Stormwater

About Stormwater & Urban Runoff

Stormwater is precipitation, including rain, hail, and snow. Urban runoff is stormwater that doesn’t seep into the ground but ‘runs off’ through streets, parking lots and other parts of the storm drain system eventually flowing into the nearest stream, creek, river, lake, or ocean. The runoff is not treated in any way.

Stormwater Pollution

Stormwater pollution is everything, seen and unseen, mixed with stormwater. As stormwater passes through the network of streets and drains it picks up everything along the way including trash, debris, metals, sediment, and many unseen pollutants. Unlike the sewer system, this polluted stormwater receives no treatment and flows directly into our local streams and rivers.

Please look at the following web pages for more information on where our stormwater goes and what we do to combat pollution.

• Santa Ana Watershed
• NPDES Program