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 largest portion of the grant, over $10 million, will fund drainage improvements to existing stormwater collection and conveyance in Buenaventura Lakes. —Natalia Jaramillo, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 Mar. 2026

Rylan Yowell, a managing director with Provident, told the Star-Telegram the residential development would have on-site stormwater detention infrastructure to lessen the potential for downstream flooding. —Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Mar. 2026

Its decades-long monitoring in the bay documented seagrass loss that helped restart flagging efforts to stop pollution flowing from stormwater and leaky septic tanks in 2019. —Jenny Staletovich, Miami Herald, 10 Mar. 2026

Those who live in low-lying areas, or who have experienced stormwater flooding in the past, should remove any items of value from their basements out of an abundance of caution, GWLA said. —Paula Wethington, CBS News, 10 Mar. 2026

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