What is Stormwater
Stormwater is Rainwater!
Stormwater is any precipitation that falls from the sky; such as rain, hail and snow.
The raindrops from the sky keep the Pacific Northwest luscious green.
Rain falls on our roofs and streets and picks up oil, grease and litter as it flows into storm drains and ditches.
Whatever goes down the drains flows to our streams, lakes and rivers.
What is a Watershed?
A Watershed is an area of land that collects rainwater and contains a common set of streams and rivers that all drain into a single larger body of water or combines with other watersheds to form a network of rivers and streams that progressively drain into a larger waterbody.
Our Watershed
The City of Camas (City) has three distinct watersheds, including the Lacamas Lake Basin, the Columbia River Basin, and the Washougal River Basin. The basins, as indicated by their names, drain to Lacamas Lake, the Washougal River and the Columbia River, which ultimately drains into the Pacific Ocean. The City has been rapidly growing since 2015 adding a significant amount of both new people and infrastructure. A Comprehensive Stormwater Plan was developed in 2013 to plan for new stormwater regulations and future capital improvements that would help meet the City’s goals and growth demands.
Protecting Our Watershed
The City protects the local watersheds by collecting, detaining and treating stormwater runoff from infrastructures. The stormwater collection and conveyance system consist of roadside ditches, streets and sidewalk, curb and gutter, catch basins and inlets, and drainage pipes. The stormwater facilities that treat and detain stormwater include ponds, bioswales, mechanical treatment filters, wet ponds and detention ponds. Private subdivisions, single-family homes and commercial businesses are all held to the same stormwater regulations as public developments in regards to providing detention and treatment for all stormwater runoff.
