Phoenix Water trainer explains stormwater is not treated by utility and urges pollution reporting

A volunteer coordinator with the City of Phoenix Water Department told trainees that stormwater — runoff from rain — is not cleaned by Phoenix Water and follows a separate conveyance system from sewers.

"Stormwater is rainwater that becomes urban runoff, and it is not cleaned by Phoenix Water," the coordinator said during Lesson 4. The trainer explained that storm drains are separate from the sewer system and that runoff is discharged into retention areas or surface waters where it can percolate or evaporate, and that the utility's objective is to clear stormwater quickly to keep roadways safe.

The session warned that stormwater picks up human‑related pollutants along its path. Trainees were urged to avoid littering, to pick up pet waste and not to dump used motor oil in the street, and were told how to report pollution: there is a page on the City of Phoenix website and incidents can also be reported to the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality.

The training framed these actions as prevention: because Phoenix Water does not treat stormwater, the best way to protect downstream water quality is to reduce pollution at the source and report violators for enforcement by appropriate agencies.