Stormwater

Overview

In 2005 Centralia formed a Storm and Surface Water Utility and established a stormwater fee. This was done for the following reasons:

  • An expanding population in the city
  • Increasing development and impervious surface Inadequate drainage in some areas due to non-existent or aging stormwater systems
  • New federal/state regulations require that the City develop and implement a stormwater management program designed to prevent water quality degradation and other stormwater problems.

Stormwater starts when the rain picks up pollutants from streets, sidewalks, and lawns. When it quickly drains into our streams and wetlands without any treatment to remove the pollutants, those pollutants can harm people, fish and animals. Too much runoff at once can cause streams to overflow causing localized flooding. It can also erode the stream banks, damaging property and sending muddy polluted water downstream.

Download the Surface and Storm Water Management Plan (PDF) which is approximately 15MB in size. If you have any problems downloading the document, please call the Utility Department for assistance.

Stormwater Emergency Issues

Stormwater issue examples include:

  • Flooded intersections
  • Excessive water over roadway
  • Sinkholes
  • Spills of questionable material
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