Such tools are also effective in areas that have succeeded in separating the majority of sewer and storm drain systems, like the Capisic Brook Watershed in the Riverton-Deering-Rosemont neighborhoods. There, the storm drains take the runoff — everything that comes off parking lots, roads, lawns, and sidewalks — directly into the brook. Working with homeowners to capture and reuse rainwater is another way to make local waterways healthier.
As Doug Roncarati, Portland's stormwater program coordinator, says: "It's a lot easier to keep pollution from getting into the system than to filter it out."
Topics:
The Editorial Page
, environment, WATER, Nature, More 
, environment, WATER, Nature, Going green, environmentalism, wastewater, waste, East End Wastewater Treatment Facility, Less 
