Ever wonder what a Watershed sign by the road means?

I remember the first time I saw a watershed sign.  I found myself looking for the location of the watershed in the form of a park or tourist attraction that I could visit. Years later I learned that a watershed is not a museum or aquarium, but in fact is the whole area of land that surrounds me. [Read more…]

Stormwater runoff is precipitation (rain or snowmelt) that does not percolate into the ground. As stormwater runs over impervious surfaces such as roof tops, paved roads, parking lots, construction sites, and industrial sites, it mixes with pollutants that get carried into storm drains. There are three sources of stormwater runoff that are regulated by the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Stormwater Program. In simple terms, cities, businesses, and construction sites are responsible for the quality of the stormwater runoff that flows away from their property. This is a daunting responsibility when you think about how much rain falls in certain parts of the county. [Read more…]