Storm Water! Ways to better our environment. Ernesto Solis – Storm Water Specialist

What is Storm Water? Stormwater is the water that runs down the street when it's raining. Stormwater enters holes in the gutter called storm drain system inlets. Water that flows down the street when it's not raining, like when you wash your car or water your lawn, is called urban runoff. After stormwater and urban runoff flow into the storm drain, they travel to the nearest creek, river, or lake so our streets don’t flood. That means any pollutant on the street or in urban runoff gets carried to our creeks, rivers, and lakes! Yuck! Can you imagine swimming in all the gross stuff that’s on our streets? Soaps, grass clipping, trash, pet waste, pesticides and fertilizers, dirt, and oil are just some of the pollutants that make our water unhealthy for people and other animals.

There are a lot of things we do everyday that might result in contaminating our creeks, rivers, or lakes. Take a look at this illustration on the next page and see if you can spot what's wrong and think of what could be done differently to avoid contaminating our water.

Here, let's make a list... Leaves and Grass Clippings Swimming pool chemicals Hazardous chemicals Soaps and detergents Trash and Litter Animal Waste Sediment Used motor oil and other chemicals from cars

Now that you know how water pollution happens, do you know what you can do to prevent water pollution? There are lots of little things we can do around the house to pollute less. If you see your car leaking oil everywhere, tell your parents it needs to get fixed. Make sure you don’t let water full of pollutants like dirt, chemicals, soaps, and grass clippings run down the street and into a storm drain. Make sure to clean up after your dog or cat in your yard or when you take it out for a walk. Throw all your trash in a garbage can and not on the street, sidewalk, dirt, or grass.

Want to meet a friend of mine?

Thank You Boys and Girls!!! Remember “Only Rain Down the Storm Drain.”