Stormwater
Savvy?
Flooding, fish kills,
sky-high shellfish prices, algae blooms and dredging.
If you don’t see a connection, you’re not
alone. A recent phone survey of North Carolinians
found most know little about stormwater, the polluted
runoff created when rain or snow melt travel over roads,
roofs, and parking lots en route to storm drains. That’s
too bad for three reasons: stormwater
is our largest source of water pollution, people unwittingly
provide the pollutants, and the problem will grow until
we get smarter. We already pay the price;
let’s see what we’re buying.
Industry and business
used to pollute the most. Decades
of regulation later, water’s greatest threat comes
from people going about their daily lives. Drivers, pet
walkers, homeowners, and gardeners can all help or harm
water; they just don’t know it.
First, let’s
examine a few simple facts. Fewer North Carolina women
than men know that storm drains carry runoff directly
to the nearest creek, stream, or lake. The water
is not treated, so any litter, oil, pet waste, herbicides,
fertilizer, and brake dust it picks up along the way goes
right in with it. That’s the quality end
of things. Now consider that rain falling on hard surfaces
like roads, roofs, and parking lots can’t sink in,
so more “runs off.” Localized urban flooding
can result. Properties that
never flood may do so now and swollen stream banks can
erode up to one foot a year. Stormwater quantity brings
its own troubles.
On the quality side,
consider this: most cars emit up to 30 pounds of nitrogen
annually. “Atmospheric
deposition” is just a $10 word that means “what
goes up must come down,” usually right onto those
hard surfaces where it the next raindrop carries it off.
Higher gas prices showed many of us that we could drive
less if given good reason. Here’s a good reason!
Fortunately,
since people are the source of polluted stormwater runoff,
we can stop it, too. Land-based pollutants like oil, fertilizer,
pet waste, and eroding soil are easily controlled with
forethought and planning. The survey revealed
that more women, adults aged 18-24, and those aged 65
years or older will pick up pet waste more often than
men. Ladies, it’s time to expand these numbers if
we want streams and lakes our children can play in.
In most states,
women were more inclined to get soil tests before applying
fertilizer, but Carolina guys and gals could both do this
more.
We
know which gender knows how to “ask for directions,”
so let’s do it.
Soil tests are free
with a quick visit to this link http://www.agr.state.nc.us/agronomi/sthome.htm.
And how about fertilizer? The survey showed households
earning more than $100,000 annually apply the most—did
they know they’re wasting money? Grass
can only use so much, so any excess washing away could
cause an algae bloom.
Lower
income levels wash cars and change oil more, but cars
can be washed atop grass and gravel without spending more.
Soapy water and road dirt sink in instead of moving
straight to the stream. Used oil can go to a local recycler
(also free) instead of being poured onto grass or into
storm drains.
Stormwater
quantity can be addressed by turning gutters away from
hard surfaces towards grassy areas. Drives and walkways
made with pavers set in sand let rain and snow sink in
and still provide a stable surface. Homebuilders
increasingly find low-impact development an affordable
option, so check it out before you build. Some communities
set stormwater fees based on the amount of impervious
(e.g., water won’t sink in) surfaces. The less you
have, the lower your fee may be.
By
now, you can probably connect the dots between flooding,
fish kills, sky-high shellfish prices, algae blooms, and
dredging. Fertilizer can
cause algae blooms that use oxygen fish need to survive
when they die off. Harmful microorganisms from pet waste
enter shellfish waters that are then closed to protect
public health. Eroding sediment fills
lakes that must be dredged before overflows cause floods.
And we all pay the price for higher drinking water treatment
bills.
Stormwater is our
number one water pollutant, but it’s one we can
control. In fact, no one else can. As one regulator put
it, “until we can permit the back end of
a dog or a car window, voluntary action is the key.”
The ball’s in our court now; let’s see some
action.
Chrystal
Bartlett
currently
works
as
Stormwater
Awareness
&
Outreach
Coordinator
for
the
N.C.
Department
of
Environment
and
Natural
Resources
where
she
recently
launched
a
new
stormwater
Web
site,
www.ncstormwater.org.
She
is
also
a
freelance
voiceover
talent
and
image
management
consult.
Before
working
at
DENR,
she
worked
as
a
DJ,
news
reporter
and
at
several
ad
agencies.
Chrystal
graduated
from
N.C.
State
University
with
a
B.A.
in
Communication
and
an
M.A.
in
Public
Relations.
