Stormwater

Every time it rains, water that is not absorbed by the ground runs off hard surfaces like driveways, rooftops, parking lots and streets, instead of being absorbed back into the ground. As this storm water travels to the nearest storm drain, it picks up hazardous materials such as oil and antifreeze, fertilizers and pesticides, litter, pet waste and other pollutants.

Storm water is NOT treated by the water pollution control plant, it drains directly into a nearby river, stream lake or other body of water.

Uncontrolled storm water can affect your quality of life by harming the quality of water in and around Allen County. Polluted storm water can impact wildlife in the area by creating an unhealthy habitat. Erosion of sediment into the water can block sunlight from aquatic plants, fill the niches where fish lay eggs and clog their gills. Polluted storm water can impact the process by which our drinking water is treated, causing the water filtration plant to do more extensive filtering and chlorinating.

To learn more about how you can help to protect our precious water supply, check out the Allen County Watersheds webpage.