| Early | Middle | Late | X |
| Character | |||
| High soluble content | Remaining solubles, beginning of fine- to medium-solids | High solids content | |
| Low runoff volume, early infiltration | Large runoff volume | Large runoff volume (especially if rain-on-snow occurs), saturated soils | |
| Initiated by chemical addition and/or solar radiation | Largely driven by solar radiation, aided by salt | Solar driven | |
| Land Use Where Important | |||
| Low density | High density | High density | |
| Residential/neighborhood | Roads, parking lots | Roads, highways | |
| Open space | Snow storage sites | Commercial | |
| BMP Focus | |||
| Infiltration | Pre-treatment (settling) | Pre-treatment (settling) | |
| Dilution | Volume control | Filtration | |
| Pollution prevention (salt, chemical application) | Detention/settling | Volume control | |
| Retention | Pollution prevention (surface sweeping) | ||
| Wetlands/vegetation (infiltration, biological and soil uptake) | Detention/settling | ||
| Diffuse runoff paths | Wetlands/vegetation (filtration, settling) | ||