Lake Champlain Basin Program: Reducing Stormwater Runoff

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Stormwater: Reducing Polluted Runoff

The Lake Champlain watershed typically receives 35 inches of rain annually but we rarely think about where the rain goes and its impact on our environment.

Try our interactive home improvement animation!

When rain falls on a field or forest, it soaks into the ground naturally. When rain falls on towns and cities, it flows off hard or "impervious" surfaces like roofs, driveways, and sidewalks into the storm drain system. Every time it rains, the volume of water flowing into our waterways increases. This increased volume of runoff called "stormwater" can cause stream bank erosion and water pollution. One acre of developed land typically sends three times as much phosphorus to the lake as one acre of agricultural land!

Home Improvement Tips to
Reduce Stormwater Runoff

In the City of South Burlington, one in three homes has a downspout, or vertical pipe for carrying rainwater from a gutter to ground level, that empties into the City’s storm drain system. During a heavy rainfall, a downspout can drain as much as 12 gallons of water per minute. Other communities in the Basin have similar problems. Redirecting even one downspout away from the storm drain system can significantly reduce the impact a home has on our waterways. Try our interactive home improvement animation to learn some easy, inexpensive and even beautiful tips to reduce runoff from you property, or visit these links:

Redirect Your Downspouts
Plant a Rain Garden
Install a Rain Barrel
Reducing Stormwater Runoff from Your Home (brochure, 838 KB PDF)
Absorb the Storm: Create a Rain-friendly Yard and Neighborhood (brochure 2 MB PDF)