Stormwater Outreach and Education

What is Stormwater Runoff?

Stormwater runoff is when rain flows off impervious surfaces (streets, sidewalks, roofs, etc.) into storm drains, creeks, and streams - bringing pollution with it.

Our stormwater outreach and education program provides information on ways to prevent water pollution and why preserving our water resources is important!

Request a Staff Visit

Are you interested in learning more about how stormwater flows through our city? Schedule a visit with our stormwater educator at your school, community, or business event. Request a future visit with us today!

See Where We've Been

Use this map to see if we've visited a school near you:

Activities

Contact us to share what you're looking for! We can provide a variety of educational resources and activities and may be able to customize our program to your needs. Click through the images to see examples of our activities!

Rain Garden in a Bottle

Build a rain garden in a bottle to see how plants and soil filter out pollutants from stormwater.

Stormwater Story Time

Listen to stormwater story time to learn how our actions affect local water.

Moore Square Stormwater Career Day — Career Day

Request a visit from Raleigh Stormwater to visit your school, organization, or business to show how we help the city protect our waterways.

Kids spraying water on landscape roads, houses, cars, and streams to show the impact of stormwater runoff — Enviroscape Demonstration

Get students involved in stormwater through the Enviroscape demonstration that shows how stormwater runoff carries pollution to streams, lakes, and rivers.

Clay Watershed Model

Build a **clay watershed model** to learn how water flows over hills and through neighborhoods into a stream, creek or river every time it rains.

Virtual Classroom Resources

Teachers, are you looking for online content to support virtual learning? You can use Raleigh Virtual Classroom Resources which offers videos and lesson plans on a variety of topics for various grade levels.

Enviroscape Demo Video

Enviroscape demo: Learn about Water Pollution

This hand-on activity shows you where water flows when it rains. Plus, the types of pollution water picks up along the way and how that impacts streams and rivers

CWEP Educational Videos

These videos were done in partnership with Clean Water Education Partnership.

How Litter and Trash Affects Streams

How Pet Waste Affects Streams

How Yard Waste Affects Streams

How Pesticides Affect Streams

How Household Chemicals Affect Streams

How Vehicle Maintenance Affects Streams

Where Water Flows in Raleigh When it Rains

See how water flows when it rains in Raleigh. This example starts with storm drains at the Raleigh Municipal Building in downtown and ends all the way at the Atlantic Ocean.

What’s a Floodplain?

A floodplain is the area next to a creek or river that floods. Learn about the best ways to stay safe in this area and the natural benefits the floodplain has on the environment.