Stormwater Retention vs Detention

11/07/25

“What is the difference between stormwater detention and retention?”

Many modern stormwater guides recommend that infrastructure operators and property owners use retention and detention to control runoff. Even though these two actions rhyme, they have very different functions. Stormwater retention permanently holds stormwater, typically through plants, while stormwater detention temporarily stores runoff with physical mechanisms. This is the difference between Stormwater Retention vs Detention. Runoff is typically preferred by infrastructure regulators since it keeps stormwater from flooding areas later.