Stormwater Management

What is stormwater and why does it matter?
Rain and snow melt that doesn’t soak into the ground but instead flows over lawns, streets, parking lots, roofs etc. is called stormwater. As stormwater flows towards the storm drain system it picks up pollutants such as trash, fertilizers, pesticides, oil, grease, animal waste, salt, and sediment. Storm drains ultimately discharge to our wetlands and waterways – with little to no treatment. Therefore, the health of our waters such as the Charles River, Choate Pond, Chicken Brook, Hopping Brook, etc. is impacted by what goes down the storm drain.

The Town of Medway works diligently to keep our stormwater clean by street sweeping, cleaning catch basins, picking up leaf litter, and adding green infrastructure, but we all need to do our part to protect our water resources. Use this webpage to learn more about Medway’s Stormwater Management Program.