Glossary of Storm Water Terms 

Best Management Practices (BMPs): Good housekeeping solutions that include the proper handling, storage, and disposal of toxic materials to prevent, reduce or eliminate storm water pollution.   

Catch basin: Curbside opening that collects rainwater from streets and serves as an entry point to the storm drain system.   

Creek Stewardship: local government supporting individuals, businesses, neighborhoods, and community groups who volunteer to help keep local creeks clean and safe.

Environmental Crime:  Illegal activities that normally involve the disposal of hazardous or harmful material into our waterways, landfills or regional wastewater system.  The most dangerous types of materials are classified as hazardous wastes and are extremely dangerous to humans, wildlife and the environment in general.

First flush: The first big rain after an extended dry period (usually summer) which flushes out the accumulated pollutants in the storm drain system and carries them directly into the ocean.   

Flood control channel: The open portion (often concrete-lined) of the storm drain system.   

Gutter: The edge of a street (below the curb) designed to drain water runoff from streets, driveways, parking lots, etc. into catch basins.   

Household hazardous waste: Common everyday products that people use in and around their homes—including paint, paint thinner, herbicides, and pesticides—that, due to their chemical nature, can be hazardous if not properly disposed (reused, recycled, discharged to sanitary sewer, treated, or placed in a sufficiently designed landfill to prevent leeching to underground or surface waters).

Illegal discharge: Any disposal into the storm drain system for which a person or business does not have a permit.  

Illicit connection: Any connection to the storm drain system that is not permitted or any legitimate connection that is used for illegal discharge.   

IPM:  Integrated Pest Management starts with non toxic methods or products to reduce threats from pests before moving up to less toxic products.  It can also include biological controls and diversity.

NPDES:  National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, a federal permit system to control and monitor the discharge of pollutants to water bodies (groundwater, creeks, lakes, bays, and oceans).

Non-point source pollution: Pollution that does not come from a single, identifiable source. Includes materials that wash from roofs, streets, yards, driveways, sidewalks and other land areas. Collectively, this is the largest source of storm water pollution.   

Outfall: A flow of water from one drainage system into a larger system, or into a body of water like a lake, bay, or the ocean.   

Point source pollution: Pollution from a single identifiable source such as a factory or a sewage-treatment plant.

Storm Drain:  A sewer system and a storm drain system are not the same.  Water that goes down a sink or other inside drain flows to either a waste water treatment plant or to a septic system for treatment. Storm drain flows are not treated. Water that flows down driveways, streets and outside areas goes into a storm drain and flows directly to the nearest creek, affecting fish and wildlife habitats, downstream recreational areas and drinking water supplies.

SUSMP:  Standard Urban Storm Water Mitigation Plan

SWMP:  Storm Water Management Plan.  A plan that describes storm water program activities that are designed to prevent, reduce or eliminate storm water pollution in order to improve water quality and to protect local waterways.

SWPPP:  Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan

Source control: Action to prevent pollution where it originates.   

Storm drain system: A vast network of underground pipes and open channels designed for flood control, which discharges straight to the ocean.

Storm water: Rainwater that enters the storm drain system and empties into lakes, rivers, streams or the ocean.   

Storm water pollution:  Storm water pollution refers to many types of harmful materials (cigarette butts, trash, automotive fluids, used oil, paint, fertilizers and pesticides, lawn and garden clippings and pet waste) that are picked up from streets, parking lots, driveways and yards and carried by water (rain water or wash water) through the storm drain system to creeks, lakes, the Russian River and ultimately Pacific Ocean. Storm water is not treated in any way. While water we use in our homes and businesses drains to a treatment plant, storm water and anything else dumped or spilled outside flows into the storm drain system and directly to our waterways.

Storm water pollution has many sources. One of the most common is the illegal dumping or spilling of wastes directly into storm drains, like pouring used motor oil or paint directly into a storm drain. Pollutants also enter storm drains when it rains; rain runs off roofs, streets, parking lots, and other paved and impervious surfaces and flows into the nearest storm drain, picking up pollutants along the way. Rain, as well as waters from hoses and sprinklers, carries detergents from car washing as well as pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers to the storm drain. From the storm drain, water flows directly into the nearest waterway-garbage, toxins, and all.

Watershed: An area of land that drains water or runoff to a single point. For example, the watershed of the Los Angeles River would be the surrounding neighborhoods and natural terrain.