Purpose
The city's stormwater system includes gutters, inlets, pipes, channels, ditches, and other waterways that all lead to outfall points into local lakes and ponds as well as Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.
Anything that is spilled, dumped, washed, or otherwise enters into the storm drain flows directly to these receiving bodies of water without any type of treatment. Therefore, it is very important to keep any pollutants out of the storm drain system.
System Mapping
The city has mapped the storm drainage system within its urbanized core to show inlets, pipes, and outfalls to aid in understanding where the system flows.
A map of the city's storm drainage system can be found at the geographic information system (GIS) mapping section.
Ordinance
In January 2012, the city passed an ordinance that specifically prohibits the dumping, washing, or otherwise discharging of any pollutant to the storm drainage system.
Typical practices that this ordinance prohibits include:
- Dumping of food wastes into storm drains.
- Dumping of yard waste, including blowing grass clippings into the storm drains.
- Non-residential power washing / parking lot washing (unless the wash water is collected and not discharged).