Environmental Protection
Stormwater Info
NEW Report on inlet protection devices!
Do you ever wonder about the pollutants that go down stormdrains and what can be done to remove these pollutants before they impact our creeks? If so, you should read our report on a pilot project conducted with stormwater inlet protection devices. This report is located on our reports page.
Stormwater- what's the big deal?
When we replace vegetated areas with hard surfaces, such as buildings and roads, that water can not penetrate, rain water no longer soaks into the ground but leaves the site as stormwater. Most stormwater runoff is untreated and flows directly into our waterways. Fertilizers, pesticides, oils, metals and other harmful substances mix with rainwater as it runs off lawns, parking lots, and streets. In addition, pet wastes, grass clippings, and leaves can foul our waterways if they aren't kept out of the stormdrain. Stormwater carries these pollutants into our creeks, rivers and lakes where it can hurt plant and animal life, as well as poison our drinking water supply. There are more than 20 creeks in Gainesville and Alachua County that drain into sinkholes, lakes, marshes, or the Santa Fe River. Through these, much of the local stormwater eventually enters into the underlying aquifer, a natural underground reservoir that provides Florida with over 90% of it's drinking water.
State regulations require new developments to build retention areas to store stormwater. These regulations focus on the quantity of water leaving a site, and are just now starting to look at the quality of the stormwater. Stormwater is regulated by the St Johns River Water Management District and the Suwannee River Water Management District. Alachua County Public Works Department also reviews stormwater plans.
Low Impact Development
Stormwater can be a great resource. It is wasteful to water our landscapes with our dimenishing drinking water resources, when we can collect stormwater using rain barrells or cisterns and use it on our landscapes. These are the types of practices promoted by Low Impact Development (LID). LID is an approach to land development that uses land planning, design, and construction techniques to conserve and protect natural resources- including water.
Examples of LID practices include, but are not limited to:
- Vegetated swales, buffers and strips
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Narrower streets without curb and gutters
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Curb cutaways or median storage
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End-of-island bioretention cells
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Permeable pavers
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Green roofs
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Rain gardens and bioretention
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Tree or natural areas preservation
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Rain gardens, rain barrels or cisterns
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Inground infiltration and storage
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Green building programs such as Florida Water Stars
Click HERE to view a presentation by Dr. Mark Clark (Extension Specialist) and Stephen Hofstetter (Senior Environmental Planner) on LID in Alachua County!
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Program
The Gainesville Clean Water Partnership was officially formed on September 20, 2001, when
This mutual agreement created a financial plan for the implementation of minimum control measures required by the NPDES Phase II MS4 program, including public outreach, public participation, illicit discharge detection and elimination, mapping requirements, best management practices and good housekeeping for municipal operations. The agreement established the City of
The Alachua County Environmental Protection Department (ACEPD) is the agency responsible for the implementation of the illicit discharge detection and elimination program (IDDEP). Quarterly reports summarizing inspections of hazardous materials facilities, response to spills and complaints, public outreach efforts, and special projects conducted as part of the IDDEP can be found on our reports page.
