KSWG | City of Kalamazoo – Protect Your Water

City of Kalamazoo

Mission Statement

The City's Michigan National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit allows for the non-point source discharges of stormwater to the local surface water bodies. Our goals seek to improve water quality, provide more efficient development guidelines, and to provide controls to minimize localized flooding.

Click Here

Select a Partner:
Check below to see info!

Parchment

Mr. Kindleberger and a committee of citizens planned the riverfront community of Parchment, a model village carved out of the northern part of Kalamazoo Township.

Learn More

Galesburg

The City of Galesburg adjoins the Kalamazoo River and Morrow Lake and is a mid-sized city between Detroit and Chicago.

Learn More

Vicksburg

Vicksburg is the Village with a Vision. The Village of Vicksburg is committed to ensuring that stormwater runoff from its roadways and facilities complies with all federal and state environmental regulatory requirements.

Learn More

WMU

"Re-think Smart." It's more than book smarts. More important than IQ. It's the pursuit of purpose, daring to think differently, and not being afraid to question answers. We call it Rethink Smart.

Learn More

KVCC

Kalamazoo Valley Community College (KVCC) is a public community college in Kalamazoo established in 1966 and enrolls about 10,000 students. KVCC is committed to preserving our local waterways in our downtown campus with green infrastructure and at the Texas Township campus adjoining the West fork of the Portage Creek.

Learn More

Road Commission of Kalamazoo

The goal of the Board of County Road Commissioners of the County of Kalamazoo is using our expertise, energy and funds to provide the safest and most convenient road system possible, and to contribute to economic development and high quality of life throughout the county.

Learn More

Kalamazoo County Drain Commissioners Office

Our Mission is to provide for the health, safety and welfare of Kalamazoo County citizens, the protection of surface waters and the environment, and to promote the long-term environmental sustainability of Kalamazoo County by providing storm water management, flood control, soil erosion controls and education.

Learn More

City of Portage

To the City of Portage, protecting its natural treasures is an investment in the health, growth and stability of the community without being a burden on city resources. The city continuously engages its citizens to address current challenges and develop a future vision for our community - and ultimately ensure the city remains A Natural Place to Move.

Learn More

City of Kalamazoo

Learn More

Kalamazoo River Watershed Council

The Kalamazoo River Watershed Council's mission and vision come from a desire to protect, preserve, and promote the Kalamazoo River and its tributaries for current area residents and future generations. To restore and protect the health of the Kalamazoo River, its tributaries, and its watershed by collaborating with the community, government agencies, local officials, and businesses.

Learn More

Kalamazoo Public Schools

At Kalamazoo Public Schools (KPS) it is our mission to nurture the dreams of all students and empower all students to contribute to a better world. KPS is a vibrant, progressive district and home to "The Kalamazoo Promise", a unique scholarship that provides up to 100 percent, post-secondary tuition and fee assistance.

Learn More

USGS: The Fundamentals of the Water Cycle

Fun Fact!

The City of Kalamazoo Wastewater Treatment Plant currently treats on average about 26 million gallons per day!

Trees play in important roll in the water cycle by removing certain pollutants, stabilizing soils, absorbing rainwater and preventing erosion. Visit Releaf Michigan for more information.

Kalamazoo Watershed - Public Responsibility & Stewardship

Learn how to Protect Your Stormwater

Water is constantly moving through the water cycle. It is important to remember that human activities affect the water cycle in various ways.:

1. The removal of ground water & surface water for potable (drinking water)water sources

2. Water is used for irrigation and industrial processes

3. Damming rivers

4. Household water usage

5. Creating impermeable (does not allow water to flow through) surfaces, likeroads and parking lots

6. Deforestation

Human Impact on the Water Cycle

Precipitation is rain, snow or sleet. About 10% of precipitation that falls runs over the ground to become stormwater

stormwater sewer systems are built to help manage stormwater in urbanized areas. In the Kalamazoo area municipalities have separate stormwater sewer systems, so those stormwater sewers flow directly to local surface water bodies

Surface water includes local lakes, rivers and streams and above ground water bodies.

*Click to Enlarge

How You Can Help Haz Waste Drop off Center

Stormwater, or precipitation (rain, snow and sleet), falls on the ground, about 10% runs over the ground and collects in surface water, and about 25% infiltrates the ground to become groundwater. Surface water is water held in lakes, rivers, streams and other above ground water bodies. Groundwater is water that is held in the ground between particles of sand and gravel. In Kalamazoo area, all our drinking water supply comes from groundwater. Drinking (potable) water is groundwater that has been pumped from the ground, treated at a local water treatment station, then delivered to our homes and businesses. That drinking (potable) water gets turned into wastewater when used by people or processes. Wastewater treatment plants are designed to remove contaminates before returning the treated water to the Kalamazoo River. Households, industry, and other human activities all have potential to become sources of contamination to the water cycle.

Mission Statement

The Kalamazoo Stormwater Working Group (KSWG) is a collaborative effort of outreach and education for our interconnected Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (or MS4s) in the Kalamazoo County area. Rain falls and snow melts across hard and impervious surfaces that do not allow water to soak into the ground. The water flows to storm sewers or catch basins which direct it to a natural surface water body such as a wetland, river, pond or lake. Stormwater runoff carries salts, grass clippings, sediment, fertilizer, oils, pet waste, and other material left on driveways and sidewalks into the catch basins, and unfortunately, they eventually drain to our natural water bodies. KSWG partners work together to protect against harmful discharges to the Kalamazoo River and its tributaries.

Topic 1: Promote Public Responsibility and Stewardship of the Kalamazoo Watershed