Stormwater runoff monitoring programs aimed at characterizing the quality of runoff from different urban areas are costly and may not provide significant benefits. The variability of pollutant concentrations in stormwater makes it difficult to draw meaningful conclusions from representative monitoring efforts. The high cost of collecting and analyzing large amounts of data for statistical analysis may not be justified by the limited support it provides to decision makers. A simpler and more cost-effective approach to estimating stormwater runoff costs and analyzing existing data can offer valuable insights without the need for extensive monitoring programs.