Bountiful mayor, streets director outline stormwater system, urge residents to limit pollutants

Mayor Candelon Harris and Charles Benson, the city—s streets department director, discussed Bountiful—s stormwater infrastructure and ways residents can reduce pollution during a brief public update.

"Hi there. I'm mayor Candelon Harris here with Charles Benson, our streets department director today, and we're talking about storm drains," Harris said at the start of the exchange. Benson described the system and how it is funded: "So stormwater is an enterprise fund. So that means it's paid by the fees that are charged for the stormwater part on your bill. So no tax money is used in the stormwater department."

Benson said the city maintains roughly 72 miles of storm drain pipe and about 100 miles of open creeks that flow toward wetlands feeding the Great Salt Lake. He told residents that because the city—s storm system does not send water to a treatment plant, keeping contaminants out of gutters and inlets is important for water quality: "Since we don't have any kind of water treatment plant before it gets into the wetlands, we need to try to do what we can to keep all those things out."

The streets department also maintains 25 city stormwater detention basins and oversees about 15 private stormwater detention systems that connect into the municipal network; Benson said there are about 20 catch basins associated with those private systems. He added that the city has more than 320 miles of curb gutters that lead to hundreds of inlet points into the storm system and that common debris — grass clippings, dirt from yard work, fallen leaves and fertilizer — can accumulate and cause downstream water-quality problems.

Benson urged homeowners to check private drainage elements around their properties to reduce local flooding risk. "As a resident, you look at how your water drains. Is your downspout too close to the house? You need to extend it out to keep it from flooding your house. Do you need to redo the grading on the backyard a little bit to keep the water flowing away from the house or channelized out to the front work and drain out?" he said. He also noted that very large storm events can overwhelm the system even when properties are properly maintained.

On hazardous waste disposal, Benson said the city holds a household hazardous waste collection in October at the city shops. He added that the city partners with a local contractor, Veolia, which can accept hazardous materials year-round for a small fee.

Harris closed the update by thanking the streets department for maintaining the network residents rarely see: "It's impressive to me, Charles, that we have this whole network underground that we don't even think about, but yet it's doing its job of carrying the water away. And so what we can do as residents to keep that water clean and to keep it contained, is helpful to you. And we really appreciate the work that you do for us as residents."

Officials provided no formal actions, votes or new regulations during the briefing; the remarks were informational and focused on maintenance, resident guidance and ongoing collection options for household hazardous waste.