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State of Rhode Island, Department of Environmental Management ,
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  1. Home
  2. Environmental Protection Bureau
  3. Water Resources
  4. Outreach & Education
  5. Stormwater Basics
  • Environmental Protection Bureau
  • Initiatives
    • Acting on Climate Change
      • Our Climate Work
      • Financial Assistance
        • Climate Resilience Fund
        • Energy-Savings Trees
        • Farm Energy Program
        • Wastewater Treatment Facility Resilience Fund
      • Executive Climate Change Coordination Council (EC4)
      • Office of Energy Resources (OER)
      • Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative
    • Clean Water Week
    • Climate Resilience Fund
      • Green Economy and Clean Water Bond
    • Climatology
      • Climate
        • ClimateChange.ri.gov
        • Climate.gov
        • Climate Reanalyzer
        • Climate Central
        • Climate Program Office
        • NOAA RI Climate Change report
      • Local Forecast
      • Northeast River Forecast Center
      • Quarterly Climate Reports
      • Monthly Climate Report
      • Northeast Regional Climate Center
        • Northeast Regional Climate Center
        • Applied Climate Information System (ACIS)
        • National Climatic Data Center (NCDC)
      • Rhode Island Climate Statistics
      • Drought Information
        • Rhode Island Drought Monitor
        • Rhode Island Water Resources Board Drought Monitoring Dashboard
        • Rhode Island Water Resources Board
      • Rhode Island Daily Precipitation
      • American Assoc of State Climatologist
    • Environmental Justice
    • Tackling Plastics Task Force
    • Zero Plastics Marina Initiative
    • Green Economy & Clean Water Bond
  • Air Resources
    • Accidental Release
    • Air Monitoring
    • Air Quality Forecast
    • Air Toxics
    • Air Permits
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    • Climate Change
    • Compliance
    • Emissions Inventory
    • Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)
    • Mobile Sources
      • Advanced Clean Cars II & Advanced Clean Trucks
      • Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA)
      • Light Duty Vehicles
      • Medium & Heavy Duty Vehicles
      • Volkswagen Settlement
    • Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI)
    • Rhode Island Greenhouse Gas Inventory
    • State Implementation Plan
    • Stage I Vapor Recovery Program
    • Residential Wood Heaters
    • Air Toxics Monitoring – Port of Providence
    • Ocean State Clean Cities
    • Forms & Applications
    • Publications & Reports
    • Regulations
    • Staff
  • Compliance and Inspection
    • Administrative
      • Mediation Program
      • Administrative Adjudication Decisions
    • Compliance Programs
      • Air Pollution
      • Dam Safety
        • Dam Operation Permits
      • Freshwater Wetlands
      • Onsite Wastewater Treatment Disposal
      • Hazardous Waste
      • Medical & Solid Waste
      • Underground Storage Tanks
      • Water Pollution
    • Policies & Guidelines
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    • Publications
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    • Staff
  • Customer and Technical Assistance
    • File Review
    • Case Studies
    • Environmental Results
      • Introduction to ERP
      • Auto Body Certification Program
      • Autobody Environmental Fact Sheets
      • Auto Salvage Yard Certification Program
      • Construction Site Stormwater Compliance Assistance Program
      • UST Environmental Results Program
    • Green Certification Programs
      • Green Breweries
      • Green Events
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      • Green Hotels
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      • Policies
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    • Small Business Resilience
    • Permit Application Center
    • Pollution Prevention
    • Truk-Away Landfill Closure
    • Pre-Application Meetings
    • Staff
  • Emergency Response
    • Narraganset Bay Assessment & Response Team (BART)
    • Scientific Support for Environmental Emergency Response (SSEER)
    • EP Community Right-to-Know (EPCRA)
    • Tier2 Reporting in Rhode Island
    • Local Emergency Planning Info/Contacts
    • Emergency Response Plan (ERP)
    • Geographic Response Plans
    • Forms & Applications
    • Home Heating Oil Tanks
    • OSPAR Reports
    • Program Brochure
    • Training & Drills
    • Major Emergency Response Incidents
    • Waste Disposal
    • Staff
  • Land Revitalization and Sustainable Materials Management
    • Permits & Licenses
      • Online UST Registration
      • Medical Waste Generator Registration
      • Hazardous Waste Transporter Permit Renewals
    • Underground Storage Tank Management Program
    • Waste Facilities Management Program
      • About the Waste Facilities Management Program
      • Inactive Landfill Closure
        • Former Truk-Away Landfill
        • Portsmouth Landfill
        • Solar on Rhode Island Closed Landfills
      • Hazardous Waste and Used Oil
        • Asbestos
        • Lead Paint Removal
        • Mercury Topics
        • Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Disposal in RI
      • Medical and Infectious Waste
        • Pharmaceutical Disposal
      • Permitted Transporter Information
      • Auto Salvage Yard Certification
      • Solid Waste & Recycling
        • Beneficial Use Determination (BUD)
        • Solid Waste
        • Recycling
        • Commercial Recycling
        • Electronic Waste for Businesses
        • Electronic Waste for Households
    • State Site Clean Up
      • Site Remediation Program
        • 6-10 Connector Project
        • Bay Spring Realty Company
        • Bay Street/Tiverton
        • Blackstone River Bikeway
        • Blackstone Valley Preparatory School
        • Charbert
        • Former Coffey's Texaco
        • Francis J. Varieur Elementary School
        • Gorham/Textron
        • Grenier Properties, LLC
        • Lincoln Lace & Braid
        • Providence Gas Co.
