Stormwater Infiltration and Impacts on Groundwater

Infiltrating treated stormwater into an upper aquifer can help control stormwater-induced flooding; it also recharges the aquifer and doesn’t contribute to downstream erosion or flooding. Herrera suggested using deep infiltration wells for discharge of treated stormwater as a potential way to reduce flooding issues in the City of Edgewood. However, because of the pollutants associated with stormwater, there are concerns about the potential for groundwater contamination if stormwater is discharged directly to an aquifer rather than percolated through soils, thereby bypassing some of the natural filtration and attenuation provided by the soil. Herrera wrote an issue paper summarizing pertinent literature and describing regional experience with use of infiltration wells for stormwater control and is preparing a plan for conducting a feasibility assessment and pilot project to test the methodology.