According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) stormwater is "rainwater and melted snow that runs off streets, lawns, and other sites".
[1] Urbanized areas with high concentrations of impervious surfaces like buildings, roads, and driveways produce large volumes of runoff which can lead to flooding, sewer overflows, and poor water quality.
Since the passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972, the EPA has monitored and regulated stormwater issues in urban areas.
Municipalities across the United States are now required to upgrade sanitary and stormwater systems to meet EPA mandates.
At the scale of a neighborhood or site, green infrastructure refers to stormwater management systems that mimic nature by soaking up and storing water".
According to the EPA, onsite stormwater green solutions or low-impact developments (LIDs) can significantly reduce runoff and costly stormwater/sewer infrastructure upgrades.
By capturing stormwater runoff onsite in rain barrels and cisterns, the consumption of potable water for irrigation and its corresponding energy impact can be reduced.