        • Queen Anne Square
        • Robin Rug Manufacturing Facility
        • Springfield Street Schools
        • Strawberry Fields
        • Former Tidewater Coal Manufactured Gas Site
        • Trestle Trail Bike Path
        • Waites Wharf
        • Former Federal Products Corp. (1144 Eddy Street)
        • Hope Mill
        • Martin Middle School - North Field
        • Newport - Rogers Technical H.S.
        • RI Recycled Metals (Former Boliden)
        • Response Actions
      • Brownfields
        • Overview
        • About
        • Redeveloping Your Brownfield
        • Assistance
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    • Environmental Justice
  • Water Resources
    • Permitting
      • Permit Searches
      • Septic & Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems
        • Permit Searches
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          • Continuing Education Opportunities
          • Exam Schedule
          • Study Guides and Application Forms
        • Septic Smart
          • SepticSmart Homeowners
          • SepticSmart for Business
        • Alternative & Experimental Technologies
        • Cesspool Phaseout
        • OWTS Staff
      • Stormwater Permitting
        • Permit Search
        • Construction
        • Industrial (RIPDES MSGP)
          • Multi-Sector General Permit Search
          • Stormwater Compliance Assistance
          • FAQs for Multi-Sector General Permittees
        • Municipal (RIPDES MS4)
        • Stormwater Rules and Guidance
        • Soil Erosion and Sediment Control
        • Stormwater Staff
      • RIPDES
        • Permit Search
        • RIPDES Electronic Reporting
          • FAQs: NetDMR
          • FAQs: NetMSGP
          • FAQs: NetSewerOverflow
        • RIPDES Permit Annual Fee Payment Service
      • Freshwater Wetlands
        • Permit Search
        • Army Corps General Permit
        • Guidance and Assistance for Applicants
        • Flood Plain Maps & Flooding
        • Dam Safety
        • Agriculture Activities
      • Groundwater Discharge & Underground Injection Control
        • Permit Search
          • Permitted Septage Transporters
        • GWD System Closure Guidelines
        • UIC Closures
        • Stormwater Construction Permitting
        • Stormwater Permitting Information
        • Staff List
      • Water Quality Certification
        • Permit Search
          • Permitted Septage Transporters
        • Water Withdrawals
          • Water Quality Certification
          • Water Conservation
          • Drought Information
          • Water Supply Board
          • Water Resources Board
        • Dredge
        • Water Quality Certification/Stormwater Staff
      • Wastewater Treatment Facilities
        • Permit Search
          • Permitted Septage Transporters
        • RIPDES
        • Wastewater Planning & Design
        • Wastewater O&M
        • Reporting Sewage Overflows
        • Wastewater Operator Certification
    • Professional Licensing
      • OWTS Professional Licensing
        • Exam Schedule
        • OWTS Study Guides and Application Forms
        • Continuing Education Opportunities
        • Groundwater Table Adjustment Factors
      • Wastewater Operator Certification
        • RIDEM Wastewater Sector Salary Survey
      • Shellfish Harvester Education & Certification
    • Research & Monitoring
      • Shellfish Area Monitoring
        • Closures or Conditionally Approved Areas
        • Shellfish Maps
        • Shellfish Area Descriptions
        • Safe Shellfish Consumption
        • Shellfish Harvester Education
        • Marine Fisheries Topics
        • Shellfish Water Quality Staff
      • Water Quality Resources
        • Water Quality Standards and Classifications
        • Water Quality Reporting
        • Nonpoint Source Pollution and Watershed Plans
      • Surface Water Quality
        • Surface Water Monitoring
        • Lake, Pond and Reservoir Monitoring
        • River and Stream Monitoring
          • Ambient River Monitoring
          • Biological Monitoring in Rivers and Streams
        • Bay Assessment & Response Team - BART
          • Rhode Island Bays, Rivers, and Watersheds Coordination Team
      • Restoration Studies & TMDL Program
        • TMDL Background Information
        • Rhode Island's TMDL Program - One Step to Cleaner Waters
