Please remember as you cut your lawn and tend to your garden this season, we need your help to allow “Only Rain Down the Storm Drain.” Storm drains are designed to allow stormwater to enter and drain to nearby streams.
Here are some “DOs and DON’Ts” to keep our streams and stormwater basins healthy and avoid flash flooding in your neighborhood:
- DON’T sweep leaves or blow grass clippings into the street. The debris can block storm drains and cause flooding. Plus, yard waste can make it through the drain and promote the growth of algae in streams and lakes due to an increase in nutrients.
- DO cut your lawn high and let lawn clippings lie. Higher lawns crowd out weeds. Grass clippings make great fertilizer.
- DON’T dump dog waste into storm drains. Pet waste contributes to significant bacteria levels when it drains into our creeks.
- DO pick up all pet waste in appropriate bags and place the bags in your trash cart.
- DON’T place anything onto or into a storm inlet drain, including pipes, fencing, screening, leaves, yard waste, pet waste, rock, soil, mulch, chemicals, concrete waste or any other solid waste. Drainage pipes placed directly into the throat of a stormwater inlet opening reduces the available opening that can receive stormwater.
- DO keep objects off and away from stormwater inlets if you have inlets on or around your property. This will help stormwater flow into the drain, instead of backing up and potentially flooding your property.
- DO sweep fertilizer, pesticides, and herbicides off of all hard surfaces back into your lawn and only use appropriate amounts to protect water quality.