Stormwater pits are a crucial component of modern city infrastructure, but how important are they? If you’re an average citizen who pays your water bill and goes about your business, you might think that stormwater pits are essentially invisible. But the truth is that concrete stormwater pits represent one of the most important pillars in modern city management and maintenance. To prove this to you, here are 8 reasons why they are essential.
1) Keeping Clean and Safe
There are several reasons why it’s important to keep stormwater pits clean. An unclean pit is more likely to leak into your yard or flood nearby roadways if water levels rise too high. However, there’s also a reason to keep your pit clean for aesthetic purposes: so that you can enjoy it.
When you have a concrete stormwater pit installed on your property, you can treat it as an attractive pond (depending on where it’s located) rather than just a hole in the ground that serves a functional purpose. If you use aquatic plants or install lights underwater for maximum effect, many people find their stormwater pits become focal points for enjoying nature and entertaining guests—no matter what city or neighborhood they live in.
2) Avoiding Environmental Damage
Did you know that stormwater runoff is one of America’s top sources of water pollution? If left untreated, stormwater collects oil, grease, pesticides and other contaminants from roads and parking lots before it travels into our lakes, rivers and oceans. To protect our natural resources, we need to mitigate stormwater pollution by designing stormwater management systems to collect runoff at its source.
These systems can include concrete drainage inlets or steel pre-cast inlets depending on your site’s specifications. Steel inlets offer more flexibility because they can be integrated into curbs and concrete pads making them a popular choice for public streets and parking lots.
3) Saving Money on Contaminated Water
Although water is considered essential to life, it can also become polluted. Polluted water can make you sick, leaving you or a loved one in bed for days on end. You need your clean water to drink and use in daily life; something as simple as washing dishes or taking a shower could become impossible if your stormwater pits are contaminated.
To save money while keeping you and your family safe from contamination, keep concrete stormwater pits on hand at all times. By following these steps, you’ll be able to protect yourself and everyone else living in your home.
4) Providing Safety from Falling Objects
When you have a concrete stormwater pit, you never have to worry about falling objects. The ponds keep them out of sight, keeping your home and yard protected from any potential damages. They also ensure that your items stay clean during rainstorms; when water doesn’t pool in unwanted areas, it won’t cause damage as quickly. This is a convenient way to protect both your home and its contents while reducing your risk of sustaining property damage from water.
5) Preventing Debris From Flowing Into the Drainage System
The least expensive and easiest way to keep debris from flowing into storm drains is to encourage good behavior by installing rain gardens and bioswales along streets. These types of landscaping provide natural ways for water to infiltrate into the soil. They also serve as aesthetic features that demonstrate to drivers that water does not go into storm drains during a rainstorm.
However, during high-flow events, there may be too much flow for bioswales and rain gardens to handle alone. This is where concrete stormwater management systems come in handy: they collect sedimentation or excess flow in large storage tanks, where it can be properly treated before going into local waterways.
6) Easier Maintenance
Concrete ponds have a smooth finish, which prevents algae growth and makes cleaning easier. Additionally, because concrete is a non-porous material, it requires little maintenance over time; therefore you won’t have to worry about painting or sealing your stormwater pit. Once installed, concrete can last for decades with very little care. This means that you will likely only need to clean and empty it from time to time, allowing you to go on with your life without worrying about repairs or other costly expenses.
7) Avoid Costly Repairs
One way to keep stormwater from damaging your property is by implementing a stormwater management system. This includes installing retention ponds or other types of catchment facilities that can hold and control water runoff before it reaches streets, homes, and businesses. Because these kinds of systems can cost thousands of dollars to install, many commercial properties opt for concrete stormwater pits instead—which can also be very effective when combined with other methods.
These kinds of facilities work to manage runoff by capturing it within a lined pit filled with gravel; there’s an opening on one side so water enters via gravity before flowing into a pipe that leads to an outlet in another area.
8) Protecting The Environment
Rainfall can be a great thing. And certainly, most of us wouldn’t want to live in a world without it. However, rain means more than just an opportunity to catch some fresh air or grow healthy plants and vegetables—it also creates stormwater runoff that picks up everything along its path before emptying into lakes, rivers and other bodies of water.
As such, it makes sense that you should do what you can to ensure your property’s stormwater runoff flows smoothly down your gutters and into ponds with floating covers that collect oil and chemicals as well as heavy metals like lead and mercury for proper disposal.
Conclusion
It’s obvious that concrete stormwater pits have their uses. They can be aesthetically pleasing and add value to your property. As you research your options for these structures, keep in mind that it may be worth it to consider alternatives to simply dumping water on a lawn or concrete slab. With so many installation options and designs, there are plenty of ways you can keep your landscape looking great without watering it into oblivion or spending a fortune on other water-saving devices.