Letter to the editor: in search of storm drains

To the editor:

I’m sure many of you in Lincoln have seen me around town this summer, with my head in a storm drain or out in the woods near your home. That’s because I’m helping locate and map all of the stormwater infrastructure in town.

This is a federal requirement for the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), but it will also help our Department of Public Works maintain these systems more efficiently. The NPDES permit requires towns to implement a more comprehensive water management plan, and that starts with town-owned roads and stormwater drainage systems.

If you see me searching for a discharge pipe on or near your property and you’re uncomfortable, please let me know. I would be happy to work with you to schedule a more appropriate time. If you know where the discharge pipe (also know as an outfall) is located, feel free to point me in the right direction so I can collect the data I need and continue to the next point. And feel free to come over and ask me questions if you’re interested in the work I am doing.

If you’re worried about me finding a violation, please know that my only responsibility is stormwater infrastructure. If you have a town-owned outfall on your property, you likely also have a drainage easement that allows the town limited access for the purpose of maintaining these stormwater structures. If the stormwater structure on your property is poorly maintained or impaired, you are not at fault. These are town-owned structures and you are not responsible for their maintenance.

This is an exploratory process by nature, and I have no way of knowing where a pipe will lead until I’m in the field. It’s also difficult because there are no clear boundaries on the ground, so I have no way of knowing where one property ends and another begins.

I begin my field survey by locating a storm drain. Then I record the GPS coordinates using an iPad which is linked to a GPS unit on my yellow backpack, assign the structure a unique ID, and lift the grate and check for pipe connections. Next I follow the direction of each pipe until I find the next stormwater structure. Sounds easy enough, right?

While it’s not a complex process, it is rather time consuming and it has its own set of challenges. For example, most outfalls are located in  heavily overgrown and unmaintained areas. Because of this, there is often an abundance of poison ivy, multiflora rose (pricker bushes), mosquitoes, and numerous other hazards which greatly impede my search. That being said, I try my best to collect the information I need as quickly and efficiently as I can.

Once all of the stormwater systems are accurately located and mapped, the town will notify residents prior to maintenance and inspection activities on private properties. At this time, however, that’s not a viable option because we’re still in the process of actually locating the structures and investigating the pipe connections.

If you have any other questions or concerns, please feel free to contact the Conservation Department at 781-259-2612 or email Conservation Assistant Jennifer Curtin at curtinj@lincolntown.org. You can also email me personally at smitha@lincolntown.org, but I don’t usually check my email while I’m in the field.

Sincerely,

Amanda Smith
Town of Lincoln Stormwater Specialist

---

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.