Event – Omaha Stormwater

2024 Rain Barrel Program – COMING SOON!

April 25, 2024

You are invited to be part of the movement. In an effort to promote wise use and conservation of water, the City of Omaha has created the Rain Barrel Program. It's a great way for you to better use our…

2024 World O! Water

September 1, 2022

Dive into fun, action-packed activities at this year's World O! Water festival! The free, public event will be held Saturday, September 7th from 12-4pm at Chalco Hills. Featuring arts & crafts, science experiments, water & wildlife demonstrations, games, nature hikes,…

OmahaPlants.org – City of Omaha’s Plant Resource

April 24, 2017

Visit OmahaPlants.org today! Hey, Omaha - got a question about what to plant? Check out our new website OmahaPlants.org, a new directory of shrubs, grasses, plants and trees that are well-suited for our climate and growing conditions. You can search by type…

Stormwater Awareness Month

December 24, 2014

April is Stormwater Awareness Month! Don't miss out on interesting fun facts and great ways for you to be Stormwater savvy!

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How can stormwater runoff be managed?

Preventing pollution from entering waterways is much more affordable than cleaning polluted water. There are many different ways to keep pollutants out of runoff and to slow down high volumes of runoff by using “best management practices,” or BMPs. Educating residents about how to prevent pollution from entering waterways is one BMP. Another BMP is having laws in place to stop littering, enforce cleaning up after pets, and prohibit dumping oil or other substances into storm inlets. There are also laws that require people and businesses involved in earth disturbing activities –like construction and agriculture — to take steps to prevent erosion which is another way to prevent stormwater pollution.

Aside from education and law making, some BMPs can be constructed on property in order to help manage runoff and prevent pollutants from entering waterways. Detention ponds are one example of a BMP that is constructed to temporarily hold water so that it seeps into the ground slowly- these ponds fill up quickly after a rainstorm and allow solids like sediment and litter to settle at the pond bottom rather than be washed into storm inlets. Other examples of constructed BMPs are green roofs, storm drain grates, filter strips, rain gardens, and permeable pavement.

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