Also, vegetative cover helps limit runoff, so work towards eliminating hard surface areas. Since up to the first 2 inches of storm runoff must be collected reservoir capacity should be designed on the basis of predict-able storm events. Most designs also allow for enough freeboard to handle unpredictable storm events. Although large volumes of water can be lost through evaporation, the quality of water and sediment left behind is extremely poor, creating even more challenging disposal problem. Land use is one means of disposing of this effluent.
Many operations irrigate tracks of land with irrigation runoff.
However, secondary runoff must be avoided. Overhead irrigation is the most feasible system for this application. Constructed wetlands are now being evaluated for their ability to clean up runoff. There is still a great deal of work to be done in this area but it looks promising. Runoff can be discharged into municipal treatment systems.