What causes pollution problems?
Fortunately, something can be done to keep stormwater flooding and pollution problems from becoming worse. We can: • manage stormwater to control flooding and erosion; • plan and construct stormwater systems so contaminants are removed before they pollute our surface waters or our groundwater resources • acquire and protect natural waterways where they still exist or can be rehabilitated; • look for opportunities to build “soft” structures such as ponds, swales or wetlands to work with existing or “hard” structures, such as pipes and concrete channels; • revise current stormwater regulations to address our comprehensive stormwater needs; • enhance and enforce existing ordinances to make sure property owners consider the effects of stormwater before, during and after development of their land; • educate ourselves about how our actions affect the quality of our water, and about what we can do to improve water quality; and • plan carefully to create solutions before problems become too gr
