Stormwater Management is encouraging residents and business owners to complete
a brief survey regarding water quality in the County’s waterways.
Management is conducting the survey to gauge public awareness of stormwater
runoff and its effect on the local streams and rivers. In an effort to attain
healthier waterways, public education and outreach concerning water quality are
among activities mandated by the Clean Water Act.
“The original focus of the Clean Water Act was sewage
treatment plant discharges, but the EPA realized stormwater runoff also contributes
a substantial amount of pollutants to our waterways,” said Stormwater
Management Planning Committee Chairman Jim Zay. “As a result, the Clean Water
Act now requires communities and counties to establish measures to address this
source of pollution, and education and outreach are components of that.”
To comply, DuPage County and its partner municipalities
educate the public on how to reduce pollutants in stormwater runoff draining
into storm sewer systems – and ultimately to waterways.
“Our job here is, first, to ensure residents are aware of
these pollutants and, secondly, help them reduce their contribution to the
system. We already have resources in place to help residents reach this goal,
but responses from this survey will be key in helping us better utilize those
resources,” said Chairman Zay.
In addition to efforts
from the County and municipalities, Stormwater Management collaborates with
local organizations to meet these mandates. The Conservation Foundation and
SCARCE both assist with educating the DuPage County community about how to
reduce pollutants in stormwater runoff through best management practices and
“With a County
of nearly one million residents, it’s vital and economically sound to partner
with local organizations to achieve our mission. We do this in all areas of
stormwater management, and water quality is no exception,” said Chairman Zay.
Management will use the survey responses to create a water quality campaign to
disseminate information throughout the DuPage County community. The overarching
goal is to raise residents’ awareness of ways to reduce pollutants reaching the
County’s waterways via stormwater runoff in order to make them supportive of
both aquatic life and recreational uses.
The survey is
available through the end of the month at www.surveymonkey.com/s/DuPageCountySWM.
information on DuPage County’s education and outreach activities, visit www.dupageco.org/EDP/Stormwater_Management/Water_Quality/1377/.
Date Posted: Monday, March 11, 2013