Stormwater Coalition of Monroe County

Tackling Stormwater Pollution

What is stormwater?

Stormwater is rainfall that enters our sewer systems. Almost all stormwater isn’t treated at a sewage plant but instead goes into a nearby waterway.

What is stormwater pollution?

Stormwater pollution is the sediment, bacteria, fertilizers, pesticides, automotive fluids, and other materials that are washed from impervious surfaces such as parking lots, roads, roofs, and construction sites during a rain storm or snow melt. The gutters, storm drains, pipes, ditches, and outfalls that comprise the stormwater system transport these pollutants to our waterways untreated. This means that anything that goes down a storm drain will end up in Lake Ontario untreated!

What We Do About Stormwater Pollution

The Stormwater Coalition of Monroe County is an organization comprising the towns, villages, and local government agencies to ensure that only rain goes down our storm drains. The Coalition helps preserve our local water quality as follows:

• Educating the general public as to what is and isn’t allowed to go down storm drains (the H2O Hero campaign is one such example)
• Educating construction contractors as to practices they can use to prevent soil and construction materials from entering storm drain
• Providing construction inspections to make sure that construction sites are in compliance with state protections
• Monitoring water quality throughout the county to see which streams are most at risk 

If you are interested in learning more about the Stormwater Coalition of Monroe County, you can visit their website.