MESA, Ariz. — We have a few weeks to go before Monsoon 2024 officially starts in Arizona.
It's the time of year when there's a good possibility we could see a strong storm dump a lot of water on the Valley.
Going through the water or even taking a drink of it is certainly not the best way for us to cool off though.
12News got a look at one of Mesa's stormwater collection sites. The city has five sites around the area so it can get a good read on what's in the stormwater. Areas include neighborhoods and commercial and industrial spaces.
When the city gets significant rain, the system kicks on and starts collecting samples of the stormwater. As the water washes through parts of the city, the special machines get samples at different intervals of the storm.
That water is then tested at a lab. The city is looking for things like e-coli, metals, oils, greases, pesticides and what level they're at.
The stormwater is not treated so the city officials said to think of all the stuff that's on the streets, sidewalks and in people's yards - all of that gets washed up when the Valley gets heavy rain.
"We do see unfortunately a lot of e-coli,” said Ryan Cavalier with the City of Mesa. “That's one of the big ones and copper. Stuff from vehicles. These are things that you don't want touching your mouth. So when you go in the water, it touches your hands and we don't want people ingesting that stuff."
The city said one way to help reduce the pollutants in the water is to pick up after your pets. Also, if your car does have a leak, fix it and try to contain whatever is leaking. They also recommended residents make sure they are using pesticides as directed.
City officials also stress to never pour any chemicals down a storm drain since stormwater is diverted into the Gila and Salt rivers without being treated.
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