Generally speaking, the adage "out of sight, out of mind" may apply to stormwater issues. Even recent surveys confirm that most people are not aware of where stormwater goes, how it is treated, or its general impacts on human society and the natural world. For survey data, see: The Smart Water Ways survey summary or The RAN survey results from our own independent inquiry.
While it is important to keep in mind that stormwater eventually may enter our streams, rivers, lakes, and oceans, there is much we can do to manage stormwater and minimize its impacts.
In the next section, we consider some of the management practices that can help reduce the impacts of stormwater runoff.