Environmental, Health and Safety Consulting

We all know water is important for our everyday living but how storm water is managed once it falls from the sky is crucial to protecting ourselves from flooding and maintaining a healthy, sustainable environment. Per the Iowa State University Department of Agronomy discussion on soil erosion, in general, “raindrops range in size from one to seven millimeters in diameter and hit the ground going as fast as 20 miles per hour. The impact of millions of raindrops hitting the bare soil surface can be incredible, dislodging soil particles and splashing them three to five feet away. A heavy rainstorm may splash as much as 90 tons of soil per acre.” This is a statement made in the course of discussing how to protect crops from rain events. Croplands, like urbanized areas, have been altered. Where energy dissipation was once provided by tree canopies, root systems, grasses and the natural rolling topographical features of the land it does not occur when those natural features have been mechanically altered or paved over. Whether we clear and plow or clear and build these changes directly impact how storm water gathers and moves across the surface of the ground when searching out its level. Pollutants carried in storm water can include trash and debris, sediment, nutrients, oil and other hazardous substances. Large volumes of storm water carrying these pollutants and moving unimpeded across the landscape can cause stream bank scouring and collapse, flooding and loss of habitat for wildlife (and people). It can also affect our ability to store and treat water for our own purposes, such as drinking.