Public Works - Non-Point Source Pollution
What it means and show you can help water quality
Do you wash your car at home?
Did you know...
- Washing your car at home not only uses more gallons of water than a commercial car wash, but it also can introduce soap, oil and engine grime to the environment.
- HOW? The dirty water and soap that comes off your car at home usually flows down the driveway, into a curb inlet or gutter, and ends up in a nearby creek or river.
- Curb inlets are designed to drain rainwater from the streets to prevent flooding. This water does not go to a water treatment facility to be cleaned.
- By using a commercial car wash, the soap and dirty water enter a filter system which removes grit and oil. The water then flows through the sanitary sewer to a treatment facility where the water is cleansed.
BEAUTIFUL LAWNS AND HEALTHY
STREAMS
Did you know? One of the main sources of water pollution results
from improper use of lawn fertilizers.
Why? Rainwater or excess irrigation carries surplus fertilizers into nearby streams, affecting water quality and aquatic life. This runoff is called non-point source pollution because the pollutant cannot be tracked back to one single source.
What can I do to prevent non-point source pollution? You can sample the soil in your yard and have it analyzed. Soil sampling is an essential tool in understanding the soil chemistry of your lawn. Lack of knowledge about your lawn's needs can be result in over-fertilization and runoff.
How do I sample my soil? Follow these steps:
- Remove mulch, grass or thatch (dried grass clippings) away from desired testing areas.
- With a clean spade, dig to a depth of 4 inches.
- Take 12 samples in various spots around the desired testing area.
- Mix samples together in a clean bucker.
- Place one cup of the dried soil mixture in a clean container. Write or attach your name, address and phone number on the container. Also indicate what type of grass you have in your yard (i.e. fescue, bermuda, etc.) Mail or deliver the container with payment of $4.50 to: Gwinnett County Extension Service, 750 South Perry Street, SW, Lawrenceville, Georgia 30045, 678.377.4010.
Your sample will be sent to the University of Georgia lab to be analyzed. In approximately two weeks, you will receive a soil test report of your lawn's needs, including what nutrients are present, what nutrients are needed and the best time to apply them to you lawn. By following the recommendations of the soil test report, you will be helping to keep our streams healthy.
What else can I do? Storm water causes many pollutants to be washed down storm drains and directly into our rivers. This non-point pollution is the greatest source of pollution to our waterways. You can help by:
- Picking up litter in your yard and on your streets
- Taking your car to a commercial car wash instead of washing it in the street
- Putting leaves and yard clippings into brown paper bags for collection by your waste hauler or composting them in your back yard
- Keeping your car tuned up to avoid fluid leaks
- Picking up pet wastes
Beautiful Lawns and Healthy Systems Streams is a cooperative effort of Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful , the Gwinnett County Department of Public Utilities and the Gwinnett County Extension Service.
A regular fertilization program is important to maintain a healthy, attractive lawn. Proper fertilization is generally the most cost-effective practice to have a nice lawn. A soil test will tell you what nutrients are present in your soil and what you need to add. This includes what fertilizer to use, how much and when to apply. Soil testing is available through the Extension Service (678.377.4025) for a small fee. A rule of thumb for warm season grasses is to apply 10-10-10 fertilizer at a rate of 10 pounds per 1000 square feet after Spring green-up. Waiting until after your grass is green, increases the likelihood of the fertilizer going into the grass plants and not into our streams. This way you can have an award winning lawn and you will be doing your part to protect our streams.
What is Non-Point Source
Pollution?
Non-point source pollution comes in many different forms and it is hard to
identify where it comes from, hence the name non-point source pollution.
To help you better understand what non-point source pollution is, you need to
know about point source pollution. Point source pollution is an easily
identifiable location that is discharging at a single point into a waterbody.
Examples include factory effluents or exposed discharge pipes. This type
of pollution was once wide spread throughout most of the U.S. and was just
"accepted" as the way of life. There was even a saying "The
solution to pollution is dilution". This meant putting all of our
waste into a lake or stream and let that source water "dilute" it
out. Since the passage of the Clean Water Act of 1972 and billions of
dollars spent on pollution reduction efforts, point source pollution has pretty
much become a problem of the past.
The problem today is non-point source pollution. Non-point source pollution comes from sources that cannot be easily identified or traced back to a single source. Litter, fertilizer, human and pet waste, motor oil, and construction runoff are examples of non-point source pollution. You may be thinking to yourself, why can't we identify these sources and get rid of them. The reason for that is when these pollutants enter a waterway, such as a stream or river, it is mixed in the natural current and carried down stream. Thus making it hard to find the source. We can identify pollutants in streams, but we cannot identify, or point, to the source since the source could be hundreds of miles away. For example, we cannot tell which motorist threw out a cigarette butt on the ground, we do not know which yard the excessive fertilizer came from, or which animal went to the bathroom. However, we are beginning to get a handle on the problem. Through education and Gwinnett County DPU's efforts to visually survey all of Gwinnett's 14 basins and identifying areas that may contribute to water pollution, we are reducing the amount of non-point source pollution entering our waterways.
