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

When that happens, untreated stormwater and wastewater flow into nearby waterbodies. — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 25 June 2026

Those nutrients typically enter lakes through stormwater runoff. — Jeff Wagner, CBS News, 24 June 2026

There are hundreds of points in the sewer network where heavy rain pushes a mixture of stormwater and raw sewage directly into the water. — Daniel Bain, The Conversation, 22 June 2026

In 2022, Lake County was awarded a $122 million appropriation from the state agency, earmarked for regional stormwater initiatives to reduce flooding. — Greg Harutunian, Chicago Tribune, 20 June 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