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Keeping It Blue
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A COMMON MYTH ABOUT STORMWATER RUNOFF
Stormwater runoff that enters a storm sewer system is being routed to some type of treatment process before entering our surface waters. Not true! In almost every case there is no pre-treatment of stormwater! Storm sewer systems are designed simply to capture the stormwater and carry it to the nearest surface water carrying pollutants into our rivers, lakes and streams!
Stormwater Management
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What is Stormwater?
Stormwater is the flow of water on the ground immediately after precipitation - rain or snowmelt.
After a rainfall, some of the precipitation is infiltrated into the soil, some of it is taken up by plants, and some is evaporated back into the atmosphere and the rest runs off land surfaces and other impervious areas. Unfortunately, the stormwater run off picks up any oil, grease, chemicals, nutrients, metals, even bacteria as it travels across land. Heavy rainfall or snowmelt can cause sewer overflow, which will also be carried by the stormwater. All of these chemicals and pollutants will then enter our lakes, rivers, and streams.
Where does stormwater go? Stormwater is either drained into our drainage systems which carry that water into rivers, lakes, or streams, or it is directly carries into our waters.
Phone: 269.925.1137 Fax: 269.925.0288
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