What Can Be Done to Protect Damage from Stormwater?

What the Federal Government Has Done About This

In 1972 Congress enacted the Clean Water Act to prohibit the discharge of any pollutants into waters of the U.S. from a point source. Later Congress prohibited polluted storm water discharges as well. In 2003 local governments were assigned responsibility for protecting the quality of the storm water that they discharge from their MS4’s into waters of the U.S. Municipalities are now required to prepare and follow their storm water management plan. Municipalities are using best management good housekeeping practices at town-owned facilities and during vehicle maintenance to prevent leachate from polluting the storm water that exits the site.

What Westminster and Other Municipalities are Doing

The town of Westminster has created a Storm Water Committee that addresses important storm water issues. Westminster is implementing a variety of programs and procedures to protect the water. For example, the Westminster DPW cleans out catch basins regularly to keep debris out of the water ways. Also, the storm water committee has created brochures, pamphlets, and posters combining the information provided by the EPA and local information to educate the local community. Westminster will be adopting local regulations that will prohibit dumping or discharging contaminants. Westminster and other municipalities are adopting up-to-date methods to keep our water resources clean.