When It Rains, It Drains
Understanding Storm Water and How it can
Affect Your Money, Safety, Health and the Environment.

Test Your Storm Sewer System Savvy !!!

What does the storm sewer system look like in your community? See if you can identify which pictures are part of the storm sewer system. (Click an Image to find the answer)

Restoring Rain's Reputation: What Everyone Can Do To Help

Rain by nature is important for replenishing drinking water supplies, recreation, and healthy wildlife habitats. It only becomes a problem when pollutants from our activities like car maintenance, lawn care, and dog walking are left on the ground for rain to wash away. Here are some of the most important ways to prevent storm water pollution:

• Properly dispose of hazardous substances such as used oil, cleaning supplies and paint - never pour them down any part of the storm sewer system and report anyone who does.
• Look for signs of soil and other pollutants, such as debris and chemicals, leaving construction sites in storm water runoff or tracked into roads by construction vehicles. Report poorly managed construction sites that could impact storm water runoff to your community. (See Contact Information)
• Install innovative storm water practices on residential property, such as rain barrels or rain gardens, that capture storm water and keep it on site instead of letting it drain away into the storm sewer system.
• Report any discharges from storm water outfalls during times of dry weather - a sign that there could be a problem with the storm sewer system.
• Pick up after pets and dispose of their waste properly. No matter where pets make a mess - in a backyard or at the park - storm water runoff can carry pet waste from the land to the storm sewer system to a stream.
• Store materials that could pollute storm water indoors and use containers for outdoor storage that do not rust or leak to eliminate exposure of materials to storm water.

Where To Go To Continue The Information Flow

Your community is preventing storm water pollution through a storm water management program. This program addresses storm water pollution from construction, new development, illegal dumping to the storm sewer system, and pollution prevention and good housekeeping practices in municipal operations. It will also continue to educate the community and get everyone involved in making sure the only thing that storm water contributes to our water is...water! Contact Borough Hall at 610-623-7300 or the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection for more information about storm water management.

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Answers to Test Your Storm Sewer System Savvy:

1. Ditch - Part of the storm sewer system. Most people think that the system is just a series of underground pipes. It can also include ditches used to convey storm water from the land to a receiving lake, river, or stream.
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2. Fire Hydrant - Not part of the storm sewer system. Water sprayed from fire hydrants is not storm water, but is allowed by law to enter the storm sewer system.
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3. Curb with Storm Drain Inlet - Part of the storm sewer system. Many people do not realize that this is an opening leading to the storm sewer system. Anything going into this inlet (e.g., trash, leaves, improperly disposed of hazardous materials) travel directly to a receiving lake, river, or stream without being treated first. Many communities stencil storm drains with "Do Not Dump" message to let people know.
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4. Storm Sewer Outfall - Part of the storm sewer system. An outfall is where storm water drains from the storm sewer system into a receiving lake, stream, or river. If there is a flow from an outfall when it isn't raining, there could be a problem with the system or someone has used a storm drain for illegally disposing of materials.
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5. Toilet - Not part of the storm sewer system. Wastewater from sinks and toilets in houses and businesses travel through a sewer system constructed to carry sanitary wastes. In some instances, older communities may have a combined sewer system designed to carry both storm water and sanitary waste.
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6. Septic System - Not part of the storm sewer system. Homeowners use septic tanks to manage sanitary wastes on-site. Improperly maintained septic systems can leak and contribute pollutants to the storm sewer system, as well as directly to lakes, rivers, and streams.
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7. Roads and Other Paved Areas - Not part of the storm sewer system. Roads and other hardened surfaces such as parking lots and sidewalks can accumulate pollutants (e.g., oil, grease, dirt, leaves, trash, pet wastes) that storm water eventually washes into the storm sewer system.
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8. Storm Drain Inlet - Part of the storm sewer system. This is another example of what a storm drain may look like. Like the storm drain inlet shown in picture #3, anything that enters this drain will go directly to streams, rivers, and lakes without being treated first. It is iimportant to recognize this as a storm drain to prevent it from being used as a trash can.
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