Stormwater and South Burlington

The City of South Burlington contains all or a portion of five streams impaired by stormwater runoff, the highest number of any community in Vermont. The five impaired waterways are:

Click to see a chart of the impaired waterways in South Burlington

1. Bartlett Brook
2. Centennial Brook
3. Englesby Brook
4. Munroe Brook
5. Potash Brook

The City of South Burlington owns and maintains a stormwater system, separate from the sanitary sewer system. The stormwater system includes conveyance piping, storm drains, culverts, detention basins, constructed wetlands, hydrodynamic swirl separators, drains, stormwater outfalls and other stormwater treatment practices. There are approximately 112 miles of stormwater pipe in South Burlington. In addition, there are over 5,000 storm drains within the City, more than 3,000 of which are publicly owned.

Unmanaged stormwater is causing water pollution, erosion, flooding, and unstable streambanks. Private stormwater systems that are not maintained can become a public problem. Expired permits and difficulty obtaining valid stormwater permits are hindering property transfers in South Burlington. The South Burlington Stormwater Utility is working to solve these and other stormwater problems.