The City is Doing Its Part Preventing Stormwater Pollution
When you pay the drainage component of your utility bill, you invest in clean streams and rivers. Part of your bill covers the cost of storm water management and disposal, which includes installing, cleaning, and maintaining catch basins and storm sewer lines.
The City also regularly trains street maintenance, water distribution, wastewater collection, and other municipal crews in pollution prevention best practices. City crews have a long-standing commitment to preventing stormwater pollution. Regular vehicle maintenance prevents and repairs oils and hydraulic fluid leaks. Transitioning, when appropriate, to food-grade chemicals for field operations reduces risks to aquatic organisms. Minimizing erosion during digging or trenching reduces sedimentation. Upcoming staff trainings will build on existing knowledge and teach crews to effectively contain spills, appropriately clean up spills, and properly dispose of chemical, hazardous, and concrete wastes. We also have aggressive street sweeping and leaf collection programs to remove debris from the streets before it gets washed down the storm drains.
Several documents guide the City of Corvallis stormwater management efforts:
- Stormwater Pollution Prevention Behaviors of Corvallis Residents: A Final Report Summarizing Research Conducted by Oregon State University Graduate Students in Spring 2010.
- City of Corvallis National Pollutant Discharge and Elimination System Year Four Annual Compliance Report. Submitted to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality October 2010.
- City of Corvallis Total Maximum Daily Load Annual Compliance Report. Submitted to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality October 2020.
- Urban Stormwater Quality Management and Discharge Control Ordinance. A new ordinance designed to protect Corvallis waterways from polluted stormwater runoff.
- Stormwater Master Plan
- Stormwater Management Program Plan
- Endangered Species Act Salmon Response Plan
- Surface Water Management Plan
- The In-stream Temperature Monitoring Protocol outlines the methods used to collect water temperature data throughout Corvallis's major streams.
- The 2010 In-Stream Temperature Monitoring Report summarizes data collected in the 2010 pilot data collection season.
- The 2011 In-Stream Temperature Monitoring Report
- The 2012 In-Stream Temperature Monitoring Report
