Stormwater management is an essential public service that protects both people and the environment throughout Salt Lake County. Every time it rains or snow melts, water flows across streets, parking lots, rooftops, and other hard surfaces, collecting pollutants before entering storm drains. Unlike wastewater from homes and businesses, stormwater runoff is not treated before it enters local creeks, canals, the Jordan River, and ultimately the Great Salt Lake. For this reason, Salt Lake County and its municipal partners have developed comprehensive stormwater management programs that focus on reducing flooding, protecting infrastructure, and improving water quality through planning, maintenance, public education, and pollution prevention.

Stormwater management in Salt Lake County is guided by the federal Clean Water Act and the Utah Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (UPDES) Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permit. Under these regulations, local governments are required to implement Stormwater Management Plans (SWMPs) that address six core program areas: public education and outreach, public involvement, illicit discharge detection and elimination, construction site runoff control, post-construction stormwater management, and pollution prevention and good housekeeping for municipal operations. Together, these programs help reduce pollutants entering waterways while protecting public health and meeting state and federal water quality standards.

Flood protection is another critical component of stormwater management. Salt Lake County maintains an extensive system of storm drains, detention basins, flood channels, culverts, and natural waterways that safely convey runoff away from homes, businesses, schools, and transportation corridors. Regular maintenance activities—including street sweeping, catch basin cleaning, vegetation management, channel maintenance, and inspection of drainage infrastructure—help keep the system functioning efficiently while reducing the amount of sediment, trash, and other pollutants that enter local waterways. As urban development continues and weather patterns become more variable, investments in resilient infrastructure and preventive maintenance are increasingly important.

Protecting water quality requires more than infrastructure alone. Salt Lake County works closely with the Salt Lake County Stormwater Coalition, municipalities, the Salt Lake County Health Department, schools, contractors, developers, and community organizations to educate residents about preventing stormwater pollution. Public outreach encourages simple actions that collectively make a significant difference, such as picking up pet waste, properly disposing of automotive fluids and household hazardous waste, keeping leaves and grass clippings out of gutters, minimizing fertilizer use, and reporting illicit discharges into storm drains. Education campaigns, school programs, community events, digital media, and volunteer opportunities all help build a culture of watershed stewardship across the county.

One of the county's highest priorities is improving water quality in the Jordan River watershed, where elevated bacteria levels and other urban pollutants continue to present challenges. Municipal stormwater programs are implementing best management practices, expanding public education efforts, improving monitoring, and investing in green infrastructure and low-impact development practices that slow, filter, and infiltrate runoff before it reaches streams. Features such as rain gardens, vegetated swales, permeable pavement, and detention facilities help mimic natural hydrology while reducing flooding and improving water quality.

As Salt Lake County continues to grow, effective stormwater management will remain essential to protecting public safety, supporting healthy ecosystems, and preserving the region's water resources. Through coordinated planning, infrastructure investment, regulatory compliance, and community engagement, local governments are working to ensure that stormwater is managed responsibly today while building a more resilient and sustainable watershed for future generations.

Regulating Stormwater

Specifically for Salt Lake County, what goes into the storm drain makes its way into the local streams, rivers, Utah Lake, and The Great Salt Lake. Each of these are part of a larger watershed — the Jordan River Watershed, which lead to major rivers, and eventually to The Great Salt Lake. Because all of the bodies of water are interconnected and not defined geographically by county, state, or city lines, the federal government regulates everything that ends up in the storm drain system.

The federal government regulates stormwater through a permit process, referred to as Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System Permit Program (MS4 Permit Program). Each permit mandates the its permit holder to meet specific water quality standards.

Salt Lake County was the first MS4, permitted in 1995. Currently, cities throughout Salt Lake County comply with federal regulations and protect stormwater quality in order to comply with the conditions of Small MS4’s in Salt Lake County, Salt Lake City, and Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) are considered Individual MS4 permitees. All participating municipalities are in the Jordan River Watershed. The Utah Department of Environmental Quality, Division of Water Quality oversees the permit process. SLCo MS4 permit holders formed the Salt Lake County Stormwater Coalition in order to collaborate and combine education and outreach efforts in order to streamline messaging and efficiently and cost effectively expand media and social media presence, education, and resource development.