Stormwater Management

Stormwater management systems are an essential part of a project, and make our communities and properties more resilient against severe weather events.

Stormwater is a fact of life for people living in coastal communities, and the Lowcountry is no different. In a typical year, the Lowcountry receives an average of 48 inches of rainfall. That amounts to trillions of gallons of water that could cause damage to people and property. To mitigate this risk, municipalities have mandated that property owners construct stormwater management systems to accommodate water running off their sites. The size and type of the system varies depending on the site conditions, such as the percentage of the site that is covered in impervious surfaces. Impervious surfaces are things like the building footprint, asphalt paving, and concrete slabs. Generally, sites with high percentages of impervious surfaces require more robust storm water management systems.

stormwater management

Stormwater Management

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Typically, these systems use gravity to move water across the site. This is done by grading the site so that it slopes toward an inlet, or box. These boxes collect the water, and then it is moved through pipes to an onsite drainage pond. An onsite pond can either be a detention site, or a retention site.

A detention site is designed to temporarily store the water until it can be released into a public waterway. On the other hand, a retention site is designed to hold stormwater permanently. Sometimes it is not possible to accommodate a pond on a property, and in these cases underground detention sites can be used.

Underground detention sites utilize a series of high-density polyethylene chambers to detain the water until it can be released in the public waterway. These systems are designed to slowly release water in the waterway so that the waterway does not become inundated. These systems are ideal in situations where there are space constraints because they can be buried under parking areas.

Stormwater management systems are an essential part of a project, and make our communities and properties more resilient against severe weather events.

stormwater management

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