Gray Infrastructure

Stormwater gray infrastructure is the system of pipes and drains moves runoff from streets, parking lots and yards into the stormwater green infrastructure system. When it rains or snow melts, the water goes down a storm drain or into a ditch, which keeps it off of the roadway. Without a gray infrastructure system the water would remain on the street and could cause dangerous flooding that could damage private property or be dangerous to people.    

Our gray stormwater infrastructure system includes more than 340 miles of pipes, more than 14,000 storm drains and nearly 29 miles of roadside ditches, which are both publicly and privately owned. It is completely separate from the sanitary sewer system that the drains in your home connect to. This means that none of the water that enters our system is treated at a waste water plant. Instead, it flows directly to our green infrastructure system and into natural lakes and streams.  

Stormwater drainPlastic stormwater piping