Why Stormwater is not Treated
Many people wonder why stormwater goes untreated . Here ’ s why :
Simply , gutters ( curb inlets / catch basins ) are designed to prevent flooding . Their job is to remove water from the street as quickly as possible during a rainstorm or other precipitous event . The storm drain system they deposit into is designed to remove water from the streets and dispose of it quickly . The quickest way to dispose of thousands of gallons of water is to allow it to flow into rivers , lakes , or streams , immediately .
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In addition , because stormwater comes in large amounts at unpredictable times , treating it as wastewater would be very expensive and quite unmanageable . If the sanitary and storm sewer systems were combined , many treatment plants would not be able to handle the quantity and velocities of water that intense storms produce .
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