The need for stormwater management increases as communities grow. Stormwater has been overwhelming city drainage systems, nearby rivers and streams and causing a lot of soil erosion. We can save a lot of money by handling stormwater. Creating of basins is a suitable method of diverting stormwater.
Retention and detention ponds
The main difference between the two is the absence or the presence of a permanent pond or pool of water. The level of water is typically managed by a low flow orifice. A detention pond, also known as a dry pond does not have a permanent water pool. It usually remains dry because all the water runs out during storms.
On the other hand, a retention basin has an orifice at a higher point. This means that it retains water and has a permanent pool of water. Both retention and detention ponds can be integrated with stormwater management software to control stormwater.
The importance of retention and detention ponds
These basins play an important role as they store and slow down stormwater runoff from towns and other nearby areas. In most cases, they are used to store stormwater from concrete floored places. This is because stormwater flows faster on concrete surfaces than naturally occurring areas with grass, trees and bare soil. The basins are used to control the water to flow at a desired rate. This limits the amount of treating and cleaning the water.
Retention and detention ponds have been widely used for stormwater management to prevent fast stormwater runoff that leads to soil erosion and pollution. Detention basins or dry basins are used to control flood flow while retention ponds are used to provide various water quality benefits as it reduces sediments and pollutants. Both detention and retention ponds are cheap methods of managing stormwater and most cities are adopting these methods.
