Saratoga County Intermunicipal Stormwater Management Program

Improperly managed Stormwater runoff can have serious and lasting negative impacts on local surface- and groundwater resources...

FLOODING	EROSION & SILTATION		NUTRIENT LOADING
Above photos source Department of Environmental Conservation
PET WASTES & E. COLI		TOXICS & HAZARDOUS WASTE
Source: Washington State Department of Ecology		Source:  U.S. EPA;http://www.epa.gov/hudson/map.htm
		...Just to name a few.

Into each life a little rain must fall...
            Where it goes once it has fallen is everybody's business.

To better manage our water resources, and the comprehensive requirements of the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) Permit Program, Saratoga County has implemented a regional approach through the Saratoga County Inter-Municipal Stormwater Management Program.

What is Stormwater Management?
Every year tens of thousands of gallons of Stormwater, in the form of rain and snow melt, flow through our County.  The runoff is collected and directed via conveyance systems (MS4s) to our streams, rivers, lakes, ponds, and wetlands.  Stormwater Management keeps our streets and highways dry during average rainstorms and protects our homes from floods during the Spring snow melt & extreme storm events.  In short, Stormwater Management helps us all to keep our heads above water.

OK.  So what's the problem?
The common wisdom that 'the solution to pollution is dilution' couldn't be further from the truth...every year, as all that water flows through our watersheds, it washes away pollutants such as oil, sediments, chemicals, trash, etc. into our lakes, ponds, and the Hudson River.  Over time, without proper care, our streams and wetlands become impaired by debris, sediments & flooding and our ponds, lakes and wetlands become watery trash collectors.

What are we doing about it?
Cornell Cooperative Extension, Saratoga County, and the Participating MS4 Municipalities have implemented an Inter-Municipal Stormwater Management Program.  The goals of the program are to educate effected communities and Municipal governments about the new federal regulations governing local stormwater management & non-point source pollution and to find the best solutions available to meet the challenge of protecting our water resources.  Because stormwater pollution affects us all, as members of a community, the program will look to the community, as well, for solutions to better address stormwater management and protect our water resources.

Click the following link to visit the Saratoga Stormwater website, www.Saratogastormwater.org

For further information, to report a problem, or to find out how to get involved in your community contact:

Blue R. Neils
Stormwater Management Coordinator
Cornell Cooperative Extension
50 West High Street
Ballston Spa, New York 12020
ph: (518) 885-8995 Ext. 224
fx: (518) 885-9078
Email:  brn5@cornell.edu