Show All Answers

1. What is stormwater?

Water generated by rain and other precipitation. Stormwater runoff is the water that runs off your roof, driveway, street, or other impervious surface (a surface that does not absorb water). Stormwater in the city ends up in city storm drains, which flows to the New River.

2. How does stormwater affect the New River?

Stormwater can pick up pollutants like trash, yard waste, oil from cars, or pesticides and other chemicals. Because of this the New River was very polluted in the past. City and county actions have been taken to help clean it up, but continued help is needed. As a citizen it is your responsibility to help.

Learn how you can prevent stormwater pollution.

3. What is the message we are trying to spread?

The city wants your help to spread the message that there is no treatment system connected to storm drains; the water flow goes directly into the waterway. Stormwater may go to a stream nearby that you enjoy or right into the New River. Sometimes people think the storm drain can be used like a drain inside their home and they dump things down there they should not. Whatever is put there, drains into the New River.

4. Why is it important to be aware of where stormwater goes?

Every time it rains, water washes over our streets, driveways, and yards picking up pollutants along the way. Motor oil from cars, yard clippings, pet waste, litter, lawn chemicals including fertilizer are among some of the pollutants that get picked up. All of this eventually washes into our storm drains. All that eventually washes from the storm drains into the New River.

5. Why is there a marker on our storm drains?

The storm drain inlets in your neighborhood have been marked with a special marker to remind everyone that what goes down that inlet eventually ends up in the New River.