Storm drains lead directly to streams and rivers and lakes. When waste enters our surface waters, it becomes a form of non-point-source pollution which severely impacts water quality.
Now that you are all busy mowing your lawns, here is a great tip for summer lawn care. Instead of bagging or raking them into the street, leave your grass clippings on the lawn. Grass clippings provide nitrogen to put back into the soil naturally, and save you the cost and effort of adding fertilizer.
By adding this practice to your lawn-care repertoire, you will also be helping the environment. When grass clippings end up in the street, they are picked up by storm water runoff and carried from the storm drain into the nearest stream or lake, where they add excess nitrogen which causes the algae to explode into harmful algal blooms. When the algae decompose, they use up all of the available oxygen, creating a “Dead Zone,” where no creatures can live.
When trash and yard waste are dumped into the catch basins they can cause a blockage on the street. This blockage can impact homes as both footer drains and downspout drains are connected to the storm sewer. Protect your home and your neighbors by keeping yard waste and trash out of the catch basins.