What is storm water and what is a storm drain?
Storm water is the water from rainstorms or melting snow that drains into catch basins or storm drains. Storm drains are located along the edges of roadways. Rainwater is collected by the storm drains and flows in an underground pipe system exiting via an outfall into local creeks, streams, rivers or lakes. Water flowing over lawns, driveways, gardens, roadways and sidewalks picks up debris and flows untreated into the storm drains. Learn more about Storm Water Management. How polluted storm water flows: Non-point source pollution is pollution spread over a large area, like storm water runoff. This type of pollution is hard to trace and is a large contributor to urban water pollution. Hazardous materials, such as pesticides, soap, motor oil and fertilizers that enter storm drains will end up in our streams and rivers. This can create an unhealthy environment for aquatic animals, such as fish. Hazardous household wastes can also affect water quality and pollute our sources of drinking w
