Retention ponds why do we need them? My sub-division has two. Can’t the water just get drained to the river?
In: Engineering
Another point to add on to the other correct answers:
Why does your subdivision have *two* retention ponds?
It’s probably newer.
When cities expand outwards (generally in suburban sprawl) it usually goes further away from the river. You build the stormwater drain for your new subdivision and drain it where? *To the previous subdivision*
This means that as you keep expanding outwards, the existing stormwater pipes keep getting more and more drainage area added to them, and these usually end at the oldest parts of the system which may not have been designed to handle so much water.
So as subdivisions get further and further out, they need to start dedicating more and more land for retention, since it’s constantly adding water to an increasingly overloaded system. Usually the retention is cheaper than replacing the entire downstream drainage pipe with a bigger one.
Latest Answers