Stormwater Management Education & Resources
Welcome to the Middletown Township Stormwater Information page. This page is intended to educate and inform the public about the various efforts the Township is making to help reduce stormwater runoff, as well as decrease the amount of pollution that gets carried into our local streams as a result of that stormwater runoff. Please browse the sections below for information on what you as a property owner can do to help with this important effort.
If you are planning a construction project which will require stormwater control, please click here, or navigate to the Erosion and Sedimentation Control and Storm Water Management section under I Want To... and under the Permits and Forms tab.
In March 2003, Middletown Township began a comprehensive stormwater management program mandated by the Federal Environmental Protection Agency and monitored by the state Department of Environmental Protection. The program is designed to literally “manage” stormwater, both by protecting water quality and by preventing high volumes of runoff from causing flooding in developed areas. Any municipality with a population of at least 5,000, including counties, must comply with the program.
Water pollution degrades surface waters making them unsafe for drinking, fishing, swimming, and other activities. As authorized by the Clean Water Act, the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program controls water pollution by regulating “point sources” that release pollutants into waters of the United States.
Point sources can be pipes or man-made ditches that carry stormwater from the street level to the nearest stream. Because Middletown owns the stormwater conveyance system (point sources) within the municipal boundaries, the responsibility lies with the Township to ensure that any water pollution entering the system is minimized to the fullest extent possible. This effort to protect water quality is two-pronged: through education of residents, businesses, developers, and its own staff, and through the use of technical implements to reduce the discharge of pollutants into streams. For instance, a large component of the program is the requirement that the Township screen its stormwater outfalls for potential conditions of pollution and take corrective action in the event a pollutant source is found.
Another major component of the program requires an effort by the Township to increase citizen participation and awareness. It is important for Middletown’s residents and businesses to be aware that increased stormwater runoff and pollution can occur from many different sources, and can cause a number of different problems.
Concentrated development in urbanized areas substantially increases impervious surfaces, such as streets, driveways and parking lots. These surfaces are the primary collector of pollutants until a rain washes them into nearby storm drains. Common pollutants include pesticides, fertilizers, oils, salt, litter, and sediment. Storm drains do not run to treatment plants. They empty directly into waterways. When left uncontrolled, these discharges can result in fish kills, destruction of wildlife habitats, and contamination of drinking water and recreational waterways. Sediment from yard debris and construction sites can cause stream bank erosion, vegetation destruction, and flooding. It is therefore extremely important to recognize that individual actions can multiply the effect on water quality.
Click on the links below for more information.
Stormwater Tips for Residents
Stormwater Ad Series
Stormwater is unavoidable, but its effects can be reduced by keeping harmful chemicals and materials out of the runoff. This section reviews potential sources of contamination and offers ways to minimize them.
These informational ads address different practices we all do on a daily basis and provides quick and easy ways to do them in a more water-friendly way. Check them out! Click on the heading to read more.
Landscaping and Site Management
Some stormwater risks can be controlled by making changes to buildings, paved surfaces, the landscape, and soil surfaces.
Click on the heading for more information regarding landscape alterations you might want to consider.