Southeast Metro Stormwater Authority

SEMSWA would like to congratulate our staff members who were recognized at yesterday's Colorado Chapter APWA Awards! Ashley Byerley and James Linden represented SEMSWA's education and outreach cooperative Splash Stormwater Education and Outreach which won APWA's public outreach award for their "P-free" messaging campaign to promote the use of Phosphorus-free fertilizer. Additionally, SEMSWA's Maintenance Manager, Brad Sullivan, was awarded his certificate for completion of the Rocky Mountain Public Works Institute course. Congratulations Brad, Ashley, and James!

SEMSWA enjoyed the opportunity to showcase our Dove Creek stream reclamation project during yesterday's site tour organized by our partners at CASFM. During the tour, SEMSWA's Capital Improvements Project Manager Molly Trujillo gave an overview of the project and its role to address the rapid development occurring within the Cherry Creek basin and SEMSWA's regional stormwater system. Thanks to everyone who was able to join!

Did you know that there are free webinars occurring today for Stormwater Awareness Week? Stormwater Awareness Week is a collaboration effort of the storm water community that exists to provide an opportunity for earning professional development credits free of charge. Check out the link below to sign up for a FREE webinar! https://lnkd.in/gvErXjnn Home | Storm Water Awareness Week Each workshop will be presented virtually using Zoom, so that you can join in live time from the comfort of your office or home and interact with the presenters and other attendees. Storm water quality has so much bigger of an impact on the environment than the precipitation which occurs at your site. How you handle, protect, treat, and discharge storm water truly has an impact on protecting, preserving & restoring the environment. And while storm water may seem like such a small drop in the bucket of environmental protection and conservation, it actually has pretty far reaching effects.

Rain is in the forecast this weekend along Colorado’s Front Range! Whenever stormwater moves through our system, it’s a nice reminder that what we do here at SEMSWA makes a difference. With over 91 square miles of service area, including the City of Centennial and unincorporated Arapahoe County, SEMSWA oversees all kinds of drainage features that are designed to protect, preserve, and enhance our neighborhoods, communities, and natural resources. The SEMSWA Service Area includes the following: - 491 flood control ponds - 2,499 outfalls - 9,192 inlets - 423 storm water quality facilities - 86 miles of streams and 59 miles of tributaries - 323.5 miles of storm pipe maintained If you have questions about our work or would like to learn more, give us a call at (303) 858-8844 or visit our website at www.semswa.org and do your best to stay dry this weekend! 

Need to get rid of some hazardous household waste materials?   Did you know that SEMSWA partners with Waste Management to offer door-to-door waste pick-up for citizens within unincorporated Arapahoe County and City of Centennial ? The program accepts most household hazardous materials including motor oil, paint, pesticides/herbicides, electronics, and household chemicals in an effort to keep hazardous materials out of the storm sewer system.   For a complete list of acceptable items, program guidelines, and to schedule a home collection, you can also go to: www.wmatyourdoor.com or call 1-800-449-7587.   #centennial #arapahoecounty #householdhazardouswaste #wastemanagement #hhw

Do you have a detention pond in your neighborhood?   Although they may be subtle in appearance, detention ponds, also known as Extended Detention Basins or “EDBs” serve a vital function managing stormwater within our communities. EDBs are one of the most common stormwater control measures used to reduce flooding and remove pollutants before entering a local stream. In order to ensure their proper function, EDBs should be maintained regularly to prevent trash, overgrown vegetation or weeds, and sediment buildup. And if there is one key tip for minimizing maintenance costs on your EDB, it’s this: be proactive! SEMSWA staff recently visited this EDB in Centennial and were glad to see that the pond’s HOA group has been proactive by regularly cleaning out the trickle channel, micropool, trash rack and forebays. The HOA has also performed regular weed mitigation and kept signage installed to notify passers-by about the role of the EDB.   If you’d like to learn more about how to maintain your EDB or another stormwater control measure, come visit our website at www.semswa.org where we have lots of helpful resources for maintaining your facility. Or, give us a call at 303-858-8844.

Last week, SEMSWA hosted our first ever Bring Your Child to Work Day, and our kids sure knew how to have fun while learning about stormwater! Staff children worked hard on inlet labeling, chalk art messaging, and participated in a few experiments at SEMSWA’s main office. They even learned about our #1 occupational hazard: you could get wet!

SEMSWA is a member of DC Clear, an education and outreach co-operative of Municipal Separate Storm Sewer (MS4) Permittees in Douglas County with the mission of promoting water quality and responsible stormwater management. DC Clear is now active on Linkedin, and we look forward to following their posts for helpful pollution prevention tips and stormwater-related updates within Douglas County. Check out their page and give them a follow! https://lnkd.in/dBq95-KW

What better way to spend a rainy day than to attend a Splash Stormwater Education and Outreach Rain Barrel Workshop? Thanks to Arapahoe County and E-470 Public Highway Authority for planning the event in partnership with Splash, and of course to all of our local residents who participated! #waterquality #stormwatermanagement #waterconservation

Here’s a helpful stormwater tip you can follow this summer: Don’t wash your car in the driveway- do it in the grass or at the car wash! When you wash your car in the driveway all the dirt, oil, grit, and soap wash off your car, down the driveway, along the curb and gutter, and into the nearest inlet. From there they are washed into our streams, rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. If instead you wash your car where it will drain to the grass or gravel, it stands a much better chance of soaking into the ground where it can be naturally filtered before draining the nearest inlet. Or better yet, take it to the carwash where the water will drain to the sanitary sewer for treatment. You can learn more helpful stormwater tips on @splashcolorado website at www.splashco.org. #waterquality #stormwatermanagement #stormwater #summerstormwatertip