Arapahoe County stormwater work is about keeping pollutants out

A storm drain is not a sink that pipes water off to a treatment plant. In Arapahoe County, what goes down the gutter mostly heads straight to local waterways, untreated. That is why the county runs its stormwater work as a water-quality job, not only a drainage one.

The program leans on three moves to keep waterways clean and healthy: making sure pollutants do not wash off construction sites, banning illicit discharges into the system, and teaching residents and businesses what they can do. Each one targets a different way grime gets into the water.

The reason it adds up is simple. Water sheeting off streets, driveways, parking lots, and construction sites picks up oil, sediment, trash, chemicals, and yard waste along the way. The moment it slips into a storm drain or drainageway, it becomes part of the local water system, carrying all of that with it.

At home, the rule fits on a sticky note: keep paint, oil, chemicals, pet waste, yard debris, and loose trash out of gutters and drains. When something belongs in household hazardous waste, the county’s program is the right destination, not the curb. Construction questions and suspected discharges go to Arapahoe County Environmental and Stormwater Management.