This year’s topic - Rethink Runoff: Design clean solutions to manage stormwater pollution Students will research and write an essay (maximum 1,000 words) in which they design a way to manage stormwater runoff in their future cities.
What happens when rain falls in cities? Hard surfaces—like roofs, sidewalks, and parking lots—prevent rain from soaking into the ground. Instead, rainwater turns into runoff. It flows quickly over surfaces, which can lead to flooding. As it moves, runoff carries pollutants into storm drains which empty directly into the waterways we use for swimming, fishing, and drinking water. In a matter of minutes, rain becomes stormwater runoff—a serious source of water pollution. Since a clean water supply is important to every city, it’s time to rethink runoff. Instead of a nuisance to channel away, runoff can be a valuable resource. Engineers are designing new ways to manage stormwater that make city landscapes act more like natural landscapes. These help reduce runoff, increase the amount of water that soaks into the ground, and improve water quality. Whether your future city receives lots of precipitation or a little, you’ll need to think creatively about managing stormwater. Your challenge: Identify a stormwater runoff problem that is important for your city to manage and design a solution.
Did You Know?*
Runoff is a natural part of the water cycle.
Stormwater comes from all forms of precipitation—rain, snow, sleet or ice melt—and is water flowing over the land plus anything that comes with it.
Contaminated stormwater runoff is a major source of water pollution in the US.
One quart of used motor oil can pollute up to 250,000 gallons of water.
Managing stormwater is nothing new. If you lived in ancient Rome or Greece, you’d cross roadways that slanted towards ditches to direct stormwater off streets. Later, people began funneling stormwater into underground pipes. Today, engineers are designing new methods like rain gardens, swales, and bioretention ponds.
Want to know more? Start your research!
Use the sites below to help you with your storm water issues and solutions research... (Slow it down, Spread it out, Sink it back in!)
Click on “Videos” to search for short videos describing different best management practices (BMPs), such as wet ponds, swales, rain barrels, bioretention islands, and porous pavement.
Describes through cartoon animation what happens when rain falls on an urban landscape.
Books
· Renewing Earth's Waters by Christine Petersen (Marshall Cavendish Benchmark, 2011) Describes the Clean Water Act and its treatment of stormwater pollution, human impact on water, and solutions for managing the future.