STORM

DRAINAGE
Defining Storm - a violent disturbance of the atmosphere with
strong winds and usually heavy rain, thunder,

Storm lightning, or snow.

Drainage/Drainage System - the pattern formed by

Drainage the streams, rivers, and lakes that usually leads to a

particular drainage basin.
 By combining the two keywords of both Storm and Drainage
we can simply put it as:

A natural and/or artificial pattern that is designed

to drain excess rain and ground water.

A storm drain is a system

designed to carry rainfall runoff and
other drainage. The runoff is carried in
underground pipes or open ditches and
discharges (untreated) into streams or
other surface water bodies.
Storm Storm Drain/Sewer is a system designed to carry
rainfall runoff and other drainage. It is not designed to

Drain carry sewage or accept hazardous wastes. The runoff is

carried in underground pipes or open ditches and
discharges untreated into local streams, rivers and
other surface water bodies.

Vs.
Sanitary Sewer is a system of underground pipes that

Sanitary carries sewage from bathrooms, sinks, kitchens, and

other plumbing components to a wastewater

Sewer treatment plant where it is filtered, treated and

discharged.
 Storm Sanitary
Drain Drain
Rain water Human waste

Dishwater

Laundry
water

Reasonable
garbage
disposal
waste

Bath water
 Difference Between Sanitary and
Storm Drainage Systems
Absence of volatile gases
No traps required
No venting required
Point of disposal varies
How does a Storm Drain work?
Three Main Inlet where the water (rainfall), enters. First part of
the system.

Parts of a
Storm Piping where the water from the Inlet travels from

Drain the source of the water to the discharge point.

System
Outlet (discharge point) where the excess water is
discharged.
 Storm Drainage Discharge Points
Municipal storm sewer
system
Mainly for pathways
(streets, roads, etc.)
Stream, river, lake, ocean
or other suitable point
Catch basin
Dry wells (for small storm
drains only)
Environmental Impacts
Water quantity
Storm drains are often unable to manage the quantity of rain that falls during heavy rains and/or storms. When storm
drains are inundated, basement and street flooding can occur. Unlike catastrophic flooding events, this type of urban
flooding occurs in built-up areas where man-made drainage systems are prevalent. Urban flooding is the primary
cause of sewer backups and basement flooding which can affect properties year after year.
Water quality
The first flush from urban runoff can be extremely dirty. Storm water may become contaminated while running down
the road or other impervious surface, or from lawn chemical run-off, before entering the drain. Separation of
undesired runoff can be achieved by installing devices within the storm sewer system. These devices are relatively new
and can only be installed with new development or during major upgrades. They are referred to as oil-grit
separators (OGS) or oil-sediment separators (OSS). They consist of a specialized manhole chamber, and use the
water flow and/or gravity to separate oil and grit.
Environmental Impacts
Reducing stormwater flows
In many areas, detention tanks are required to be installed inside a property and are used to temporarily hold
rainwater runoff during heavy rains and restrict the outlet flow to the public sewer. This lessens the risk of the public
sewer being overburdened during heavy rain. An overflow outlet may also be utilized which connects higher on the
outlet side of the detention tank. This overflow would prevent the detention tank from completely filling up. By
restricting the flow of water in this way and temporarily holding the water in a detention tank public sewers are far
less likely to become surcharged.
Mosquito breeding
Catch basins are commonly designed with a sump area below the outlet pipe level which is a reservoir for water and
debris to help prevent the pipe from clogging. Unless they are constructed with permeable bottoms to allow water to
infiltrate into the underlying soil, this subterranean basin can become a perfect mosquito breeding area because it is
cool, dark, and retains stagnant water for long periods of time. Combined with standard grates which have holes large
enough for mosquitoes to enter and leave the basin, this is a major problem in mosquito control.
Purpose of Collect storm water from the roof and move it to a
point of disposal away from the foundation
Storm water Collect storm water from the site and move it to an
Systems approved point of disposal