department of public works Reducing Stormwater Pollution | City Stormwater Management Plan | City Stormwater Ordinance Stormwater Utility Fee | Stormwater Management for Site Development Stormwater runoff is a leading source of water pollution. Stormwater runoff can harm surface waters such as rivers, lakes, and streams which in turn cause or contribute to water quality standards being exceeded.

The Reedy River represents a case study in watershed development and its associated ramifications on the biological integrity of fish communities. The Reedy watershed harbors land use activities ranging from intensive urban/suburban development and associated population growth in the Greenville metropolitan area to extensive agricultural and relatively undisturbed forested areas. Such heterogeneity provides a spatial framework for characterizing the gradient of disturbance and the associated effects on fish assemblage integrity.

Published in the Greenville News Online, Saturday, August 12, 2006 - 6:00 am Nicole Hill had no way of knowing what pollution might have lurked in the water as her sons Ryan, 6, and Adam, 3, waded knee-deep in the Reedy River.

The topography of the watershed promotes a development pattern that is particularly detrimental to water quality. The oldest and most intensive development in the region has occurred along the ridge tops where there the land is the flattest. Consequently, the headwater streams are most likely to be burdened with uncontrolled stormwater impacts. Since the upper Reedy River is heavily urbanized, it suffers from flashy hydrology, bank instability, and heavy sediment loads. Upstate Forever is focusing on three priority issues to reverse to the degradation of the watershed: * creating incentives for adoption of low impact development (LID) * helping local governments address legacy stormwater issues * addressing the compromised state of the urban rivers