2008 Annual Report – Click Here

2009 Annual Report – Click Here

As stormwater flows over driveways, lawns and sidewalks, it picks p debris, chemicals, dirt, and other pollutants. Stormwater can flow into a storm sewer system or directly to a lake, stream, river, wetland, or costal water. Anything that enters a storm sewer system is discharged untreated into the waterbodies we use for swimming, fishing, and providing drinking water. Polluted runoff is the nation’s greatest threat to clean water.

By practicing healthy household habits, homeowners can keep common pollutants like pesticides, pet waste, grass clippings, and automotive fluids off the ground and out of stormwater. Adopt these healthy household habits and help protect lakes, streams, rivers, wetlands, and costal waters. Remember to share habits with your neighbors.

Help Protect YOUR Town and surrounding Environment by incorporating 10 simple ways to prevent Stormwater Runoff Pollution:

• Sweep and pick-up litter and dirt from driveways, sidewalks & curbs.
• Never dump anything down storm drains, including leaves and other debris.
• Vegetate bare spots in your yard; use fertilizers sparingly and try to avoid pesticides.
• Compost your yard waste
• Avoid pesticides; learn about Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
• Direct downspouts and sump pump discharge away from paved surfaces, including sidewalks and streets.
• Take your car to the car wash instead of washing it in the driveway or wash the vehicle on the lawn or an unpaved surface to minimize runoff to any nearby storm drains.
• Check car for leaks, and recycle motor oil.
• Pick up after your pet.
• Have you septic tank pumped and system inspected on a regular basis.

For more information on how you can help prevent Stormwater Runoff Pollution visit The U.S. EPA or The N.Y.S. Department of Environmental Conservation for more information.

What is stormwater runoff?

When it rains, or during periods when snow melts, only a portion of water will soak, or infiltrate into the ground. The portion of the water, which does not infiltrate into the ground, ends up traveling overland until it reaches a stream, or wetland or other body of water. This portion of precipitation that travels overland is called stormwater runoff. There are two principal areas of concern with stormwater runoff: the amount of stormwater runoff that occurs and the quality of that runoff. 

A change in the ground cover from forest to lawn, or to some type of impervious surface causes an increase in the quantity or volume of stormwater runoff. Increasing the volume of stormwater released during a storm event can increase the potential for down stream flooding, which can result in significant property damage occurring. Increasing the volume of stormwater can also cause more water to flow through a stream channel than the stream is accustomed to. This may cause important changes to the stream channel, which can be damaging to the stream and the environment.

These same changes to ground cover can also affect the quality of the stormwater runoff by increasing the concentration of pollutants in the stormwater. As storm water runoff travels over the land, it picks up and carries many natural and human-made substances such as sediment, nutrients and other pollutants that may impact water quality. In fact, almost anything on the ground can become a source of contamination as stormwater washes over the ground or a parking lot, and is carried into the storm drains and discharges into the surrounding watershed. The faster the stormwater moves, the more pollutants it can carry with it. Because the sediment, nutrients and other pollutants found in stormwater runoff come from many poorly defined or indiscreet sources, this type of pollution is often referred to as nonpoint source pollution. Changes in stormwater quality can result in changes to wildlife habitat, increased flooding, and reduction in the populations of fish and other aquatic organisms, and stream bank erosion.

There are a number of characteristics of the natural landscape that help to protect the quantity and quality of stormwater. Trees intercept rainfall and slow its velocity. Trees also provide cooling of stormwater, which is important to certain types of fish habitat. Undisturbed areas of the landscape are generally full of very small natural depressions that temporarily pond stormwater and allow more time for the water to infiltrate into the ground. Similarly, the spongy humus layer of leaves on the forest floor slows the velocity of stormwater and allows more water to infiltrate into the ground.

However, as people alter the land, several changes occur. Trees that had intercepted rainfall are removed, the natural depressions that had temporarily ponded water are graded to a uniform slope, the spongy humus layer of the forest floor that had absorbed rainfall is scraped off, and the underlying soils are eroded or severely compacted. These changes result in an increase in the quantity of storm water, and a decrease in its quality, which together effect the watershed ecology. The quantity and quality of storm water also changes as the land's surface is changed from forest to lawns to roofs, driveways and parking lots.

One of the primary sources of concentrated amounts of pollutants entering our streams and lakes, and the areas of greatest concern are impervious surfaces. Impervious surfaces are areas, including roads, parking lots, driveways and rooftops that are so dense and hard that they prevent rainfall from entering into the ground. Many different pollutants accumulate on these surfaces from the atmosphere, from vehicles, or windblown from adjacent areas. During storm events these pollutants quickly wash off, and are rapidly delivered to downstream waters.