Responsibilities
The goal of the City's Surface Water Management (SWM) Division is to prevent urban flooding and reduce the discharge of pollutants into streams, the Skagit River, and the Puget Sound through proactive maintenance of the drainage infrastructure.
The Surface Water Management Division maintains over 5,100 catch basins and manholes, over 117 miles of pipe and 6 miles of open channel and ditch, 104 residential detention ponds and 4 regional detention facilities. City staff is dedicated to providing services in an effective and efficient manner and is prepared to respond to flooding, spills and other emergencies that may arise 24 hours a day.