With less vegetation and more impervious surfaces ( parking lots, roads, buildings, compacted soil), developed areas allow less rain to infiltrate into the ground, and more runoff is generated than in undeveloped conditions. Stormwater carrying street bound pollutants to a storm drain for coastal discharge. Stormwater harvesting techniques and purification could potentially make some urban environments self-sustaining in terms of water. Stormwater is also an important resource as human population and demand for water grow, particularly in arid and drought-prone climates. In addition to the pollutants carried in stormwater runoff, urban runoff is being recognized as a cause of pollution in its own right In developed environments, such as cities, unmanaged stormwater can create two major issues: one related to the volume and timing of runoff ( flooding) and the other related to potential contaminants the water is carrying ( water pollution). Plants also reduce stormwater by improving infiltration, intercepting precipitation as it falls, and by taking up water through their roots. In natural landscapes, such as forests, soil absorbs much of the stormwater. Most runoff is conveyed directly as surface water to nearby streams, rivers or other large water bodies ( wetlands, lakes and oceans) without treatment. Stormwater can soak into the soil ( infiltrate) and become groundwater, be stored on depressed land surface in ponds and puddles, evaporate back into the atmosphere, or contribute to surface runoff. Stormwater, also written storm water, is water that originates from precipitation ( storm), including heavy rain and meltwater from hail and snow.
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