What is Stormwater?
Stormwater is runoff from a rainstorm or melting snow. Urban landscapes - unlike forests, wetlands, and grasslands that trap water and allow it to filter slowly into the ground - contain great areas of impermeable asphalt and concrete surfaces that prevent water from seeping into the ground. Stormwater also picks up many pollutants as it travels across the hard surfaces. These pollutants include motor oil, pesticides, fertilizers, trash, and sediment that can harm the water quality of our local creeks, rivers, and lakes. Many people don’t realize that this polluted runoff flows to rivers and lakes untreated. Polluted stormwater runoff generally happens anywhere people use or alter the land. People going about their daily lives are the number one source of stormwater pollutants. Most people are unaware of how they impact water quality.
Stormwater Master Plan
Flooding has a widespread impact on the entire community in Douglas County, ranging from road closures and school shutdowns to delayed emergency vehicle responses. The repercussions extend beyond individual neighborhoods, affecting the entire region. To adhere to best practices in stormwater management and flood response, Douglas County has created a Stormwater Master Plan. Public workshops were conducted in February 2024 to enhance transparency and to seek public input on the plan. The Douglas County Stormwater Master Plan was adopted by the Douglas County Board of County Commissioners on March 21, 2024. Capital improvement projects listed in the Stormwater Master Plan will be evaluated and reprioritized annually as conditions change.
Area Drainage Master Plans and Studies:
Alpine View Estates Area Drainage Master Plan
Johnson Lane Area Drainage Master Plan Executive Summary
FINAL Johnson Lane Area Drainage Master Plan Technical Report
Johnson Lane 100-year 6 hour Storm Event Video
Buckeye Creek Phase 2 Feasibility Study
Pinenut Creek Flood Control Feasibility Study
Ruhenstroth Area Drainage Master Plan Technical Report
Ruhenstroth Existing Conditions 100 year 6 hour Storm Event Video
Topaz Drainage Study
Managing Stormwater on Your Property
- Slow it, Spread it, Sink it: Improving stormwater management on your property can help to improve drainage, lower risk of flooding and erosion, enhance your landscape, all while improving the health of lakes and streams.
- Rain Gardens: Small, detention, landscaped areas that capture, filter and infiltrate rainwater. Rain gardens allow at least 30% more water to infiltrate into the ground compared to lawn!
- Rain Barrels: Above ground water storage, or cistern. These capture rain runoff from a building’s roof using the gutter and downspout. Use the captured water to irrigate your landscape.
- Good Housekeeping Practices: Stormwater picks up litter, sand, bacteria, oil and other chemicals as it flows over the land and carries these pollutants to water bodies. Use a commercial car wash that treats the water, maintain your car to prevent fluid leaks, NEVER pour or sweep anything down a storm drain, and limit herbicide, pesticide and fertilizer use on lawns.
Only rain belongs down the storm drain system. Dumping into storm drains is illegal. See an illicit discharge in Douglas County? Email Douglas County Stormwater Division, or call (775) 782-6215.
Low Impact Development
Low impact development (LID) aims to reduce and slow stormwater runoff, minimize pollutants, and retain water onsite. Though not currently required in Douglas County, implementing LID elements is encouraged to help to reduce flooding, infiltrate stormwater runoff onsite, reduce costs and maintenance of stormwater infrastructure, improve watershed water quality, and increase groundwater recharge. By infiltrating stormwater onsite, the pollutant load making its way to the Carson River is reduced. Nonpoint source pollution from oil, fertilizers, pesticides, and sediment can be filtered through landscaping instead of entering local waterways by means of impervious surfaces and a traditional stormwater system. Some LID examples include bioretention, vegetated swales and buffer strips, rainwater catchment systems, and permeable hardscape.
- Onsite green infrastructure should be maximized to slow velocity and reduce volume of stormwater runoff and promote infiltration. Green infrastructure can include landscape detention basins, swales, planters, rain gardens, and tree box filters.
- Site disturbance should be reduced to protect natural landscaping and site drainage through minimal site grading and development footprint.
- Impervious surfaces should be reduced and disconnected from the storm drain system by directing water to infiltration areas. This can be done through permeable pavers, porous pavement, and curb cuts in landscaped islands.
- All drainage facilities should be designed with maintenance requirements in mind to ensure ease of access and upkeep.
Douglas County is actively working to add a Low Impact Development section to the County Design Criteria and Improvement Standards and incentivize implementation within new development projects.
Additional Resources
CWSD ADMP Web Access System
I am Carson River Watershed
Stream Dumping Regulations
Stormwater BMP Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning
Stormwater BMP Pet Waste
Stormwater BMP Restaurant and Food Service