Stormwater Management
The City of Ottumwa is an MS4 City, which translates to: Muncipal Separtate Storm Sewer System. The City is responsible for compliance with the federal MS4 permit, which is issued by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
Polluted storm water runoff is often transported to municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4s) and ultimately discharged into local rivers and streams without treatment. The EPA’s MS4 stormwater management program is intended to improve the Nation’s waterways by reducing the quantity of pollutants that stormwater picks up and carries into storm sewer systems during storm events.
Common pollutants include oil and grease from roadways, pesticides from lawns, sediment from construction sites, and carelessly discarded trash, such as cigarette butts, paper wrappers, and plastic bottles. When deposited into nearby waterways through MS4 discharges, these pollutants can impair the waterways, thereby discouraging recreational use of the resource, contaminating drinking water supplies, and interfering with the habitat for fish, other aquatic organisms, and wildlife.
Link to the E.P.A.'s National Pollution Discharge Elimination System website
Link to the Iowa Stormwater Education Program
The City is in the process of developing changes and additions to the Municipal Code to regulate storm water runoff from construction sites, site plan review of post construction runoff devices, and the inspection and maintenance of devices installed as required by law.
To report a stormwater concern, contact the City's Engineering Department at 641-683-0680
or file it online with the Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities.
The City is working to educate the public about many of the issues relating to stormwater and how they can help in keeping our waters clean. Below are links to a leaflet and brochure that were mailed out to all sewer customers in Ottumwa. The Poster link shows slides shown on the City's Governement Access Channel (Cable Channel 6-GOTV).
Stormwater Informational Leaflet (pdf)