Take Care of that Gutter Garbage

All the extra rainwater that lawns don't soak up or that falls in streets and on buildings runs down the gutters into the storm sewers carrying with it animal waste, lawn fertilizer and pesticides, spilled brake fluid, oil, grease, antifreeze, leaves and plenty of polluted dirt from lawns, gardens, vacant lots and construction sites. Unlike sewers that carry wastewater from inside buildings to treatment plants, storm sewers carry rainwater and its gutter garbage directly to nearby streams, rivers and lakes without treatment. Though more than 60 percent of America's streams, rivers and lakes are safe for fishing and swimming, storm water pollution is one reason almost 40 percent are not.

Storm water pollution is also the reason federal law requires cities and operators of industrial facilities and construction sites to have storm water permits. At a construction site or industrial facility, both management and workers bear responsibility for preventing storm water pollution. In a home neighborhood, everyone can help eliminate gutter garbage by:

· Keep litter, pet wastes, leaves, and debris out of street gutters and storm drains.
· Apply lawn and garden chemicals sparingly and not before thunderstorms.
· Dispose of used oil, antifreeze, paints and other chemicals properly, not in storm sewers.
· Do not hose spilled chemicals or other waste products into the street .
· Control soil erosion on your property by stabilizing erosion-prone areas.

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