"Storm water" is surface runoff generated from rain and melting snow that flows over land instead of infiltrating into the ground. It is most readily observed as the by-product of urban growth where vast amounts of impervious land cover exists (i.e. paved streets, parking lots, driveways, building rooftops, etc.). The Fairbanks area has a storm drain system that conveys this surface water runoff away from public street rights-of-way and commercial and residential properties to nearby water bodies. The system is comprised of over a thousand culverts and storm drain inlets, hundreds of miles of ditches and buried storm drain pipe, and over a hundred outfalls that serve as discharge points to nearby water bodies.
