Non-technical Results
Traditional Subdivision (Post-construction)
Construction | Post-construction
What happened in the Traditional subdivision after construction?
After all of the road surfaces, driveways and houses
were installed, dramatic changes were found in stormwater runoff
from the Traditional subdivision. The stormwater volume per
unit area running off the site after construction increased
by 1550%! Imagine
that the runoff before construction is the small cylinder below
(left). As a result of construction, the stormwater running
off the site increased to the size of the large cylinder!
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Traditional runoff
pre-construction |
Traditional runoff post-construction:
A 1550% increase! |
As a result of these large increases in stormwater running off the
site, the amount of certain key pollutants that entered local waterways
also increased. These pollutants, such as phosphorus, metals, and
sediment, harm aquatic life and create nuisance algae blooms in local
waterways.
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