Stormwater — An Alternative Water Supply

Stormwater which is resident in surface water sources immediately after a rain event can be used to supplement water supplies. Within this paper, advocated is the use of detained stormwater in storage for a temporary period of time and used as a source for non potable uses. This can be done from storage areas such as stormwater ponds, underground vaults, and cisterns. The benefits are numerous, but perhaps for most situations, the greatest are lower cost for irrigation as stormwater replaces potable waters and a reduction in mass loadings to waters of the Nation, thus helping to meet TMDL standards. It is also an option for urban areas where stormwater management is sometimes not practical or even attainable with present technologies. Best Management Practices (BMPs) are discussed as they relate to stormwater use. Also, treatment trains of BMPs are encouraged to help design for higher levels of mass removal.