Stormwater

Stormwater Introduction

The Newburgh City Council is responsible for managing water supply, wastewater and stormwater services in the City of Newburgh. Multiple City Departments are committed to doing our job in a way that protects public health and safety, respects the environment and uses ratepayers money wisely.

Why should we care about stormwater runoff?

In the last 30 years, enforcement of the Clean Water Act of 1972 has dramatically reduced water pollution from industrial operations. Today, the most significant source of water pollution is runoff from rainstorms and snowmelt in both rural and urban areas.

Stormwater carries sediment, oil, grease, nitrogen, phosphorus, and other pollutants into storm drains and then into nearby waterbodies - in our case, the Hudson River, and the smaller rivers that flow into it.

Natural areas allow rain and snowmelt to easily infiltrate into the ground. Today, natural areas are being replaced by impervious surfaces, which increase the volume and velocity of runoff and the amount of pollutants in stormwater. Excess nutrients in runoff, especially nitrogen and phosphorus, cause waterbody-impairing algal blooms. As algae die and decompose, oxygen levels decrease, harming or killing fish, plants and other aquatic organisms. Research indicates that stream quality begins to decline when impervious surfaces cover just 10% of a watershed.