Stormwater

What is Stormwater?

Stormwater is water that originates from precipitation events like rain, snow, or ice melt. Instead of soaking into the ground, much of this water flows over impervious surfaces such as roads, rooftops, driveways, and sidewalks. This runoff collects and travels through storm drains, ditches, and drainage systems, eventually making its way into local waterways like streams or rivers.

How Stormwater Becomes Polluted

As stormwater flows over land and surfaces, it picks up a wide variety of pollutants that can degrade water quality. These pollutants include oil and grease from vehicles, heavy metals, pesticides, fertilizers, pet waste, litter, and sediment from construction sites or bare soil. Because stormwater often drains directly into local water bodies without being treated, these contaminants are carried along with it, posing risks to ecosystems, drinking water sources, and recreational waters.

How Stormwater is Managed

West Pikeland Township is a part of a statewide campaign to limit stormwater pollution. The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has developed guidelines to help communities manage stormwater issues. These measures include:

Educating people on the impacts of stormwater
Work to detect and eliminate illicit discharges
Follow best practices for pollution prevention in township operations

Pennsylvania MS4 Program

Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permittees must develop, implement, and enforce a Stormwater Management Program (SWMP). This program requires the following minimum control measures (MCMs) to be part of their stormwater management program.

MCM 1: Public Education and Outreach
MCM 2: Public Involvement and Participation
MCM 3: Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination
MCM 4: Active Construction Stormwater Management
MCM 5: Post Construction Stormwater Management
MCM 6: Good Housekeeping / Facility Tracking

Each MCM has a series of suggested best management practices associated with it to guide permit holders in program development, tracking, and reporting.

More Information on Minimum Control Measures can be found here