Stormwater

Storm Drains

 A storm drain is a system that conveys storm and surface waters and drainage, defined as any flow occurring during or following any form of natural precipitation and resulting therefrom.  The City's storm drains are largely disconnected from YCUA's sanitary sewer drains;  any remaining or new cross-connections can cause issues with flooding &/or water quality.

The City's storm drains are directly connected to the Huron River or Paint Creek, part of the Stony Creek watershed, and storm runoff is not treated before entering the river or creek. You can find the Huron River Watershed Management Plan online at https://www.hrwc.org/wp-content/uploads/Middle_Huron_WMP-2011.pdf.

The City performs regular maintenance and inspection of its stormwater system. Street sweeping and keeping storm drains clear is part of the maintenance that helps maintain water quality and prevent flooding.  The City performs regular street sweeping, and encourages adjoining property owners, businesses, and residents to help keep their nearby storm drains free of litter and other debris.  

The City sweeps all streets at least twice per year, from spring through fall. Street sweeping is highly weather dependent, as well as equipment-dependent and staffing-dependent, and because of this no set schedule is available. Each cycle takes approximately six weeks to complete and the schedule is dependent on daily progress which can be affected by parked cars, weather conditions, equipment availability and other priorities.

Street cleaning assists in removing leaves and other debris, however, streets will accumulate debris or leaves that are blown from yards between sweeping cycles. Unfortunately, the City does not have the resources to remove debris from all of the City’s thousands of storm drains, so we must rely on the assistance of home and property owners, who, if physically able, should try and keep storm drains nearby clear.  We encourage residents to adopt a stormdrain!

 Click here to learn more about Adopting a Drain in Ypsilanti.

Resident, property and businesses owners should take note that sweeping leaves or other yard waste, such as grass clippings, from private property into the street is illegal.   

For information on how to manage stormwater related to development applications, please see the engineering standards here.

Sewer Drain

 A sewer drain is a system that carries industrial or domestic wastes from dwellings, commercial buildings, industrial facilities, and institutions, which is contributed into or permitted to enter the sewage works operated by the YCUA. YCUA is responsible for maintenance on all sewer drain systems.  

For commercial food service establishments, YCUA has developed a fats, oil, and grease (FOG) mitigation program to reduce sanitary sewer overflows and backups. Please contact them or visit their website at https://www.ycua.org/fog.htm for more information.

FOG Facts

• FOG clogs are caused when fats, oils or greases are dumped down the sewer lines. Once there, they can harden along pipe walls.
• FOG pollution is also caused when FOG from leaking or overfilled recycling containers leaks or is hosed into storm drains.
• Clogs can result in sewage overflow, health hazards, and environmental problems like water pollution.
• Over 75% of sanitary sewer systems are working at 50% capacity due to FOG clogs.
• FOG clogs cost the United States an extra $25 billion tax dollars a year.
• You can save money with the proper use of a grease trap / interceptor or a disposal service. Sewer repair fees and cleanup costs can be much greater than a hauler's service fees.