The City of Toledo is proud to protect one of our most important resources: Our water.
As the owner of a large Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4). The MS4 stormwater sewer system includes local bodies of water, streets, sidewalks, curbs, gutters, ditches, man-made channels, catch basins, and storm drain inlets. The City of Toledo holds NPDES permit coverage with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA).
The Division of Environmental Services manages the City's stormwater permit coverage and works to keep our local waterways clean for the benefit of our city, its neighbors, and wildlife.
What is stormwater?
Stormwater is rain or snowmelt that flows over hard surfaces such as roofs, streets, and parking lots. These hard surfaces don’t let water soak into the ground, so the water runs off instead. As it flows, it can pick up things like dirt, oil, trash, and chemicals (i.e., pollutants such as sediment, oil, pesticides, and nutrients). This pollution can end up in our rivers and lakes without being cleaned first, which can impact wildlife, plants, make fish sick, damage natural habitats, and even affect our drinking water and recreational areas.
Stormwater can also cause problems like flooding and sewage overflows if we don’t manage it. When yard waste, trash, and grass clippings are blown into the street, it clogs the curb catch basins and can cause roadway flooding, contributing to harmful algae blooms in Lake Erie, which is caused by nutrient pollution. The dumping of trash and chemicals into storm drains is not only illegal but also harms wildlife, damages our ecosystem, and impacts our recreational areas. (SW2)
What is Toledo Doing About It?
Through implementing the City of Toledo's Stormwater Management Plan (SWMP), the Environmental Services team works hard to keep our catch basins, storm sewers, rivers, streams, and lake clean and safe.
8 goals to keep our water clean:
- Educating about stormwater and why it matters
- Getting the community involved
- Finding and stopping illegal dumping: Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination (IDDE)
- Controlling water and mud from construction sites
- Ensuring post-construction sites don’t cause extra runoff
- Reducing stormwater pollution from City facilities and operations
- Education of businesses and industrial facilities through inspection and literature
- Testing and monitoring stormwater regularly
What can you do to help protect the City of Toledo Waterways?
- Call Engage Toledo to report any illegal dumping into the storm sewer system, which includes all curb and yard catch basins, any local body of water, or swales/ditches that flow into a creek or river.
- Note: Explain signs of an illicit discharge- refer to our education materials
- Visit the Lake Erie Starts Here to learn more
- Dispose of waste properly- Clean Toledo events, Hoffman Landfill, and proper disposal of yard waste
- Rain Gardens