BRYAN, Texas — With all the rain coming through the Brazos Valley, some might wonder where it all goes, or more importantly, what it picks up on the way there.
Stormwater is rain or snow that melts, running across the ground while carrying various pollutants into local lakes and streams.
The City of Bryan's Stormwater Management Program has combated the issue head-on, working to lower the quantity and improve the quality of Stormwater.
While the City of Bryan uses groundwater to drink, if not treated or controlled, stormwater can still affect our environment.
“When you look at a construction site, people just often say oh, that’s just dirt, dirt doesn’t matter. Dirt does matter. You can vehicles that leak gasoline... hydraulic fluid... concrete has the Ph of Draino// well when it rains, it picks up those hydrocarbons and goes straight into your water,” said Lisa Miller, the Drainage Inspector with Construction and Development for the City of Bryan.
Guided by the state of Texas, the city of Bryan's Stormwater Management Program Plan has regulations in place for builders to control the quality and quantity of stormwater getting into our lakes and streams.
“Their permit requires them to come up with a plan on how they prohibit minimize the amount of anything that leaves the site,” Miller said, "so the black fence prohibits the amount of sediment coming off the job site.”
Builders also use pipes or ditches to help out, but it’s not just construction that has to watch out.
“Things you may think of as regular activities, I’m gonna garden I’m gonna flowerbed, I’m gonna fertilize, they may actually impact others and/or the environment,” said Paul Caspar, City Engineer for the City of Bryan.
“Those storm sewer inlets. That water when it runs off your property and goes in there it doesn’t get treated by anything. It goes into those rivers and streams.”
So for the average citizen, the city just asks to be mindful about their home projects and daily life.
“We wanna have clean water... be cognizant of things, not only for the animals that rely on that water, but also for your enjoyment of being out there.”
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