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What is stormwater polluon? Stormwater is water from rain or melng snow that doesn’t soak into the ground. Stormwater starts off clean and flows directly into our rivers, lakes and streams. Along the way, it picks up everything it comes in contact with as it flows over the land surface, roadways, sidewalks, parking lots, con- strucon sites, industrial parks, etc. These materials become part of the stormwater runoff which is funneled through guers, storm drains, canals, and drainage ways into local surface waters—untreated! It is esmated that more than one-half of the polluon in our naon’s waterways comes from stormwater runoff. The primary pollutants of concern in the Syracuse Urban Area (SUA) are phosphorus and sediment. Why is stormwater such a big problem? During runoff events, pollutants carried by stormwater degrade the quality of the lakes, rivers, wetlands and other waterways they eventually enter. Nutrients—such as phosphorus and nitrogen—can promote the overgrowth of algae and deplete oxygen surface waters. Toxic chemicals, sediment, and careless applicaon of pescides, herbicides and ferlizers threaten the health of the receiving waterway and can kill fish and other aquac life. Bacteria from animal waste and illicit sanitary sewer connecons to storm sewer systems can make lakes unsafe for wading, swimming and fishing. Stormwater is everyone’s responsibility. Be the soluon to stormwater polluon! Just as polluted stormwater affects us all, we can all affect stormwater. Take acon. Become in- formed. Pracce healthy household, yard, and per- sonal habits every day. For more informaon about stormwater issues and how you can make a difference, visit the CNY RPDB stormwa- ter web site at stormwater-phase2. What’s being done to control stormwater polluon? In the past, it was thought that water polluon was caused mainly by industrial and municipal end-of-pipe discharges. A lot of effort was put into cleaning up these “point sources” of polluon. Now, the focus is on clean- ing up “non-point source” polluon, that is, water pol- luon that does not originate from a single source but is generated over a large area. The problem with controlling non-point source storm- water polluon is that it is very expensive to treat. Treatment facilies would have to be very large to treat peak storm flows and would sit unused more that 95% of the me. The best way to control stormwater pol- luon is to prevent clean stormwater from becoming contaminated in the first place. Federal stormwater management regulaons, com- monly known as Stormwater Phase II, are helping to address stormwater issues. As part of a general per- mit program administered by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservaon, regulated cies, towns, villages, and counes are controlling the quanty and quality of stormwater being discharged from their Mu- nicipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4s). A state- wide general construcon permit requires developers to control the quanty and quality of stormwater runoff from construcon projects that disturb one acre of soil or more. There are 31 permied MS4 municipalies in the SUA. Twenty-nine of these municipalies are working with the Central New York Regional Planning & Development Board (CNY RPDB) to jointly implement a wide range of acvies to reduce stormwater polluon, including public educaon and training for municipal employees and elected officials. In the past, regulated SUA com- munies worked with CNY RPDB to establish common standards for mapping stormwater oualls, develop common procedures for inspecng construcon sites and secure grant funding to lower program costs. This informaon was developed by the Central New York Regional Planning and Development Board as part of a public storm- water educaon program jointly funded by the following municipalies: the Towns of Camillus, Clay, DeWi, Geddes, LaFayee, Lysander, Manlius, Marcellus, Onondaga, Salina, Sullivan, Van Buren, Hasngs, Cicero, West Monroe, and Pompey, the Villages of Baldwinsville, East Syracuse, Liverpool, Phoenix, Fayeeville, Manlius, Marcellus, Minoa, North Syracuse, Solvay, the City of Syra- cuse, and Madison and Onondaga Counes. When it rains... it drains! Be the solution to stormwater pollution 4HE 0OST 3TANDARD!DVERTISING 3UPPLEMENT s 4HURSDAY !UGUST SYRACUSE URBAN AREA STORMWATER PHASE II Source: Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality ---PAGE BREAK--- Lawn and Garden Care Apply ferlizers and pescides sparingly and use the recommended amounts found in the instruc- ons on the container. Avoid spillage onto sidewalks, driveways, or streets. Test your soil before apply- ing ferlizer and only use the required amount. Never apply ferlizers or pescides if the weather forecast calls for rain, which can wash these chemicals into nearby storm drains and surface waters. If you live on the shoreline of a lake or stream, maintain a buffer strip of unmowed, natural vegetaon to reduce ferlizer runoff. Water your lawn and garden during the cool mes of the day (early morning or late aernoon) to avoid evaporaon and don’t let excess water flow into the storm drain. Adjust sprinklers to avoid hav- ing water flow onto the street or sidewalk. Direct roof guers and downspouts away from paved sur- faces and onto lawns, natural areas, or rain gardens to increase infiltraon and reduce stormwater runoff. Cover stockpiles of soil, sand, and mulch to prevent it from blowing or washing off your yard and into local waterbodies. Replant bare spots in your lawn as soon as possible to avoid soil erosion. If you find invasive plants growing in your yard, remove them before they have a chance to spread. Select only plants that are nave to Central New York for your landscaping project. Nave plants are drought and pest resistant and require less water, ferlizer, and pescides. Sweep your sidewalk instead of using a hose. Use a compost bin to turn yard waste into a useful gardening product and use it as mulch. Let grass clippings remain on the lawn. Never allow yard and household waste to wash down storm drains. Consider parcipang in an “Adopt a Stream” or “Adopt a Highway” program in your municipality. When walking your dog, place the waste in a trash receptacle or flush it down the toilet. Leaving pet waste on the ground increases