Stormwater Management Plan Review

When it rains ...

When it rains—stormwater happens! What to do with all that water can be a problem (but also an opportunity). Another concern is the quality of runoff before it is returned to a stream.

Why worry about stormwater?

There are many reasons for us to care about stormwater. Most important—nearly all of that runoff goes right back into a stream! The benefits of Salem's stormwater program include managing floods, minimizing erosion, and protecting our rivers and streams for salmon and steelhead, and for uses that include drinking water, swimming, and other recreation.

Salem Stormwater Management Plan Values and Guiding Principles—June 2005 The following values were initially adopted by Salem's Stormwater Advisory Committee to guide planning: Promote proactive environmental stewardship. Preserve and enhance stream corridors. Balance water quantity and water quality considerations. Seek cost-effective solutions. Educate and involve the public. Meet/exceed regulatory requirements.

Best Management Practices

State and Federal regulations that protect rivers and streams require "the best control technology can provide" to the "maximum extent practicable" also called "best management practices" (BMPs). Salem's stormwater plan incorporates dozens of BMPs:

	Stormwater detention and control facilities
	Stormwater treatment options
	Operational measures such as street sweeping and catch basin cleaning
	Illicit discharge prevention
	Industrial stormwater discharge controls
	Construction site erosion controls
	Public outreach and education

How do we pay for stormwater?

Salem residents and businesses currently pay for stormwater services through their bi-monthly utility rates. Approximately 16 percent of your utility bill (water and sewer) pays for the stormwater program. The current charge is about $18 of a typical household's bi-monthly bill.

Watershed Councils

Volunteers are finding solutions that work in each watershed, through local watershed councils. The councils—Claggett, Glenn-Gibson, Pringle—and Friends of Mill Creek, are nonprofit, citizen-based organizations formed to protect Salem's urban waterways and promote awareness and education on watershed issues. Their projects include stream bank cleanup, tree planting and habitat restoration, pollution prevention, and public information and education. The City of Salem supports the councils' work to address stormwater problems, watershed-by-watershed.

For More Information ...

To find out more or to get involved in the Stormwater Management Plan, contact Steve Downs, phone 503-588-6211; e-mail sdowns@cityofsalem.net, or you can visit the website.