Stormwater Management

"MS4" Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System

Residents play a big part in protecting water quality.

The most recent National water Quality Inventory reports that runoff from urbanized areas is the leading source of water quality impairments to surveyed estuaries and the third-largest source of impairments to surveyed lakes.

Water flowing into storm drains in the Borough makes it way to the Chesapeake Bay watershed. What goes down the drain in Paxtang can end up impacting the overall health of people, plants, wildlife, and much more!

Want to learn more about what you can do to protect water quality? Visit the following sites to learn more:

The Borough of Paxtang is pleased to announce the completion of the Stormwater Best Management Practice (BMP) project adjacent to the intersection of Brookwood and Park Terrace. This project was funded, in part, by a PA DEP Local Stormwater BMP Implementation Grant. The project involved the creation of a bio-retention BMP to address urban runoff and siltation from a 22-acre watershed draining to an unnamed tributary to Spring Creek. The BMP provides for a reduction in the pollutant loads discharging to the stream, which will help the borough meet the requirements of its MS4 permit.

We appreciate the support of Harrisburg City and the Greenbelt Association as we work together to improve our Trail, the waterways, and the communities and which surround it.

More Information

Grass Clippings and Stormwater

When mowing your yard, make certain that you do not blow grass clippings into the street. If there are grass clippings on the street or sidewalk, use a broom or leaf blower to blow them back into the lawn. Do not use a hose to wash them into the street or storm drains.

Helpful hint: When mowing, make the first few passes with the lawnmower blowing the grass clippings into the lawn not the street. More information on stormwater best management practices is available at the Stormwater PA website http://www.stormwaterpa.org/

Water Basin Projects

The Borough has acquired grants from DEP for Water Basins between Park Terrace and the Greenbelt.

The first project is completed.

We are thankful for our partners for this project:

PA Department of Environmental Protection, who provided a grant which covered a large portion of the project costs,

Harrisburg City who permitted us to make these improvements along the greenbelt trail.

A few friends from the Capital Area Greenbelt Association, especially Cindy Hogeman, our native plant expert,

The landscape planning and planting team: Pat & Rick Thompson, Cindy Hogeman, volunteers from the Greenbelt, in addition to borough residents Jan Chaplick and Linda Ruddle, and our Borough staff, Brian Rotolo, Saul Schmolitz and Keldeen Stambaugh.

Columbia Excavating, the contractors who built the Project site #1 stormwater system, and our engineer team at Rettew.

The smaller SECOND PROJECT is in the area of Brookwood and Park Terrace and was completed in September 2019.

Both projects will detain water runoff from the west side of the borough, delaying and filtering the water entering the creek and reducing flooding downstream.

In the construction process, we discovered an old drain system created in both site areas approximately 40 years ago but no longer functioning.

Click here for FAQ.

Illicit Discharges

An illicit discharge is defined as any unauthorized discharge other than clean stormwater released into the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4). Illicit connections may be intentional or may be the result of connections made years ago, when water quality issues were not a concern.

The types of illicit discharges vary widely with some examples being:

• Waste oil, antifreeze, paint, trash or other household chemicals

• Car wash, laundry, and industrial wastewaters

• Spills on roadways and other accidents

• Failing septic systems and illegal dumping practices

Common indicators of illicit discharges include abnormal odors, strange colors, or oil sheen present around or inside storm inlets or pipes. Keeping harmful substances out of our water benefits everyone; environmentally and economically.

If you witness or become aware of an illicit discharge, please contact:

Borough Office

717-564-4770 or email PaxtangBoroOffice@Comcast.net

Click here: ILLICIT DISCHARGE FORM