public health risks by allowing harmful bacteria and nutrients to wash into the storm drain and eventually into local water bodies. Home Repairs and Improvements Before beginning an outdoor project, protect nearby storm drains from debris and other materials. Properly dispose of construcon debris such as concrete and mortar. Use hazardous substances like paints, solvents, and cleaners in the smallest amounts possible, and follow the direcons on the label. Clean up spills immediately and safely dispose of the waste. Carefully store paint and other materials to avoid leaks and spills. When possible, use nontoxic, biodegradable, recycled, and recyclable prod- ucts. Clean paint brushes in a sink, not outdoors, and re-use turpenne once the paint has seled. Never dump anything down a storm drain, as all storm drains flow directly to local streams and lakes. Take used oil and other household hazardous waste to a recycling center or a household hazard- ous waste collecon program. Have your sepc tank inspected by a professional every 3-5 years and have the system pumped if needed. Plant only grass (not trees or bushes) over the leach field and keep all vehicles away from the area. Remember – it’s illegal to connect your household wastewater (including sinks, laundry drains, and sanitary sewers) to storm sewers. Vehicle and Equipment Maintenance Check your car, boat, and other equipment for oil and gasoline leaks and spills and make repairs as soon as possible. Clean up spilled fluids with an absorbent material such as kiy lit- ter or sand. Be sure to properly dispose of the absorbent material. Don’t rinse spills of any kind into nearby storm drains. Recycle used oil and other automove fluids. Never dispose of these chemicals down storm drains or with other household trash. Use a commercial car wash or wash your car on a lawn or other unpaved surface to minimize the amount of dirty, soapy water flowing into the storm drain and eventually into local waterways. Swimming Pool, Spa, and Fountain Test the water before draining your swimming pool, spa, or fountain and only drain the water when no chlorine and other chemicals are detected. Drain the water onto a grassy area to increase soil infil- traon. Store chlorine and other chemicals in a covered area to prevent leaks and spills and avoid exposure to precipitaon and runoff. Local Government and Educaon Programs Local governments are making great strides with stormwater management, but they need your help. Become familiar with the stormwater management program requirements. Read the Stormwater Phase II permits and consider how they can be applied in your community. Aend planning board meengs and support the use of Stormwater Phase II requirements. Get involved in your communi- ty’s vision for future growth and development. New and redevelopment projects should not cause an increase in stormwater runoff and flooding. Be sure to report water quality violaons—such as dis- charges of any material other than stormwater into storm drains—to local authories. If you are a teacher, use Project WET to teach about stormwater. You can make a difference! ---PAGE BREAK--- Which pollutants are a concern? Too much of anything can be a problem. It’s important to remember that not all pollut- ants are man-made. Sunlight, soil, and grass can have significant negave impacts on water resources and aquac life. In the SUA phosphorus and sediment are the primary stormwater pollutants of concern, but there are others. The following summary outlines some of the stormwater pollutants to be aware of. Phosphorus Phosphorus and other nutrients promote weed and algae growth in lakes and streams. Excessive weed growth clogs waterways and blocks sunlight. When algae die they sink to the boom and decompose in a process that removes oxygen from the water. Many fish and other aquac organisms can’t exist in water with low dissolved oxygen levels. Sources of nutrients include ferlizer, failing sepc tanks, and non-laundry detergents. Silt and Sediment Stormwater runoff that contains silt and sediment can damage the habitat needed by aquac plants and animals. Fish eggs are buried, food supplies are reduced, and recre- aonal acvies are impaired when sediment fills swimming areas and navigaon chan- nels. In addion to blocking sunlight needed for aquac plant growth, sediment can trans- port toxic chemicals to waterbodies. Toxic substances (gasoline, household products, paint thinner, etc.) Toxic substances may enter surface waters either dissolved in runoff or aached to sedi- ment or organic material. In surface water the principal concerns are the entry of toxic substances into the food chain; bioaccumulaon; toxic effect on fish, wildlife and micro- organisms; habitat degradaon; and potenal degradaon of public water supplies. Toxic substances can originate from residenal areas, businesses and construcon sites. Pathogens (bacteria and viruses) Pathogens include infecous agents and disease producing organisms normally associ- ated with human and animal waste, leakage from sewers, and seepage from sepc tanks. Pathogens make lakes and streams unsafe for drinking, swimming, fishing, and other forms of water recreaon. Biological contaminants come from lier, organic maer and animal waste. Oxygen demanding organics (human and animal waste, decaying plants and animals, discarded lier, and food waste) Organic material (natural or can enter surface waters either dissolved or suspended in stormwater runoff. Natural decomposion of organic material can deplete dissolved oxygen supplies in surface waters. When dissolved oxygen is re- duced below a certain threshold, it can impair or kill fish and other aquac plants and animals. Thermal stress (sunlight) When streams lack nearby trees and shade, the elevated water temperature can exceed fish tolerance limits, which lowers their resistance to disease and reduces their survival. Street surfaces and other impervious areas which have been heated by sunlight may also transport thermal energy to a streams, lakes and ponds during a storm event. Cold water fish species (such as trout) may be not be able to survive. Lier Floang lier in water may be contaminated with toxic chemicals and bacteria. It’s also unaracve to look at and can be harmful or fatal to aquac organisms. Source: North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources