Stormwater Management

You might be wondering why we would devote a whole webpage to stormwater issues?

There are many reasons for concerned citizens to pay attention to the role stormwater runoff plays in our local environment. Some of those include:

• Stormwater runoff washes contaminants from our lawns, streets, houses, and sidewalks into our storm drains. In our coastal environment stormwater runoff can cause unnatural freshwater flows, which can be detrimental to coastal marine life.
• Contaminants in stormwater can give rise to:
  • Fish Kills
  • Shellfish Closures
  • Harmful algae blooms

The City of Brunswick now has a Stormwater Utility

• The Stormwater Utility has been approved and is now helping the City of Brunswick to dedicate funds to the improvement of the City of Brunswick storm drainage.
• Follow this a link to the Stormwater Utility Page: City of Brunswick Stormwater Utility
• The Stormwater Utility User Fee Credit Manual can be found here: Stormwater User Fee Credit Manual

Our Stormwater Utility Maintains Storm Drains and Ditches by:

• Keeping storm drains and ditches clean and free of debris.
• Cleaning catch basins and manholes.
• Inspecting storm drains and ditches to insure they are not showing signs of illicit discharges.
• Making repairs and/or modifications to storm drains and ditches as needed or required.
• Mapping & inspecting storm drain & ditch system with equipment such as our video truck.

IDDE - Illicit Discharge Detection & Elimination

• Be careful because many discharges can be DANGEROUS!
• The City of Brunswick is responsible for detecting and eliminating all illegal discharges into our marshes, creeks, rivers, and ground water. Illegal discharges or illicit discharges cause damage to our areas waterways that can cause a variety of problems for people, pets, vegetation, and/or all sorts of aquatic and terrestrial wildlife. Common discharges consist of items such as oil and grease, fertilizers and pesticides, washing machine discharges, grass clippings and leaves, sediment, and other substances that have a peculiar odor or color.

What can our citizens do to help?

• Report illicit discharges to Public Works at 912-267-3703. If you see a discharge that appears to be an immediate threat to people or property call 911.
• Report anything that is not water that you observe entering the storm drain system.
• Report anything spilled in the streets or gutters.
• Report anyone you observe dumping on the streets, curbs, private lots, or in the alleys

Here are some examples of what to report:

• Oil, gas, chemicals, etc. entering a storm drain inlet
• Soap suds or anything with a peculiar color or odor exiting a storm drain pipe
• Chemicals spilled on a highway or street
• Sediment from an unknown source entering a waterway

Tips for reporting illegal discharges

• When possible estimate the amount of discharge.
• Take note of the characteristics of the discharge (color, odor, etc.)
• NEVER get too close to a strange discharge because it may be dangerous!
• If possible, write down information on the vehicle dumping the waste.

Please Remember:

• Storm drain systems are separate from waste water systems
• The storm drain system is different from the sanitary sewer system.
• Storm drains discharge to our rivers, streams, creeks, and marshes without any treatment.
• Concerned citizens like you can improve the quality of life for all of our residents and visitors by helping to keep the City of Brunswick and the Golden Isles clean, beautiful, and pollution free.

The City of Brunswick Public Works Department received the 2006 Georgia Association of Water Professionals Public Education Award. We were selected out of over 100 of the top water and wastewater utilities in the state to receive their Public Education Award for our Stormwater Education Programs.

We All Play A Part: We are working hard to inform the citizens of Brunswick about the important role that we all play in keeping our city clean and beautiful. Everything that goes onto our lawns, streets, and sidewalks eventually makes its way into our storm drain system, and subsequently into our rivers and marshes. We have run an ad campaign featuring the "Shrimp Guys", Popcorn and Jumbo, on local radio since 2006. We plan on continuing to run this campaign to raise public awareness of storm water pollution; in order to keep our city cleaner. You can listen to Popcorn and Jumbo's commercial below!

What are some Types of Stormwater Runoff?

Point Source Pollution:

• Industry
• Power Plants
• Sewage Treatment Plants
• Construction Sites
• Non-point Source Pollution:
• Lawns
• Septic Tanks
• Roads and Sidewalks
• Agriculture (Gardens)

Non-Point Source Pollution:

• Excess fertilizers, herbicides and insecticides from agricultural lands and residential areas
• Oil, grease and toxic chemicals from urban runoff and energy production
• Sediment from improperly managed construction sites, crop and forest lands, and eroding stream banks
• And many more