Storm drains in streets and parking areas must be strong enough to support the weight of vehicles, and are often made of cast iron or reinforced concrete. Grates with long narrow slots parallel to traffic flow are of particular concern to cyclists, as the front tire of a bicycle may become stuck, causing the cyclist to go over the handlebars or lose control and fall. However, if grate bars are too far apart, the openings may present a risk to pedestrians, bicyclists, and others in the vicinity. Grate bars are spaced so that the flow of water is not impeded, but sediment and many small objects can also fall through. Many inlets have gratings or grids to prevent people, vehicles, large objects or debris from falling into the storm drain. They are usually depressed at the invert of the channel to improve capture capacity. Side inlets are located adjacent to the curb and rely on the ability of the opening under the back stone or lintel to capture flow. There are two main types of stormwater drain (highway drain or road gully in the UK) inlets: side inlets and grated inlets. Storm sewer, Surface water sewer, or surface sewerĪ sewer designed and intended to carry only stormwater, surface runoff, street wash waters, and drainage : 668Ī sewer designed and intended to carry only rainwater runoffĪ combined sewer discharge pipeline intended to bypass wastewater treatment plants during peak runoff events Ī roadside channel to prevent uncontrolled runoff along roadway surfaces Ĭonsists of a gully grating on a chamber that connects to a surface water sewer / drain, ditch, or watercourseįull view of a storm drain ( Ontario, Canada) Several related terms are used differently in American and British English.Ī sewer designed and intended to serve as a sanitary sewer and a storm sewer, or as an industrial sewer and a storm sewer : 121 4 Relationship to sanitary sewer systems.Some storm drains mix stormwater (rainwater) with sewage, either intentionally in the case of combined sewers, or unintentionally.
This reduces the risk of overwhelming the public sewer. Many areas require detention tanks inside a property that temporarily hold runoff in heavy rains and restrict outlet flow to the public sewer. Inundated drains can cause basement and street flooding. Storm drains sometimes cannot manage the quantity of rain that falls in heavy rains or storms. Many storm drainage systems are gravity sewers that drain untreated storm water into rivers or streams-so it is unacceptable to pour hazardous substances into the drains. Even gutters from houses and buildings can connect to the storm drain. Storm drains vary in design from small residential dry wells to large municipal systems.ĭrains receive water from street gutters on most motorways, freeways and other busy roads, as well as towns in areas with heavy rainfall that leads to flooding, and coastal towns with regular storms. and Canada), surface water drain/ sewer ( United Kingdom), or stormwater drain ( Australia and New Zealand) is infrastructure designed to drain excess rain and ground water from impervious surfaces such as paved streets, car parks, parking lots, footpaths, sidewalks, and roofs.
Chemical Contaminated Soil Cleanup : Carla Hopkins 446-4366 or Nick Hodgkins 592-0882.Brownfield Remediation Program: Nick Hodgkins 592-0882.
Board of Underground Tank Installers Program: Theresa Scott 287-7169.Accounts payable (spill related): Lindsay Caron 287-2118.Aboveground Tanks: Fire Marshall 626-3800 (first), David McCaskill 287-7688.Bureau Director - Susanne Miller 557-2700.To Report Hazardous Materials Spills call (24 hours) 80įor general questions or if you are unsure of the specific staff contact, please call your nearest regional DEP office and describe your question or issue to the receptionist To Report Oil Spills call (24 hours) 1-80