stormwater

noun

storm·​wa·​ter ˈstȯrm-ˌwȯ-tər 

-ˌwä-

: rainwater produced by a storm

a stormwater management system

As stormwater runs over lawns, streets and other man-made surfaces, it picks up pollutants—phosphorous and nitrogen from fertilizers, bacteria from pet waste and road salt, to name a few—and carries them into local streams and lakes.

—Delen Goldberg

This rainfall "of biblical proportions," as the local newspaper described it, swamped the city in waist-high stormwater.

—Christopher Cooper and Robert Block

Examples of stormwater in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The original 150-year-old sewer system was severely overwhelmed, having been designed to serve a maximum of four million people but required to handle over double that, resulting in human waste and stormwater runoff being regularly dumped in the Thames, a major river in the area. —Adam Williams, New Atlas, 21 Feb. 2025

Living fences reduce soil erosion and stormwater runoff, while softening your house more than wood or steel fences. —Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Feb. 2025

For example a key assumption of the city’s plan anticipates future major capital improvements to maintain and expand water, sewer, and stormwater systems, including treatment facilities, wells, pipe oversizing, and water tower. —Graham P. Johnson, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2025

The order called for the installation of barriers, debris removal and the diversion of runoff from the city's stormwater system to its sewer system, where the water can be treated. —Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 27 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1848, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for stormwater

• backwater
• bathwater
• blackwater
• breakwater
• deepwater
• edgewater
• feedwater
• floodwater
• freshwater
• granddaughter
• groundwater
• headwater