The Mesa County Public Works Stormwater Division recently completed the 2021 Stormwater Awareness Assessment. The purpose of this assessment was to gain an understanding of what the general population knows about local stormwater and to help identify where we have possible gaps in overall community education. Throughout the summer, Mesa County Stormwater Division collected 664 responses to the 2021 Stormwater Assessment through community outreach events and online distribution.
Overall, the community did very well on the assessment boasting an 85% mean score. Questions regarding types of pollutants and impacts of stormwater pollution were rarely missed, showing an average score of 98% on these topics. This demonstrates that our community understands the importance of keeping pollution out of our waterways and what the potential results can be. Illicit discharges flowing into our rivers can cause fish kills, algae blooms, and overall poor water quality.
The question community members missed the most was, “Where does Mesa County stormwater go?” Surprisingly, the average score on this question was only 55%. “This information is very useful for the Mesa County Stormwater Division,” stated Joshua Martinez, Mesa County Stormwater Coordinator. “The reason most people missed this question is because they were unaware that stormwater does not go through a filtration system prior to entering our local rivers. Keeping our waterways clean starts with understanding our stormwater system, and this key piece of information will be something our team will focus on as we prepare new educational materials.”
The Mesa County Public Works Stormwater Division team would like to thank all of our community members who participated in the 2021 Stormwater Assessment. To learn more about Mesa County Stormwater and how you can help keep our rivers clean, visit: https://stormwater.mesacounty.us.
About Mesa County Public Works Stormwater Division: Mesa County Public Works Stormwater Division was formed in April 2020 when the collaborative agency known as the 521 Drainage District officially dissolved. Stormwater oversight in the valley is not only necessary to comply with the Federal Clean Water Act under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) and the Colorado Department of Health and Environment but is also required to help protect our rivers and wildlife from unwanted toxins and pollutants. All storm drains lead directly to the river.