As noted in previous posts, stormwater generates most of the water pollution observed in urban areas, and stormwater runoff results in water quality impairment in both urban and downstream surface water ecosystems. Interestingly, different water bodies exhibit different types and scale of pollutants, as shown below. Designing BMPs to address specific types of contaminants relative to the surface water body that is – or will be – impacted by redevelopment could be a step in the right direction toward successfully mitigating stormwater impacts on aquatic habitats and organisms, as well as our own drinking water.