Illicit Discharges – A Threat to Minnesota’s Waterways

Minnesota’s lakes, rivers, and streams are essential to our state’s beauty, recreation, and ecosystem health. But many people don’t realize these waters face an ongoing threat from something called illicit discharge, and preventing it starts with awareness and action.

What Is Illicit Discharge?

Storm drains, the metal grates you see along roads and curbs, are often mistaken as part of the wastewater system. But unlike the water from your sinks, showers, and toilets that goes to a treatment facility, stormwater flows directly into local water bodies without being treated or filtered. Illicit discharges are anything that enters this stormwater system that isn’t clean rainwater or snowmelt. That includes substances like:

• Paint
• Motor oil or gasoline
• Household cleaners
• Yard waste, trash or litter

These materials don’t belong in our waterway. Even small amounts of this can harm fish and wildlife, pollute drinking water sources, and make our lakes and rivers unsafe for swimming or fishing.

Why It Matters

Because stormwater runoff travels quickly and untreated, pollutants from streets, driveways, or illegal dumping can reach nearby lakes and rivers within minutes. Once there, these substances degrade water quality and harm aquatic life. That’s why it’s critical to prevent anything other than rainwater from entering the storm drain.

Your Role: See It? Report It.

If you see something suspicious going into a storm drain, like someone dumping paint, washing their car with soap that flows into the gutter, or a strange-smelling liquid in a ditch, report it right away. Your report can stop pollutants before they reach our water.

• Report non-emergency illicit discharges to the City at 612-718-4282
• If it appears hazardous or poses an immediate threat (for example, chemical spill), call 9-1-1.

Protecting Water Starts With Everyone

Keeping our waters clean isn’t just the job of city workers or the government, it’s something we all play a part in. By watching for illicit discharges and ensuring only clean stormwater enters the drain, we help protect and preserve Minnesota’s water for swimming, fishing, and future generations.

So remember: Only rain in the drain.