Ever since the birth of modern construction, impervious surfaces have been surrounding us in the form of roads, parking lots and rooftops. Rain and precipitation from these surfaces cannot be absorbed where it falls but rather increases in magnitude inundating natural bodies of water further downstream with unnaturally high flows. Many of these impermeable surfaces have accumulated contaminants such as oil, nitrogen, phosphorus, organic chemicals and heavy metals. Consequently, stormwater not only erodes river banks because of high flows but also pollutes these natural water bodies. It is important to find ways of dealing with stormwater in a way that does not do harm to the environment.
Because of the potential dangers brought about by excess precipitation, it is important that architects and building designers find ways to efficiently manage stormwater management systems. Stormwater systems or stormwater best management practices are control measures taken to alleviate the effects to both the quantity and quality of urban runoff caused by land surface changes.
Stormwater best management practices generally have a focal point on water quality problems brought about by changes made to the land. They are designed to reduce water volume, peak flows, and pollution through several structural and non-structural methods.
Best management practices provide protection to the structure, environment, and community in two ways; structural and non-structural. A structural stormwater system can be any physical fixed asset or method used to control the quality and the quantity of runoff water. Some examples of structural stormwater systems are drainage systems and water filtration devices.
Non-structural stormwater systems are more abstract. Examples of nonstructural stormwater systems range from activities such as land use planning and infrastructure maintenance to more site-specific activities. Site-specific nonstructural stormwater systems applicable to ultra-urban areas include, but are not limited to: materials management practices that can prevent either rainfall or stormwater from collecting and transporting water contaminants, road and storm drain maintenance practices such as street sweeping and catch basin cleaning, controls on illegal dumping, and landscaping practices that reduce or eliminate the use of fertilizers, pesticides and other hazardous chemicals.
Combining structural stormwater systems with non-structural stormwater systems strategically in a treatment train can significantly improve water management. However, if improperly located within the treatment train or not properly maintained the entire stormwater system could fail.

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