Storm Water Management
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What you should know…
Storm water is the runoff that is created when rain falls. When rainfall lands on natural areas like forests or wetlands it soaks into the ground. Rain that falls on impervious surfaces like roads and rooftops does not soak in. Instead it becomes storm water and flows into the storm drains. From there, storm water flows into nearby creeks, streams and rivers. All storm water ends up in our waterways. How does it affect local waterways? When it rains, pollutants on the ground get mixed in with the storm water. The rain picks up pollutants such as paint, motor oil, fertilizer, detergent, sediment, pesticides and even pet waste. The polluted water goes into storm drains and ditches. Then the polluted water flows from storm drains and ditches into nearby lakes and streams. Storm drains and ditches are NOT connected to treatment facilities. Anything that enters the storm drains ends up in our local waterways untreated! Why should I care? Storm water runoff is a cause of water quality problems in our communities. Polluted runoff contributes to closed beaches, habitat destruction, fish kills, poor drinking water quality and a decline in recreational boating and fishing opportunities. What is the Town of Scott doing? The Town of Scott is a member of the Northeast Wisconsin Storm Water Consortium (NEWSC). NEWSC assists member communities in their efforts to meet state and national storm water regulations and addresses local storm water issues. The Town of Scott has adopted ordinances for storm water management, erosion control and illicit discharge. Public involvement and education will also be developed as part of our WDNR permit requirement for municipal separate storm sewer system, or MS4. What can I do? Some of your everyday actions could be contributing to storm water pollution. Amending your current behaviors and adopting the following actions will assist in protecting our waterways:
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