Stormwater

City employee collecting stream data at a bridge 

Stormwater is generated from rain that falls in an urban setting and lands on hardened surfaces such as streets, parking areas, and house rooftops. The resulting stormwater does not soak into the ground, instead it runs off hardened surfaces and carries pollutants from these surfaces as runoff and is sent downhill to the nearest stream.

The stormwater system, includes catch basins, ditches, and pipes collecting water to slow or divert the stormwater to areas where it can be filtered by natural environment or Salem's stormwater utility services.

Clean water is important to healthy communities and Salem's stormwater systems help keep excessive rain runoff and pollution from entering our local streams and rivers.

Help us keep our local streams and rivers clean by reporting issues to Public Works Dispatch.