urban areas. The impervious surfaces make it hard for stormwater to get absorbed naturally. So, experts have come up with alternative systems to treat that water:

Primary treatment: Among all the stages involved in stormwater treatment, this one is the most vital of them all. It involves the stormwater flowing into the local drainage system. But, since the drains already contain enough pollutants like grime, sludge, and trash, it becomes difficult for the water to flow quickly. The professionals who provide stormwater treatment will first remove the trash from the drains to make sure the water flow is not blocked.

Secondary treatment: The stormwater flows into a treatment device where all the sediments, fine particles, and other pollutants are removed. This is a lengthy procedure and includes the working of several filters to make sure that the water is free from pollutants.

Tertiary treatment

In this stage, the water is checked to confirm if it is safe to use for domestic purposes or not. Even after thorough cleaning the secondary treatment, stormwater often contains fine colloidal particles, heavy metals, and dissolved nutrients. Companies involved in stormwater treatment systems make sure that the water doesn’t contain any harmful particles that may cause health problems to the users. They use stormwater filters and treatment wetlands to separate the nutrients and other pollutants.

Once this process is over, the water is returned to the environment. It is used to water crops and for various domestic purposes like water for the toilet, washing dishes and clothes, and so on.

The objective of companies offering stormwater treatment is to evapotranspire, capture, infiltrate, and reuse stormwater so that they can restore natural hydrologies. The strategies these companies implement to treat stormwater improves its water quality and reduces runoff volumes. Stormwater treatment is essential is countries that experience heavy rainfall. If the water runs into sewer systems, storm drains, and drainage ditches, they will cause:

• Streambank erosion

• Downstream flooding

• Habitat destruction

• Infrastructure damage

• Increased turbidity including muddiness caused by sediments from erosion

• Contaminated coastal water, rivers, and streams

• Combined sanitary and storm sewer system overflow

So, it is always wise to have the contact details of a stormwater company handy. They can look into the capacity of water that flows into the drains and come up with a strategy to reuse it without disturbing its quality.