The City of Gainesville needs your help to improve the water quality in our creeks and lakes. Most people do not realize that putting trash carts, recycle bins, grass clippings, or leaves from yard maintenance in the street or dumping yard debris into stormwater ditches and ponds creates problems for the stormwater drainage system and water quality.
Stormwater systems are designed to hold water run-off from specific areas. Water is held to be treated over time to remove pollutants and debris. When debris left in the street makes its way into ditches or stormwater basins, it combines with other debris and can overload the system. All storm drains lead to our ponds, streams, lakes and rivers!
Open Watercourse System: Roadside ditches, swales, retention/detention ponds and watershed flood control systems.
Closed Watercourse System: Inlets, catch basins, manholes, pipes and outfall structures.
Routine Scheduled Maintenance:This type of maintenance accounts for 60% of maintenance activity. Routine maintenance is mowing and cleaning, checking inlets and outfall structures. Other maintenance activities are machine cleaning and excavating (for example, hydroscopes, trackhoes, backhoes, etc.). Removing debris and sediments from systems and activities related to erosion control and repair. Scheduled maintenance occurs 4 to 5 times a year.