Water quality problems in our waterways have historically been associated with improperly treated discharges from industrial and municipal wastewater treatment facilities, agricultural runoff, mining activity wastes, erosion from disturbed areas, and the like. However, results from many studies over the past 20 years have indicated that one of the largest contributors of pollution on a national scale is runoff from urban areas. Approximately one-half of the pollutants causing water pollution on a nation-wide basis can be attributed to storm runoff. Urban storm water runoff can carry oil and grease, bacteria, heavy metals, sediment and pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers in quantities great enough to cause receiving waters to violate quality standards for their designated beneficial uses.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) set upgrading wastewater treatment as the first priority in improving nationwide water quality. Twenty five years of new construction and improvements to wastewater treatment plants have resulted in achievement of cost effective reductions in pollutant discharge. EPA has set the control of urban storm water runoff pullution as the next priority in achieving water quality goals nationwide. The Courts, EPA and the State of Utah have developed a storm water quality discharge permit program wherein Salt Lake County can discharge stormwater to Waters of the State contingent upon development and implementation of a Storm Water Management Plan (SWMP). One of the central elements of the County’s SWMP is an education program. These Lesson and Activity Plans have been developed as a component of this program.

This third edition of Lesson and Activity Plans are an updated and expanded version of those produced in 2002. Some Plans have been deleted, some modified and others added. As before, they have been correlated to the current (December, 2005) Utah State Core Curriculum in Science, Mathematics, Language Arts and Social Studies. Therefore, these plans are applicable in all Districts in the State for grades 3 though 12. An “Activity Grade-Level Index” follows this introduction.

Downloadable and electronic copies of the entire document or individual lessons are available on the Lesson Plans page of this website.

If you would like to comment on these Plans, have questions, cannot download them, or would like additional information, please contact the

Salt Lake County Engineering Division
2001 S. State Street, #N3100
Salt Lake City, UT 84190,
(801) 468-2711
Contact the Stormwater CoalitionEmail

Additional stormwater information is also available on the website. These Lesson and Activity Plans were prepared by the Utah Society for Environmental Education (USEE).