The City’s hills are part of the headwaters of five different streams. Clean stormwater is essential to protecting the sources of our drinking water and maintaining our enjoyment of rivers, streams, and creeks.

Stormwater can pick up pesticides, fertilizer, oil products, pet waste, and construction debris and deposit them in its final destination, the bodies of water from which we get our drinking water.

• Plant a rain garden. Building a rain garden using native trees and grasses lets runoff soak into the ground to alleviate erosion and flooding.

• Limit fertilizer. Avoid fertilizing your lawn, and choose a non-phosphorous solution to protect waterway nutrients.

• Service your septic system every three years.

• Avoid pesticides. Storms can wash them into nearby streams.

• biological pest control.

• Pick up pet waste.

• Buffer streams. Plant native trees and plants to filter stormwater runoff.

• Use commercial car washes that filter their water.

Planting native perennials, trees, and shrubs is an effective, natural way to prevent erosion, especially on sloping terrain. Long-term studies show that a hillside with a well-designed garden planted in natives has little measurable erosion. 

It’s important to mix perennials, trees, shrubs, and groundcovers. Be sure to use mulch, and fill in with large stones between plants.

Use a variety of plants instead of a monoculture. A good plant mix controls water much more efficiently because a variety of levels and layers intercepts and cushions rainfall before it hits the soil.

Avoid using grasses for erosion control; they have been found to be ineffective and even to increase soil erosion.

Reducing stormwater run-off from your yard helps the environment and reduces unsightly ground erosion.

• Direct the downspouts from gutters into areas that can quickly absorb excess water.

• Keep storm gutters clear of leaves and debris to prevent them from overflowing.

• Sweep or blow grass clippings onto the lawn so they don’t get washed into drainage ditches.

The floodwaters of 2010 brought new understanding of the importance of reducing the water runoff from rainstorms. One effective way of mitigating stormwater threats is by planting trees. 

• The tree's leaves and roots slow the water down, decreasing erosion and downstream flooding

• Tree leaves also capture rainwater and release it into the atmosphere.

• Every 5% of added tree shade reduces runoff by 2%.

• Trees keep our drinking water clean by filtering pollutants.

• Riparian planting along the banks of creeks and streams is an important way to clean water and prevent erosion.

Do not rake loose leaves into the City’s streets, ditches, culverts, or wherever water runs. 

Leaves in the street are dangerously slippery when wet.

Stormwater runoff washes loose leaves into the City’s drainage system, increasing water pollution, clogging culverts, and creating flooding problems.

Place your leaves in plastic bags and leave them at the edge of the street for monthly pickup. Do not use paper bags because they tear too easily.

Rain barrels are an effective and low-cost method of managing rain running off from rooftops. 

A typical residential rain barrel has a lid with an inlet for water from the downspout, a pipe for overflow, and a spigot to release water near the bottom. Many barrels have screens for controlling insects.

Domestic rain barrels provide water for landscape use or domestic supply. Larger barrels can connect to storage tanks with pumps and filtering devices. Even larger than rain barrels, cisterns can hold 10,000 gallons.

Rain gardens, also called bioretention areas or bioinfiltration cells, are shallow depressions used to improve the absorption and infiltration of stormwater runoff.

They can be designed to filter out specific pollutants and are especially effective as parking lot islands. Carefully selecting the vegetation for a rain garden is important because most plants do well in either dry, average, or wet conditions but cannot tolerate all three conditions.

A rain garden should be located at least ten feet away from buildings so that water does not drain into the foundations and sewer lines.

Using paving tiles that allow water to seep in between them is an excellent way to mitigate stormwater runoff from driveways and parking areas.

Permeable paving lets more water infiltrate near where it falls, which means less flooding downstream, fewer combined sewer overflows, and reduced pollution in the receiving water.

The gaps between pavers are often filled with grass, gravel, or sand. These gaps can become clogged with debris and require periodic maintenance, and occa-sionally require new filler.

Permeable paving can cost up to 50% more than conventional concrete or asphalt, but it has a 20% longer lifetime. Installation costs are similar. Bigger savings come from reduced costs for installing and maintaining storm-water infrastructure.

Lack of vegetation on stream-banks can lead to erosion. Overgrazed pastures can also contribute excessive amounts of sediment to local waterbodies.

Excess fertilizers and pesticides can poison aquatic animals and lead to destruc-tive algae blooms. Livestock in streams can contaminate waterways with bacteria, making them unsafe for human contact.

• Keep livestock away from streambanks and provide them a water source away from waterbodies.

• Store and apply manure away from waterbodies and in accordance with a nutrient management plan.

• Vegetate riparian areas along waterways.

• Rotate animal grazing to prevent soil erosion in fields.

• Apply fertilizers and pesticides according to label instructions to save money and minimize pollution.

Erosion controls that aren’t maintained can cause excessive amounts of sediment and debris to be carried into the stormwater system. Construction vehicles can leak fuel, oil, and other harmful fluids that can be picked up by stormwater and deposited into local waterbodies.

• Divert stormwater away from disturbed or exposed areas of construction sites.

• Install silt fences, vehicle mud removal areas, vegetative cover, and other sediment and erosion controls and maintain them, especially after rainstorms.

• Prevent soil erosion by minimizing disturbed areas during construction projects, and seed and mulch bare areas as soon as possible.

Pet waste can be a major source of bacteria and excess nutrients in local streams and waterways.

When walking your pet, remember to pick up the waste and dispose of it prop-erly. Flushing pet waste is the best disposal method. Leaving pet waste on the ground increases public health risks by allowing harmful bacteria and nutrients to wash into the storm drain and eventually into local waterbodies.