Stormwater Systems in Your Neighborhood

Description

Southwest Florida Water Management District Stormwater Systems in Your Neighborhood Maintaining, landscaping and improving stormwater ponds The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is the agency responsible for managing and protecting your water resources. The District’s mission is to manage water and related natural resources to ensure their continued availability while maximizing the benefts to the public. LEVY MARION CITRUS LAKE SUMTER N HERNANDO E W PA S C O HILLSBOROUGH S POLK P I N E L L AS M A N AT E E HARDEE HIGHLANDS DESOTO S A R A S OTA CHARLOTTE Southwest Florida Water Management District 2 Stormwater Systems Simply put, a stormwater system is a tool for managing the runoff from rainfall. When rainwater lands on rooftops, parking lots, streets, driveways and other surfaces that water cannot go through, the runoff (called stormwater runoff) fows into grates, swales or ditches located around your neighborhood. These send the water into your stormwater pond. A stormwater pond is specifcally designed to help prevent fooding and remove pollutants from the water before it can drain into the groundwater — our main source of drinking water — or into streams, rivers, lakes, wetlands, estuaries or the gulf. Your stormwater pond might be located in your backyard, down the street or on nearby property. Without a stormwater system, the stormwater runoff usually fows into the nearest water body without treatment. The runoff carries pollutants such as litter, motor oil, gasoline, fertilizers, pesticides, pet wastes, sediments and anything else that can foat, dissolve or be swept away by moving water. 3 History of Stormwater Systems Wetlands are Florida’s original stormwater systems and once covered more than half the state. Wetlands are extremely valuable resources because they: • Control flooding. They do this by soaking up and retaining excess water like a giant sponge. They also slow down water fow, giving foodwaters more time to recede. • Serve as habitat for a variety of plants and animals. Many endangered plant and animal species depend on wetlands for their survival. • Improve water quality. Wetlands slow down the fow of water and absorb pollutants, storing them, breaking them down and in some cases even using them as nutrients.