Basically, a watershed is an area of land that drains water, sediment, and dissolved materials to a common receiving body or outlet.

Along with surface water runoff, a watershed also includes interactions with subsurface water. Watersheds can vary from the largest river basins to just acres or less in size.

Depending on the type of drainage system, one should see water draining within 72 hours. If water is retained in the swale longer than 72 hours after the last rainfall, it could indicate a problem with drainage in your immediate neighborhood. Contact the Palm Bay Public Works Customer Service office and notify them of this issue.

Certain types of stormwater management systems such as a wet detention system or pond are designed to contain stormwater runoff and the water may never drain out completely.

The best way to care for your pond is to clear or clean inflow/outflow structures, remove nuisance and excess vegetation, repair eroded slopes, clean up trash and yard waste in your yard and gutters and around storm drains. The use of shoreline vegetation can reduce erosion and trap pollutants in stormwater runoff before the runoff reaches the water in the pond.

Avoid fertilizing within 3-10 feet of the shoreline to reduce the chance of it being carried into the pond.

No. In Palm Bay, as in most cities across the country, stormwater runoff is NOT treated before it is released into our waterways.

A large portion of the trash and garbage that is left out on our streets, chemicals from agriculture, industry, and households, sediments from construction sites, and petroleum products end up in the Indian River Lagoon after it rains.

Since 70% or more of the pollution carried by runoff is “Non-Point-Source” that is produced by people everywhere just going about their daily activities, simple changes in behavior can do a lot to clean up our stormwater system:

• Use fertilizers and pesticides according to the directions on the label,
• Dispose of animal waste properly
• Dispose of trash and garbage in receptacles and recycle or compost
• Wash cars on the lawn instead of contributing nutrient-rich wash water to the stormwater system
• Use native Florida plants in landscaping
• Set up a rain barrel to capture runoff from your roof
• Report erosion and sediment runoff from construction sites and illegal dumping and discharging to the Palm Bay Public Works.

• Invite speakers from the Palm Bay Public Works Department to your organization to give informative stormwater presentations
• Consider the responsibility of “adopting” a road or drain. These programs are open to individuals as well as organizations
• Contact the City of Palm Bay Public Works Department for information on projects such as inlet marking, neighborhood cleanup “blitzes,” etc;
• Get in touch with organizations such as Keep Brevard Beautiful and the Marine Resources Council for their “Indian River Lagoon Watch” volunteer programs