Stormwater Department

One promising solution to reducing stormwater runoff pollution in urban and suburban areas is to create green infrastructure. The idea is simple: Slow down and soak up the polluted runoff.

• Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay Rain Gardens – Reduce Your Stormwater
• DEP MS4 Quick Resource Guide
• DEP Homeowner Stormwater BMP Maintenance
• DEP When It Rains, It Drains Stormwater Brochure
• EPA Reducing Stormwater Pollution Footprint
• EPA Stormwater Flows
• EPA Stormwater Innovations Improve Our Community
• EPA Street Trees for Stormwater Management
• Homeowner’s Bayscape Guide to Conservation Landscaping for Stormwater
• Homeowner’s Guide to Stormwater
• Watersheds and You
• What is a Rain Garden?
• Why Native Plants?

10 things you can do to prevent stormwater runoff pollution:

1. Use fertilizers, pesticides, and ice melt sparingly and sweep up driveways, sidewalks, and roads
2. Never dump anything down storm drains
3. Vegetate bare spots in your yard; native plants have much deeper roots and require significantly less water and fertilizer
4. Compost your yard waste
5. Avoid pesticides; learn about Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
6. Direct downspouts and pool water discharge into vegetated areas and away from paved surfaces
7. Take your car to the car wash instead of washing it in the driveway
8. Check car for leaks, and recycle motor oil
9. Pick up after your pet
10. Have your septic tank pumped and system inspected regularly

Stormwater is rain or melted snow that flows across the land. It may infiltrate into the soil, evaporate back into the atmosphere, discharge directly into bodies of water, or enter the MS4 system through MS4 infrastructure.

In a natural environment, most stormwater is absorbed by trees and plants, or percolates into the ground, which provides stable stream flow, cooler water temperature, and higher water quality.

In developed areas (suburban/ urban), stormwater that falls on roofs, driveways, patios, paved surfaces, lawns, or streets runs off the surface more quickly, picking up pollutants such as oil, fertilizers, heavy metals from vehicles, pesticides, trash, animal waste, and more as it flows. The water heats up on impervious surfaces and raises the temperature of the water where it outfalls.

MS4 stands for “Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System.” An MS4 is a publicly owned system that collects and transports only stormwater via pipes and channels.

An MS4 is comprised of the “grey” infrastructure that carries stormwater, including storm drain boxes, gutter, inlets, pipes, channels, ditches, culverts, outfalls, and more.

MS4s do not send stormwater runoff to a treatment plant. The stormwater collected in the MS4 is discharged untreated directly into streams, lakes, rivers, and ponds. The stormwater collected in our MS4 system is infiltrated into the ground in some areas or discharged to Unnamed Tributaries that outfall untreated directly into the Susquehanna River.

MS4 municipalities have a NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) permit regulated by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection that allows discharge of stormwater into our water bodies. Our MS4 Permit requires that we comply with a variety of measures that contribute to reducing polluted runoff and improving our stormwater management practices through at Pollutant Reduction Plan (PRP), formerly known as a Stormwater Management Plan (SWMP).

In Central PA, most municipalities are required to reduce the amount of nitrogen, phosphorous, and sediment in our waterways.

Illicit Discharge is defined as any discharge other than rain water or uncontaminated groundwater that enters our MS4 system, except for NPDES-permitted discharges and firefighting discharges.

Trash and litter can clog storm drains and cause localized flooding.  Contaminants can cause significant damage to the pipes and basins in our MS4 system, and pollutants that reach our waterways can cause harmful algal blooms, deoxygenation of the stream and river water, and death of the aquatic insects and wildlife that rely on our streams. Pollutants in stormwater can create human health hazards as well.  We are asking for your help in preventing toxic chemicals from reaching our streams and the Susquehanna River. 

In the event that you witness an illicit discharge, please contact someone immediately. Do your best to obtain a video of the violation, including license plate numbers, faces and/or names of persons involved, and be sure to get as much detail as possible of the what is taking place. 

Please remember, “only rain down our drains!”  Thank you for your help!

Green Infrastructure (GI) is a network of natural features that provide ecological, economic, and social benefits for communities and the environment. GI includes parks, trees, woodlands, wetlands, rain gardens, bioretention basins, etc.

• GI is designed to manage stormwater, reduce heat, improve air quality, and support biodiversity.

• GI often costs far less to build compared to “grey” infrastructure but does require maintenance.

• GI is a sustainable way to promote climate resilience.

In addition to providing stormwater benefits, GI enhances quality of life by reducing crime, reducing heat island effects, increasing property values, and improving mental health.

Native trees and urban forests are the most effective and cost-efficient form of stormwater management.