The purpose and focus of this study is to identify and promote stormwater management technologies and practices that may be implemented locally to protect and conserve water resources through mitigation of detrimental impacts caused by land disturbances and modifications associated with land development. Naturally vegetated or undisturbed ecosystems produce little to no runoff from the vast majority of precipitation events. While runoff is part of the natural hydrologic cycle, man-made hydrologic modifications that accompany development have increased the volume of stormwater runoff significantly. Stormwater discharges have emerged as a national problem because both the flow of water and water quality is altered as the land is urbanized or developed. Stormwater has been identified as a leading source of pollution for all waterbody types in the United States.
