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What's the difference between Storm Water Services and the water company?

One agency handles water coming from your faucet.  A different agency handles water coming from the sky.

The "faucet" agency is Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utilities. CMU pumps water from Mountain Island Lake and Lake Norman, purifies it, then pipes it to homes and businesses for drinking and bathing. CMU also maintains the pipes and treatment plants for wastewater and sewage.

 

Catch Basin

Learn more about Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utilities

Storm Water Services (SWS) handles the drainage of water that falls from the sky. That includes:

  • maintaining curbside storm drains and pipes
  • enforcing clean water regulations
  • resolving most problems that result from too much rain

 

Is there a difference between a storm "sewer" and a sanitary sewer?      
Yes. In all of Mecklenburg County, the storm drainage system and the sanitary sewer are two completely separate systems.  Learn more about storm water's path from "street to stream."