Why Stormwater Preventative Maintenance Is Important

Stormwater management is a critical component of area maintenance for any large building or commercial structure, but many managers and owners overlook it right up until uncontrolled stormwater creates serious problems.

Minimize water pollution

A key role of stormwater management is the minimization of water pollution from contaminated runoff, flooding, etc. If you don’t control how water flows through the area, then it’s very easy for soil contaminants, oils in parking lots, backflow from flooded sewers and drainage systems, etc. to get into waterways.

In urban environments, the risks of pollution due to unmanaged stormwater becomes even greater, with runoff continuing far longer along concrete and asphalt than it would across soil, plants, etc.

Prevent sewer system overflow

Sewer systems in any urban area can be overwhelmed with the right combination of factors, which can create massive issues for the area when the waters recede. The contents of storm sewers aren’t generally something you want contaminating the local area, much less city sewer lines that leak or are damaged by flooding. By controlling stormwater before it hits public drainage and sewer systems, you greatly minimize the risk of an overflow in your area.

Avoid flooding

Flooding can be catastrophic for any building, so it behooves savvy owners to take what steps they can to avoid it. Proper management of stormwater can greatly minimize the risk of flooding near you, though no system can completely erase the possibility of a storm-of-the-century-level flood overwhelming it. Flooding doesn’t just occur because enough water arrived, in most cases; it happens because the water didn’t leave quickly enough. Stormwater management can make sure that in most cases, water doesn’t accumulate fast enough to become a serious problem.

Mitigate soil erosion

Even in areas where flooding is unlikely due to the slope of the land or other factors, allowing large volumes of water to flow unchecked can lead to expensive damage to soil, and anything sitting on that soil, due to the power of erosion. The best-built structure in the world can’t remain standing when the soil beneath it rinsed away by years of unchecked water flow. And in cases where the surface appears fine but erosion occurs beneath it, you face the very serious risk of seemingly spontaneous sinkholes appearing.

Although most cases of soil erosion aren’t as dramatic as a parking lot sinkhole consuming customers’ cars, even minor erosion events can create pricy damages your business could be on the hook for, ugly blemishes that lower the value of your property, and direct damage to your belongings.

Adhere to regulatory standards

Federal and regional authorities are increasingly concerned with the different factors we’ve mentioned here. Soil erosion, pollution of land and water supplies, damage to local sewer systems, and flooding can all occur at increased frequency due to poor planning in the development of land. To mitigate these risks, mandated stormwater management is becoming more common, and regulations of this nature will likely grow in number in the years ahead.

Companies that get ahead of these regulations and set up stormwater management on their own schedule will be in a much better position should best practices become legal mandates in the future.

Parting Thoughts

Stormwater management isn’t just good for the area around your property, it’s good for your property and your bottom line in the long run. Without stormwater management, you leave everything to chance — and that’s a gamble that’s eventually going to cost you big.

Consider adopting a stormwater management service like iSTORMWATER while you still have time to make that decision!