Stormwater Runoff

Storm drains are drainage systems that collect rain water and melted snow that doesn't soak into the ground. Their main function is to  keep streets and roadways from flooding.

Rain, melted snow, and any other water that is allowed to go down a storm drain flows directly into nearby streams, creeks, and lakes, eventually ending up in the ocean. 

Unlike water that goes down the drain in your house to the sewer or your city's waste water treatment plant, water that flows into storm drains is not treated or filtered for pollutants. 


Pure rain water, in itself, is not harmful or a potential pollutant. Snowmelt is also a clean water source for storm drains. Potential contaminants that degrade water quality are present in almost every other type of water allowed into storm drains. 

When clean water is mixed with harmful chemicals and contaminants before it flows down storm drains, dangerous environmental pollution can occur. Some of these potential hazards are listed below:

• Oil dripping from a car engine
• Lawn fertilizers
• Pet waste
• Street Litter
• Antifreeze
• Water drained from swimming pools is full of chemicals such as chlorine and algaecide
• Water runoff from washing your car contains soap and sulfates 

There are two categories of water pollution: Point Source and Nonpoint Source.

Point Source pollution can be traced back to a specific point such as a city’s water
treatment plant or an industrial wastewater discharge pipe.

Nonpoint source pollution, also called polluted runoff, is the result of contaminants that rain has collected and can originate from many different places.

The Clean Water Act, passed in 1972, has aided in controlling pollution from point sources, but until recently, nonpoint source pollution was largely uncontrolled. "The Act requires cities with populations greater than 100,000 to obtain a permit for their stormwater discharge systems and to demonstrate that those systems operate cleanly and efficiently. In 1999, the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System was expanded to include all cities and towns with populations under 100,000."

Some facts regarding storm drain contamination and pollution are below:

1. "In older urban areas, when the sewers become overloaded due to heavy rain, sewage is sometimes mixed with storm drain water and discharged directly into the nearest waterway, without going to a treatment plant first. These combined sewer overflows can make waterways and ocean beaches unsafe for swimming.
2. Fertilizers, pesticides, street litter, sediment, automotive fluids, and pet waste can pollute water hundreds of miles downstream from their source. The drainage watershed of the Chesapeake Bay, for example, covers 64,000 miles, and pollutants may travel to the Bay from as far away as Cooperstown, New York, or from farms in rural Pennsylvania.
3. A single quart of oil can contaminate two million gallons of drinking water, or create an oil slick that covers eight acres.
4. About 22,000 bodies of water in the United States are considered "impaired" by the Environmental ProtectionAgency (EPA) due to pollution."

What can you do to help?

• Do not throw anything down storm drains
• Pick up litter on the streets
• Use natural lawn fertilizers and cleaners when you can
• Clean up after your pets and dispose of it properly

One person may not think they can make a difference, but if every person does their part, our natural waterways will be cleaner because of it.

For more information on conservation, preservation, and recycling visit www.wasteawaygroup.com.

epa.gov
protectingwater.com
worldchanging.com
act.oceanconservancy.org