Stormwater is water from rainfall or melting snow/ice that falls on either an impervious surface (ex. parking lots, concrete sidewalks, asphalt roadways, rooftops, etc.) or saturated soil. As Stormwater travels to manmade infrastructure (ex. catch basins, storm drain pipes, etc.) or overland to the nearest body of water, it often collects debris, pesticides, sediment or chemicals that are common to a developed area, but are detrimental to the environment.

As a developed urban area, the City of Gaithersburg is no exception to these impacts. In addition to pollution, excess Stormwater can result in stream erosion or even flooding. Mitigating these effects may include methods such as, minimizing impervious area installation, installing best management practices (BMPs), restoring natural landscapes or forests or harvesting Stormwater.