Brightstorm collaborates with public agencies, researchers, and industry leaders to design, test, and implement innovative stormwater management technologies. By advancing programs, policies, and public-private collaborations, we make infrastructure smarter and more adaptive.
And because impact grows through sharing, Brightstorm provides its findings and tools openly and free – empowering others to adopt, adapt, and scale digital water solutions.
Brightstorm, a program of The Nature Conservancy, helps communities tackle stormwater challenges through scientific research and real-world pilot projects.
Stormwater Infrastructure Wasn’t Built for Today’s Challenges
What’s happening
Stormwater runoff is a leading source of water pollution in the United States. While you can’t see it happening, every rainstorm carries pollutants via pipes, drains, and other outdated stormwater infrastructure, directly into your rivers, lakes, and coastal waters – threatening everything that depends on clean water.
Pollution flows untreated into waterways. Flooding increases. Ecosystems decline. And the problem gets worse every year.
Because nearly 90% of urban and suburban land is privately owned, stormwater runoff largely flows across areas the public sector can’t easily reach – limiting the impact of public investments and leaving major opportunities for improvement untapped.
We can do better
Clean water is fundamental. Communities and ecosystems shouldn’t suffer because infrastructure can’t keep pace with change. People shouldn’t face preventable flooding. Decision-makers shouldn’t lack the tools, information, and resources needed to protect public health and nature.
The good news?
The technology to upgrade aging stormwater systems exists, and today’s digital tools can help us understand where the water flows and how it affects the places we care about and depend on. Communities don’t have to face stormwater challenges alone.
We drive solutions for the hardest problems
For years, communities, governments, and landowners have struggled with the same question: How do we improve stormwater management with limited budgets, outdated infrastructure, and increasingly extreme weather?
That’s why The Nature Conservancy created Brightstorm.
Brightstorm brings together 75 years of conservation expertise with cutting-edge engineering, technology, and planning tools to install and validate smarter approaches to stormwater management – approaches that work for both nature and communities.
Driven by a lifelong passion for protecting water, our team applies decades of experience across public, private, and nonprofit sectors to deliver vital solutions for communities and ecosystems.
Who we are »
The Plan in Action:
Indian River Lagoon, Florida
Together with local experts, we’re testing smarter stormwater planning tools and infrastructure upgrades in one of America’s most biodiverse estuaries. The Indian River Lagoon pilot will provide data and insights that can help communities across the country make better decisions about their stormwater management.
- 156-mile lagoon ecosystem under threat from stormwater pollution
- Testing infrastructure that adapts in real-time to weather and climate
- Learnings designed to be applied to other locations nationwide
See the Living Lab in Action »
Collaborating for Greater Impact
Brightstorm brings together technologists, public-sector leaders, stormwater practitioners, and communities to reimagine stormwater management.
We support utilities, municipalities, public agency leaders, and the water resource professionals that support them, with open-source adaptive planning tools that incorporate real-time data to manage infrastructure more cost-effectively.
We foster private landowner participation – critical when 90% of U.S. urban and suburban land is privately owned – to unlock overlooked projects and build healthier ecosystems.
We work with technology providers and academics to make their breakthrough innovations work where they matter most. With smart sensors, AI, and adaptive control systems, we help the public sector build more responsive, resilient stormwater infrastructure.
Whether it’s shaping policy decisions, testing tools, or unlocking private land, Brightstorm helps protect nature and people.
