Prevention, Control, and Reduction
Stormwater
Stormwater from rainfall and snowmelt can carry litter, trash, and other debris over land and streets into water bodies or municipal
water systems. Once in a municipal separate storm sewer system or combined sewer system, the debris is either collected within the
system and removed or discharged into natural water bodies. Debris discharged from stormwater outfalls into streams and rivers
can then be carried to the ocean. In coastal communities, municipal systems may discharge debris directly into the ocean.
What Can You Do?
You can prevent marine debris from entering stormwater systems. Find out how on the What You Can Do site.
Most stormwater discharges are considered point sources and require a
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit, which is authorized under the
Clean Water Act.
The primary method to control stormwater discharges is through the use of
Best Management Practices.
These practices can include creating an informed public (
Public Education and Outreach on Stormwater Impacts), maintaining good housekeeping for municipal operations (
Pollution Prevention/Good Housekeeping for Municipal Operations), and detecting and eliminating (
Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination) any discharge from a storm drain system that is not composed entirely of stormwater.
Ensuring storm drains are free of trash and litter prevents marine debris
Controlling stormwater discharges from outfalls can help to reduce the amount of marine debris entering the ocean. However, discharges
from outfalls are not the only way stormwater contributes to marine debris. Loose materials abandoned in streets or on the ground can be
carried by stormwater directly into streams, rivers, lakes, and oceans. This
nonpoint source pollution comes from
a variety of actions on land. Actions like littering, leaving garbage cans uncovered, and dumping of solid waste and old equipment near
inland water bodies can leave debris in the path of stormwater which carries the debris into water bodies. To help prevent these actions
local governments can start a
Storm Drain Stenciling Program (PDF) (2 pp, 140K, About PDF), where
messages are painted onto storm drains deterring people from dumping anything down the storm drains.
Whether marine debris enters the ocean through a stormwater discharge or is carried by stormwater directly into the marine
environment, waste minimization and effective solid waste management play a key role in reducing the amount of marine debris entering our oceans.
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