Apparatus for receiving and dispersing stormwater beneath the earth surface is comprised of an array of chambers, preferably having arch shape cross section, buried in crushed stone. Surface stormwater flows first through a diverter, then into a solids retention subsystem (SRS), and then into the array of chambers, which is spaced apart in the stone from the SRS. The SRS chambers are layered with geotextile or other filtering media. Solids entrained in the stormwater are retained in the SRS by a combination of settling and filtering actions. If the stormwater inflow exceeds the capacity of the SRS, the water level rises in the diverter to the point where it flows through a bypass line, directly to the chambers of the array.