Impervious surfaces

{
  "id": "MLC-T-ENV-013908",
  "term": "Impervious surfaces",
  "field": "Environment",
  "definition": "1. Surfaces such as paved streets, parking lots, and building rooftops that prevent precipitation from soaking into the ground. Different surfaces can have different degrees of imperviousness.\n\n2. Impervious surfaces are surfaces that allow little or no stormwater infiltration into the ground. Other than exposed natural rock outcroppings, impervious surfaces are completely human-created and are an unnatural part of most ecosystems. Impervious surfaces are the main contributor to excess stormwater runoff that would otherwise have been retained on site in natural forests or meadows. Everything that falls on an impervious surface (pollution, trash, animal waste, chemicals, oils, sediment, etc.) washes off of those surfaces during rain events, often on a direct path to local streams or water bodies. Examples of impervious surfaces: Streets, roofs, parking lots, most patios, walkways, or anything else that does not allow water to flow through and into the ground (asphalt, concrete, plastics).\n\n3. A hard surface area that either prevents or retards the entry of water into the soil mantle or causes water to run off the surface in greater quantities or at an increased rate of flow. Common impervious surfaces include rooftops, walkways, patios, driveways, parking lots, storage areas, concrete or asphalt paving, and gravel roads.",
  "subject": "Water",
  "references": [
    "Top Green Home Terms",
    "How's My Waterway Glossary",
    "Federal Land Management in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Glossary"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/environment/impervious-surfaces/"
}