ARDOT is committed to eliminating pollution brought about by stormwater discharges as runoff from rain events on our highway system. Stormwater is a term used to describe water that originates when precipitation runs off the natural landscape and manmade surfaces such as sidewalks, streets, and parking lots. This surface runoff either flows directly into surface waters or is channeled into storm sewer systems, which carry the runoff to nearby waterbodies. Stormwater has been shown to be one of the leading contributors to pollution of urban waterways, since it can contain fertilizers, oil, pesticides, trash, sediment, etc. Therefore, certain stormwater discharges are regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the State of Arkansas primarily under the Clean Water Act (CWA), Section 402: National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES).