Know the Facts

Did You Know?

Progress toward achieving permit goal

  • Almost 80 percent of rainwater runs off a lawn—it does not soak into the ground.
  • 1 gallon of oil can contaminate 1,000,000 gallons of water.
  • There are 1,000 miles of streams in Howard County.
  • The Patuxent River originates in Howard County.
  • The South Branch of the Patapsco River originates in Howard County.
  • Stormwater causes 20 percent of the pollution to the Chesapeake Bay, and it is the only pollution source that continues to grow.
  • After just one inch of rainfall, the runoff from a one-acre parking lot could fill a backyard swimming pool with 26,000 gallons of water.
  • One inch of rain during a storm generates more than 600 gallons of water running off of a 1,000-square-foot roof.
  • During the summer, outdoor water use amounts to 40 percent of household use.
  • Everyone lives in a watershed.
  • The first inch of rainstorm runoff generally carries 90 percent of the pollution.
  • Each day in Howard County, over 6,200 lbs of dog poop is generated, polluting our streams when it becomes part of stormwater runoff.
  • Yard fertilizer from residential areas is estimated to be responsible for one-third of the excess nitrogen polluting our waterways.
  • Over 1,000 tons of debris is kept out of streams each year by street sweeping in Howard County.
  • In Howard County, there are more than 750 miles of pipes and swales that transport stormwater from roads, rooftops, and driveways to our local streams.
  • 16 times more stormwater runoff is produced by a one-acre parking lot than is produced by a meadow of the same size.
  • Howard County's anticipated permit from MDE will likely require stormwater treatment for 20% of the currently untreated impervious area countywide.