        • Rhode Island Statewide Bacteria TMDL
        • TMDL and Water Quality Restoration Study Documents
        • Integrated Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment Reports
      • Narraganset Bay Assessment & Response Team (BART)
        • Bay Water Quality Report
        • Fixed-Site Monitoring Stations and Data in Narragansett Bay
          • Monthly Graphs
          • Fixed-Site Monitoring Stations Network Data
        • Monitoring and Investigation Procedures
        • Reports from Prior Bay Incidents
        • Hypoxia (Low Oxygen) and Anoxia (No Oxygen)
        • Sea Lettuce (Ulva lactuca)
        • BART Contact Information
      • Aquatic Invasive Species
        • Aquatic Invasive Animals
        • Aquatic Invasive Plants
        • Aquatic Invasive Species Response
          • How Aquatic Species Invade
        • Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs)
        • Invasives (CRMC)
      • Cyanobacteria (Blue-Green Algae)
      • Impact of Climate Change to RI Wastewater Systems Study
    • Waters & Wetlands
      • Bay and Coastal Waters
        • Narragansett Bay Estuary Program
        • Introduction to Narragansett Bay
        • Shellfish Harvest Areas
        • Boat Pumpouts
        • Beach Monitoring
        • Restoration Studies & TMDL Program
      • Rivers
        • Water Quality Reporting
        • Restoration Studies & TMDL Program
        • Flooding (RIEMA)
        • USGS
        • Rhode Island Rivers Council
      • Lakes & Ponds
        • Nutrients in Lakes
        • Aquatic Invasive Species
        • Lake & Pond Water Quality
        • Cyanobacteria
        • How to Protect My Lake
      • Groundwater / Wellhead Protection
        • Groundwater Discharge Programs
        • Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems
        • Water Quality
      • Rhode Island Wetlands
        • Permit Search
          • OWTS Permit Search (After 1990)
          • OWTS Permit Search - Before 1990
          • Permitted Septage Transporters
          • Wetlands Permit Search
        • Vernal Pools
        • Freshwater Wetland Restoration
    • Financial Assistance
      • Boat Pump-out Grants
      • Clean Water State Revolving Fund Loans
      • Narragansett Bay and Water Restoration Fund (BWRF) Grants
      • Nonpoint Source Funding
      • OSCAR Fund Grants
      • Wastewater Treatment Facility Resilience
      • Additional Financial Assistance Programs
    • Outreach & Education
      • RI Stormwater Solutions (water pollution/public education)
        • Stormwater Basics
          • What is Stormwater?
          • Why is it a Problem?
          • Where Do I Fit In?
          • Related Websites
        • Take Action
          • Simple Steps at Home
          • At your Buisness
          • In Your Community
        • Stormwater Managers
          • Educational Materials
          • Workshops
          • List of Managers
        • LID and GI
          • LID/GI Overview & Regulations
          • RI Map Inventory
            • LID Inventory List
          • GI Maintenance
        • Workshops (NEMO site)
        • Rhode Island NEMO
        • Educational Materials
        • About RISS
          • The Project
          • Accomplishments
          • Staff and Partners
      • Aquatic Invasive Species Response
      • Shellfish Harvester Education & Certification
      • RI's TMDL Program: One Step to Cleaner Waters
      • Recreation
        • Shellfishing
        • Aquaculture
        • Aquatic Resource Education
        • Fishing Licenses
        • Freshwater Fisheries
        • Beach Closures & Monitoring
        • Public Boat Ramps
        • Blueways
        • Marine Pumpouts: Boat Sewage
        • Invasives Management
      • Watershed Partnership
        • Water Supply Board
        • Water Resources Board (WRB)
        • Coastal Resources Center
        • Narragansett Bay Estuary Program
        • RI Department of Health
        • Coastal Resources Management Council
        • US Army Corps of Engineers
        • United States Geological Survey RI&MA
        • EPA - Office of Water
    • Water Topics A-Z
    • Rules & Regulations
    • Staff
  • Directions
  • Staff

Stormwater Basics

What is Stormwater? Why is it a Problem? Where do I Fit In? Related Websites
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