About

The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay (Alliance) is pleased to provide this online resource dedicated to helping homeowners and businesses take charge of stormwater runoff. The Reduce Your Stormwater website guides citizens to steps they can take to eliminate runoff and potential pollution from their property and improve their local stream and the Chesapeake Bay. The easy to use information is targeted to homeowners and includes helpful hints, technical specifications, illustrations, videos and other valuable resources.

Stormwater, rain that runs off hard surfaces and eventually into local waterways, is a major and fast growing source of pollution that affects the entire Chesapeake Bay region. Stormwater may carry sediment, nutrients from lawns, waste from farms and pets, oil and litter from streets, and other contaminants into streams or storm drains. Many local governments have recently established programs that impose fees for property owners in order to reduce stormwater.

Most homeowners can take positive steps right in their own yards. The Alliance recognizes that homeowners play a crucial role in limiting water pollution.

“When you add up the combined efforts of thousands of individual homeowners, the cumulative improvement on stormwater runoff and water quality can be quite substantial,”

says Al Todd, Executive Director of the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, “But it can be hard to find the right information to get started. The Alliance has pulled this information together in an easy to use reference”.

This website is one part of the Alliance’s RiverWise Communities program. Learn more about RiverWise Communities at  https://allianceforthebay.org/our-work/healing-the-land/riverwise-communities/