Municipal Stormwater System (MS4)

To keep pollutants and other hazardous substances out of stormwater, the Kentucky Division of Water enforces the Kentucky Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (KPDES). KPDES aims to prevent pollutants from entering the municipal separate stormwater systems (MS4s) across the state of Kentucky. The City of Danville is a Phase II MS4 and is required to abide by the regulations and requirements in the KPDES permit. As part of this permit, MS4s must develop a stormwater program that implements six minimum control measures:

1. Public Education and Outreach
2. Public Participation and Involvement
3. Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination
4. Construction Site Runoff Control
5. Post-Construction Runoff Control
6. Pollution Prevention and Good Housekeeping

Through the six minimum control measures and best management practices, the City of Danville stormwater management program aims to protect the waterways and benefit the natural environment by managing flooding and pollution.

“What is a stormwater utility fee and why is it on my water bill every month?”

The stormwater fee on your water bill accounts for the impervious surface on your property and its impact on the stormwater system.

Impervious surfaces:

• Significantly reduce the amount of water that can soak into the ground.
• Affect how water flows off a property.
• Cause water to accumulate and flow into storm drains (which can cause problems for streams).

The City of Danville stormwater utility fee is charged monthly and goes directly towards covering the costs of managing stormwater, the maintenance of pipes, storm drains, filters, and stormwater capital projects. The fee also helps provide sufficient funding to meet the annual permit requirements.

Stormwater utility fees are authorized by Congress and supported by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA mandates that local governments manage stormwater runoff under the Clean Water Act. Stormwater fees are increasingly common across the country and are charged to both tax-paying and tax-exempt properties.

Stormwater Pollution & Illicit Discharges

Stormwater Pollution is any rainwater that is contaminated with bacteria, chemicals, oil, dirt, or trash that flows through storm drains into local waterways. An illicit discharge is anything going into a municipal stormwater system that is not composed entirely of stormwater. Examples of illicit discharges include:

• Septic tank seepage / Illegal sanitary connections
• Laundry wastewater / Detergent
• Improper oil disposal / Flushing of auto fluids
• Pesticides and fertilizers
• Home improvement waste (ex: concrete, paint)
• Improper disposal of commercial and industrial waste
• Pool / Spa discharge
• Cooking grease / Household waste

"What can I do to mitigate stormwater pollution?" CLICK HERE to find out!

Please click the link below to report any discharges of pollutants into the City’s stormwater system including sediment.

Report Stormwater Pollution or Illicit Discharges

Our Partners!

Bluegrass Greensource - Green Neighbor Program

Become a certified Green Neighbor by participating in environmentally friendly practices at home! Click the link below to learn more. 

https://bggreensource.org/green-neighbor/

Kentucky Watershed Watch - Stream Sampling

The City of Danville Stormwater Program serves as a support hub for Kentucky Watershed Watch, a volunteer stream monitoring program. Samplers visit local creeks and collect and submit their findings to an online data portal. This information can be shared and used to help inform others in their communities, as well as others across Kentucky. If you are interested in participating as a stream sampler, please visit the Kentucky Watershed Watch website at www.kywater.org. If you are unsure of a creek location to sample, please contact the Danville Stormwater Program for suggestions.

Stormwater Vocabulary

Curb Inlet: A curbside opening that collects rainwater from streets and serves as an entry point to the storm drain system.

Culvert: A drain or channel crossing that directs and helps control water away from roads.

Detention Basin: A man-made basin that temporarily holds and then drains stormwater runoff to help mitigate flooding.

Ditch: A long and narrow excavation dug in the earth for drainage of stormwater runoff. 

Impervious Surface: Structures and surfaces that allow little to no stormwater infiltration into the ground due to being water-resistant material (asphalt, brick, concrete, stone, rooftops, etc.) 

Non-point source pollution: Pollution that does not come from a single, identifiable source. Includes materials that wash from roofs, streets, yards, driveways, sidewalks and other land areas.

Point source pollution: Any single identifiable source of pollution from which pollutants are discharged. Examples include animal waste runoff from CFOs, smokestacks, discharge pipes, and drainage ditches.

Rain Barrel: A container that collects rainwater from a building's roof and stores it for later use.

Rain Garden: A shallow, man-made depression in the ground that collects rainwater from paved areas like driveways, parking lots and streets. Rain gardens help to reduce runoff, recharge groundwater, filter pollutants, and can also provide habitats for wildlife.

Retention Basin: A man-made basin that permanently holds stormwater runoff to help mitigate flooding. Retention basins usually have a vegetative buffer on the outside to prevent erosion, and are also called retention ponds, wet basins or stormwater management ponds.

Riparian Buffer: An area adjacent to a stream, lake, or wetland that contains a combination of trees, shrubs or other perennial plants. Riparian buffers help shade and protect streams from impacts of land uses, while also improving water quality.

Storm Drain: A drain that is built to carry off excess water in times of heavy rain. Storm drains lead to underground pipes or open ditches that carry surface runoff, separate from the sanitary sewer or wastewater system.