What Storm Water Services Does

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Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services works to:

improve water quality

and

reduce flood risks

for all residents of Charlotte-Mecklenburg.

Storm Water Services does not provide drinking water or sanitary sewer service. Those are provided by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utility Department. Learn more.

To improve the water quality of our creeks, lakes and ponds, we:

Monitor pollutant levels in surface water
Investigate spills or illegal dumping
Enforce ordinances designed to protect water quality
Restore eroded or damaged stream channels
Educate residents about pollution prevention

Polluted creek
Storm Water Services works to
eliminate pollution like this

Storm water culvert installation
Installing a storm drainage culvert to
reduce flooding risks

Reducing flood risks includes:

Preventing or reducing the loss of life, disruption of services, and property damage caused by floods
Installing, upgrading and maintaining storm drains and pipes
Mapping floodplains and managing floodplain development
Preserving and restoring natural stream channels and the beneficial functions of floodplains

Charlotte-Mecklenburg’s storm water programs are fee funded.

Storm water management has evolved over time. Decades ago, the focus was on urban flood control funded by local property taxes. Now, storm water management also includes environmental protection, water resource enhancement, and regulations regarding both water quality and preventing flood losses.

Watch a video about what Storm Water Services does. This video specifically refers to Charlotte. Procedures used by the six Towns and Mecklenburg County are similar but may not be identical to the City's.

View a summary of what Storm Water Services does.

Who does what? How Storm Water Services is organized.

Storm Water Services' projects can help reduce pollution, reduce flooding or both.

Before stream restoration
Before a stream restoration project in
Hidden Valley

After stream restoration
The Hidden Valley project improved water
quality in Little Sugar Creek and temporarily
holds some floodwater.

Read more about Storm Water Services. (NOTE: This document is an Adobe PDF and requires Adobe Reader to view. You may download a free copy by visiting Adobe.com.)