Stormwater runoff is rainfall-derived water that can carry pollutants. BMPs are used to do what?

Stormwater runoff is rainfall-derived water that can carry pollutants. BMPs are used to do what?

• A. Increase pollutant loads
• B. Reduce pollutant loads
• C. Eliminate rainfall
• D. Treat at source only

Answer: (B)

Stormwater best management practices are used to lower the pollution carried by runoff. They work by shaping how rainfall becomes runoff, capturing pollutants, filtering or treating water, and slowing or holding it so pollutants can settle or degrade before reaching waterways. This reduces both the concentration and the total mass of pollutants—the pollutant loads—that reach streams, rivers, and oceans. Examples include street sweeping, vegetative swales, rain gardens, detention ponds, permeable pavements, and green roofs. The goal isn’t to eliminate rainfall or to increase pollution, and BMPs aren’t limited to treatment at the source only; they encompass a range of strategies that reduce pollutant loads throughout the runoff pathway.

Stormwater best management practices are used to lower the pollution carried by runoff. They work by shaping how rainfall becomes runoff, capturing pollutants, filtering or treating water, and slowing or holding it so pollutants can settle or degrade before reaching waterways. This reduces both the concentration and the total mass of pollutants—the pollutant loads—that reach streams, rivers, and oceans. Examples include street sweeping, vegetative swales, rain gardens, detention ponds, permeable pavements, and green roofs. The goal isn’t to eliminate rainfall or to increase pollution, and BMPs aren’t limited to treatment at the source only; they encompass a range of strategies that reduce pollutant loads throughout the runoff pathway.