Storm Water Runoff Management

Introduction Water pollution is the contamination of water by foreign substances such as chemicals, pesticides, animal wastes, sewage, disease, and organic matter. There are two primary sources of water pollution, point source and non-point source pollution. Point source pollution originates from specific locations, and can bet traced to specific pipes or ditches and is generally waste or effluent from industry or sewage treatment. Non-point source pollution originates from a much broader area and is contributed to by a number of different sites that can be agricultural, mining, logging, natural (rivers scouring banks, fire sites) and urban areas. (According to the Axia College Week Six reading Freshwater Resources and Water Pollution 2007), a description of water pollution.) A major source of non-point water pollution in the urban environment is storm water runoff, in the past it was acceptable for this runoff to be channeled into the natural systems of washes, creeks, and rivers. However, this is no longer true, the Clean Water Act of 1972 and the Water Quality Act of 1987 set standards for water discharged to local surface water, and established fines for discharges that exceed the limits. (As in the Clean Water Act Forum). Additional tightening of these regulations by the Congress has increased the need for smaller communities of less than 100,000 people like our own to completely separate our storm water runoff and sanitary sewer systems. Sanitary sewer and storm water runoff need different levels of treatment and can compliment one another in collection and treatment. The high desert areas are highly dependent on agriculture, and wildlife depend on the area to survive the winter, and many migratory birds depend on the area as a flyway. All of these and the human population depend on clean water. Many older communities in the region have intermingled storm and sanitary sewer systems, either through the sanitary sewer treating both sources or

References: Axia College. (n.d.) Week six reading, Freshwater Resources and water pollution. Retrieved May 22, 2008, from Axis College, Week Six, aXcess, COM 275-Environemental Science Web Site. Clean Water Act Forum. (n.d.) Water Encyclopedia. Retrieved May 22, 2008, from http://www.waterencycloepedia.com/Ce-Cr/ Powicki, C. R. (1997). Constructed Wetlands: Treat Wastewater Naturally. EPRI, 16 (10), Retrieved May 20, 2008, from Gale. Apollo Library database. Sevenandt, W. (2006). Old Water Made New. Innovative project in Southern California Combines Water Purification and Pollution Control, (n.d.). Retrieved May 21, 2008 from Gale. Apollo Library database.