The Costs of Not Maintaining a Stormwater Facility

Are you responsible for maintaining your property’s stormwater facility? You may be concerned about the costs of preventative maintenance, but rest assured that keeping it flowing smoothly is a cost-effective investment. The real costs lie in not maintaining the facility. Consider the dangers of letting a stormwater facility go unmaintained for too long.

Unnecessary Repairs

Skipping maintenance or neglecting established best practices could cause your stormwater facility to fall into disrepair. For instance:

• Dumping leaves, grass clippings, soil, or trash into a storm inlet can clog the facility’s components.
• Leaving pet waste in the grassy area near a facility can allow disease-causing, oxygen-consuming bacteria to enter the system.
• Over-fertilizing lawns can lead to chemical runoff, which shortens the life span of storm drain components.
• Leaving bare areas unstabilized can lead to soil erosion that quickly clogs a stormwater facility.
• Disposing of paint, motor oil, antifreeze, grease, or other hazardous materials greatly increases maintenance costs. It also kills aquatic vegetation and plant life, making it a criminal offense with steep fines.

You may save a little money today by neglecting your stormwater facility. However, this decision will cost you in the long run by increasing the costs and frequency of unnecessary repairs. The longer you wait to address a developing problem, the more it will cost to fix.

Higher Risk of Flooding & Erosion

In urban settings, rainwater flows across hard surfaces and directly into storm drains. This is different from natural environments, where rain soaks gradually into the earth. Urban runoff can cause flooding, erosion, and infrastructure damage. In fact, one primary purpose of stormwater facilities is to prevent such problems.

If your storm drains become clogged, they can’t work as intended, putting your property at risk of costly water damage during torrential rainfall. In this way, stormwater facility maintenance acts as a form of flood insurance.

Increased Water Pollution

It is a common misconception that storm drains lead to a water treatment plant. In reality, they flow directly into streams, rivers, lakes, and wetlands. Failure to maintain your stormwater facility can increase the amount of debris, chemicals, bacteria, sediment, and other pollutants in these natural bodies of water. This may not directly impact your finances, but it carries a high environmental cost.

Storm & Sanitary Sewer System Overflow

Several types of stormwater facilities are designed to hold excess rainwater, and careful capacity calculations are required to avoid overflow. The same is true for sanitary sewer systems. Stormwater runoff may not pass through treatment plants, but the sewer system itself could overflow if stormwater management systems aren’t implemented and maintained correctly. It’s not difficult to imagine the costs associated with cleaning up an overflowed sewer system, which you can avoid with routine stormwater facility maintenance.

Noncompliance with Environmental Regulations

Federal, state, and local water quality regulations are becoming increasingly stringent these days. You may receive a notice of violation for improper site preparation, failure to adjust to changing water runoff patterns, and neglected maintenance. You must make stormwater management a priority to avoid fines and penalties associated with regulatory noncompliance.

Choose iSTORMWATER for Stormwater Facility Maintenance

A neglected stormwater facility can become a constant financial drain. On the other hand, taking proper care of it should result in reliable performance and minimal maintenance costs over the years.

iSTORMWATER provides the cost-effective services you seek. We tackle stormwater facility maintenance, so you don’t have to! We have over 20 years of industry experience and back everything we do with our iSTORMWATER guarantee. Whether you’re hoping to keep your well-maintained facility in optimal shape or you need help resolving compliance issues, we’re here for you.

Please call iSTORMWATER at (443) 699-2828 or contact us online to schedule stormwater facility maintenance in MD, DC, or VA.