Watershed Management

Initiatives & Programs

Under Phase II of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), part of the Clean Water Act, federal regulations require regulated stormwater communities to obtain a permit and to develop plans that contain schedules, best management practices and measurable goals for stormwater management. For Waterford, these plans include:

• Illicit Discharge Elimination Program (IDEP)
• Public Education Program (PEP)
• Storm Water Pollution Prevention Initiative (SWPPI)
• Watershed Plan (WP)

Definitions

Watershed

A watershed is an area of land that drains into a common body of water. Waterford Township is within the Clinton River Watershed and within 2 subwatersheds: the Upper Clinton and the Clinton Main.

Stormwater

Stormwater is generated by rainwater and snowmelt runoff from streets, parking lots, building rooftops, lawns, farms, construction sites, industrial sites and many other aspects of the landscape. This runoff picks up fertilizers, dirt, pesticides, oil and grease, and many other pollutants on the way to our rivers, lakes, and coastal waters. Stormwater runoff is our most common cause of water pollution.

Watershed Management

Watershed management is a decision-making process regarding uses and changes to the land and the water within a watershed. Human changes directly alter the delivery of water, sediments, and nutrients within the watershed, and thus fundamentally change the aquatic system within the watershed.

Watershed management encompasses the entire watershed system, from uplands and headwaters, to floodplains, wetlands and river channels. Common goals for land and water resource management must be developed.

MS4 Progress Report - Reporting Period November 1, 2017 - October 31, 2019