What is Stormwater?
Stormwater is rainwater and melted snow that runs off streets, lawns, and other sites. When stormwater is absorbed into the ground, it is naturally filtered and ultimately replenishes aquifers. In developed areas, impervious surfaces such as pavements and roof tops prevent stormwater from naturally soaking into the ground. Instead, vast amounts of water run rapidly into storm drains and ditches causing flooding, stream bank erosion, increased turbidity, habitat deconstruction, infrastructure damage, and contamination.
Montgomery County Soil and Water Conservation District: https://www.montgomeryswcd.org/stormwater-overview
Stormwater vs Wastewater
Water from inside our homes goes to wastewater facility for purification. But water from roofs, streets, and parking lots goes untreated directly into storm drains – straight into our waterways – picking up all kinds of contaminants along the way.
Adopt-A-Drain Program
The City of Kettering has long identified clogged storm drains as one of the major causes of roadway flooding in the city. The Adopt-A-Drain program is a volunteer program in which participants "adopt" one of the 7,980 eligible storm drains around Kettering and commit to keeping it free of debris to maintain a safe and clean environment. This debris, typically trash or yard waste, harms aquatic life when released.
While drainage improvement projects are in place to make the city more flood resilient, with close to 8,000 storm drains in Kettering, it is difficult for City of Kettering employees to clear all the clogged storm drains in a timely manner, especially when they are imminent threats during a storm. With the help of volunteers, the chance of localized flooding after a storm, water pollution and drain maintenance costs, could be greatly reduced.
Click here for more information about the Adopt-A-Drain program and/or to adopt a drain.
Stormwater Systems
It’s our job as The City of Kettering Engineering Department to manage the storm water systems, keeping flooding off our roadways and out of resident’s basements while being stewards of our watershed, the Little Beavercreek, and Holes Creek. It’s also our jobs to hold accountable any business that illicitly discharges contaminants into the storm system. This would be considered a point-source illicit discharge in that we can determine the exact source of contamination and hold accountable those responsible. A non-point-source illicit discharge is when a contaminant is detected in a neighborhood catch basin, but a single individual cannot be determined as it’s hard to determine which neighbor is solely responsible.
The City of Kettering is committed to reducing and eliminating pollution directly at its sources as treating for contamination once it's reached the river is extremely difficult and expensive. Educating and engaging the public is the best way the City of Kettering can address the issue of non-point-source contamination. The impact of contamination can be widespread and in some cases poorly understood, affecting our local wildlife, agriculture, and even your drinking water.
To report a spill, call the City of Kettering Engineering Department, 937-296-2436.
