Title
To recognize and designate Stormwater Awareness Week 2023 in Columbus, Ohio.
Body
WHEREAS, the City of Columbus is facing increasingly frequent and intense rainfall due to climate change and is committed to taking action to fight and adapt to these effects through the Columbus Climate Action Plan; and
WHEREAS, population growth, residential and commercial development, and the resulting changes to the landscape will only increase storm water quality and quantity concerns throughout Columbus; and
WHEREAS, it is currently recognized that control of storm water quantity and quality is most effectively implemented when people and organizations understand the related causes and consequences of polluted storm water runoff and flooding, and treat all sources of water as one resource; and
WHEREAS, the Department of Public Utilities has invested significantly in the Blueprint Columbus initiative to reduce sewer overflows while investing in our neighborhoods and local economy to redirect storm water to the street where pollutants are filtered out by green infrastructure before flowing to our rivers and streams; and
WHEREAS, the development and implementation of effective, outcomes-based storm water education and outreach programs administered by the City and Franklin Soil and Water Conservation District will meet federal storm water pollution control requirements and those of the communities they serve so that Columbus continues to be a great place to live, work and play; now, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS: That this Council joins Soil and Water Conservation Districts and Communities across Ohio in recognizing the first week of October as Stormwater Awareness Week.