Stormwater

What is Stormwater?

Stormwater is the result of rainfall or snowmelt that flows over our lawns, streets, parking lots and buildings. This water then runs into our storm drains and ditches and directly into our lakes, streams, and rivers, carrying all the pollutants it picks up along the way.

Why is Stormwater Important?

As stormwater flows over lawns, driveways, parking lots and construction sites it is picking up pollutants such as: fertilizers, oil, yard waste, litter, animal waste, and anything else along the way. The storm drain system then transports these pollutants into the nearest lake, stream or river. Everything that goes into the storm drains are ending up in the lakes. These pollutants are causing algae blooms, increased temperature and contributing to the degradation of our lakes, streams and rivers.

Where Does Stormwater Go in Livingston County?

The majority of Livingston County is comprised of three watersheds. In the south, stormwater drains to the Huron River Watershed; to the northeast, it drains to the Shiawassee River Watershed; and to the west, stormwater drains to the Red Cedar Watershed. The stormwater in a small portion of the northwest section of the county drains to the Looking Glass Watershed. This means that all the creeks, streams, ditches, and drains in the county eventually drain to these four watersheds and then into the Great Lakes.

What is an Illicit Discharge?

An illicit discharge is the discharge of pollutants or non-stormwater materials to storm sewer systems via overland flow or direct dumping of materials into a catch basin. These non-stormwater discharges occur due to illegal connections to the storm drain system from business or commercial establishments. As a result of these illicit connections, contaminates can enter storm drains or directly into local waters before receiving treatment from a wastewater treatment plant. Illicit connections may be intentional or may be unknown to the business owner and often are due to the connection of floor drains to the storm sewer system. Additional sources of illicit discharges can be failing septic systems, illegal dumping practices, overland drainage from a carwash, dumping used motor oil in or around a catch basin, and the improper disposal of sewage from recreational practices such as boating or camping.

How do you Report an Illicit Discharge?

Anonymously reporting of pollution sources or discharges should be given to the Pollution Emergency Alerting System (PEAS) hotline at 800-292-4706. This includes dumping of waste/oil or other vehicle fluids and suspicious pipes that outlet to ditches or sewers.  In order to protect the quality of streams and public health, report illicit discharges to the State’s Pollution Prevention Hotline.

If you believe an illicit discharge has been discharged to a County Drain, please use the email or call the Livingston County Drain Commissioner’s Office.  However, we cannot take anonymous complaints.

Actions for Clean Water

There are many things that protect and preserve the quality of our lakes, rivers, and streams in Livingston County.  Below are some of the actions all residents can take that help!

Only Rain in the Drain

While many of us think first of industries dumping chemicals as the source of water pollution, the truth is our water can also be harmed by things that we do every day at our homes. When it rains, water washes over lawns, sidewalks, and streets. In addition to litter, this water picks up chemicals found in lawn fertilizers, bacteria found in pet waste, and oil from cars. This polluted water can enter roadside ditches and the storm drains found in our streets, as well as large pipes that connect these storm drains to the closest lake or stream.  You might not be able to see it but all stormwater eventually would lead to a river, lake, or stream.  For more ways to help protect our waterways, SEMCOG’s website provides further information.

Earth-friendly Landscaping

Help keep our waters clean by planting a rain garden and trees. Select native plants to Michigan and diversify your plantings to help control pests and minimize the need for pesticides.  Limit applications of chemicals to problem areas only and try other approaches. Additional information can be found with at the Huron River Watershed Council website.

Effective Fertilizing

Limit fertilizing your lawns by keeping grass clippings on your lawns. Keep you mower deck high to establish strong healthy roots and choke out weeds.

Proper Disposal of Household Chemicals and Recycling

Recycling and the proper disposal of household chemicals and hazardous waste is vitally important for our waterways.  More information on household hazardous waste events and programs can be found on Livingston County’s HHW webpage.
Additional Recycling Resources: Recycle Livingston Website

Proper Pet Care

Not only can animal waste left on the ground be awful if stepped on, but when it rains, harmful bacteria are carried to our waterways.  Help keep our waterways clean by disposing of waste promptly and properly, picking up waste before lawn watering, sharing these practices, and not treating ducks or geese as pets.

Proper Car Washing

Dirty water from car washing, leaky motor oil, and gasoline can wash from our driveways and roads into the storm drain or roadside ditch.  To minimize pollutants from entering our waterways, try washing your car in the grass or using a commercial carwash to minimize untreated storm water into storm drains.

Septic System Maintenance