|
Type of Pollutants |
Where it came from |
What it can do |
|
Sediment (dirt) |
Construction, agriculture and mining sites not correctly using BMPs |
Cover fish and aquatic organisms habitat, destroy oxygen enriching riffle areas, shield other pollutants from disinfection from sunlight |
|
Organic Matter |
Yard clippings, failing septic tanks, not picking up after your pet |
When organic matter starts to decompose, it uses oxygen. If enough matter starts decomposing, it can use up all of the oxygen and kill off the aquatic organisms. Also, animal and human waste can contain diseases and pose as a public health risk. |
|
Nutrients (Phosphorus and Nitrogen) |
Over fertilizing lawns, soaps, animal and human waste |
Create algal blooms which can destroy ecosystems. When algae starts dying, it uses up the oxygen and kills off the aquatic organisms. |
|
Fuels, oils, and other automotive fluids |
Outdoor car washing, placing motor oil into storm drains, parking lots |
Create public health hazards, block oxygen from diffusing into the water, halt photosynthesis, destroy habitat, clog fish gills an d smother other organisms. |
|
Poisons |
Improper use of pesticides and herbicides |
Kill aquatic organisms, kill aquatic plants. Plants are needed for aquatic habitat and food. |
|
Inanimate objects |
Litter, illegal dumping of tires and trash |
Create flooding problems, cause erosion of stream bank, destroy habitats. |
|
Other, such as metals and industrial waste |
Mostly illegal dumping, but can come from land disturbing activities |
These items indirectly cause health problems by creating fish consumption limits and hinder drinking water supplies if not properly dealt with. |
*Source: Gwinnett Adopt-A-Stream "The Gwinnett River", Volume 6, No. 1, Spring 2003.
What is the bad stuff?
Motor Oil and Antifreeze
Paint
Pesticides
Yard Waste
Fertilizers
Sediment
Fecal from animal and human waste
Detergents from car washing and other sources
Who creates It? We all do! How?
Not maintaining
vehicles.
Did you know that if every car in
Gwinnett County lost 1 tsp. of oil a day, that would be 680 gallons?
The oil is washed into our streams, contaminating them for recreation and
water supply.
Blowing leaves and
grass clippings into storm drains and ditches.
Did you know that this depletes oxygen in our streams?
Overusing fertilizers
and pesticides.
Did you know that
fertilizers promote algae and weed growth in streams?
Not cleaning up after
our pets.
Did you know that the average dog
produces 3 billion fecal colonies per day? Bacteria, which can cause
disease, get washed into our streams lowering water quality.
Not maintaining on-site
septic systems.
Did you know that a septic
tank requires regular maintenance? Systems poorly maintained will not
adequately treat waste, which causes them to discharge bacteria and other
pollutants into our streams.
Not cleaning up litter from the streets.
Did you know that aquatic
animals may ingest or become tangled in non-biodegradable litter?
What can I do to help? IT'S SIMPLE!
- Maintain your car regularly. Fix oil leaks and recycle used motor oil and antifreeze. For information on recycling visit www.gwinnettcb.org.
- Keep your neighborhood free of litter.
- Compost or bag leaves and grass clippings instead of blowing them into the storm drains or ditches. Call the Extension Service at 678-377-4010 for a brochure.
- Don't overuse fertilizer or pesticides. The Extension Service can provide soil testing for a small fee to let you know what nutrients are present and what you need to add. You can contact them at 678-377-4010.
- Know where your septic tank and field lines are located. Have the tank pumped as needed, on an average every 2-3 years. For more information on your septic tank, contact Environmental Health at 770-963-5132.
- Wash brushes and rollers with latex paint in the sink. If using oil-based paints; keep paint, turpentine and solvents away from the gutters and drains. Re-use turpentine once the paint has settled. Allow unused paint to dry out and put the residue in the trash. Paint can be harmful to aquatic life.
- Wash your vehicle on a grassy area. Try to use minimal detergent. Use a bucket and empty the soapy water down the sink or toilet. Otherwise, use a car wash that recycles water or a gas station car wash bay.
- Animal waste washes into our waterways that can increase the level of bacteria and make our water unsafe for recreation. Encourage your dog to go in your garden. Otherwise, carry a plastic bag and put the droppings in the trash. Pooper scooper!
The Drain is just for
Rain...
Drains that collect rainwater are connected straight
to a creek or river but they can also carry litter, oil, fertilizer, cigarette
butts, animal waste and anything else that enters the drain to that same creek
or river. This causes pollution of these waterways.
Help protect our
waterways...
Don't dump, wash, flow or drain anything
onto roads or into storm drains, drainage ditches or creek.
PROTECT OUR DRINKING WATER
City and County officials are
concerned about protecting the Chattahoochee River watershed as the area
around it grows. The river is extremely valuable because it provides high
quality drinking water, recreational opportunities, and a unique ecosystem.
Since the river doesn't just confine itself to the boundaries of one jurisdiction, the elected officials recognized they needed to work together to protect it from its headwaters in Gwinnett County all the way to Lake Lanier.
The State of Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) has passed regulations requiring that communities all across the state develop a plan to deal with non-point source pollution (the runoff that comes from parking lots, roof tops, construction sites, farmland, etc.) in their community in order to get new or increased permits to withdraw water for drinking water supplies, or to discharge wastewater from treatment plants. The City of Duluth is a co-applicant with Gwinnett County in the NPDES permit and program and is working with Gwinnett County to meet the requirements of the law. The Chattahoochee River is the major drinking water supply for thousands of residents in Hall, Gwinnett, Fulton, and Dekalb counties. Please do your part in protecting our drinking water by not pouring pollutants down the storm drains such as oil, paint, etc. and hazardous materials that would pollute our drinking water and endanger the life of the inhabitants of the Chattahoochee River. The Chattahoochee River is a designated trout stream and is protected by other State laws as well.
Go to www.cleanwatercampaign.com to learn more or to view Public Service Announcements.
DID YOU KNOW THAT BLOWING LEAVES INTO STORM
DRAINS OR DRAINAGE DITCHES IS HARMFUL TO FISH AND OTHER AQUATIC LIFE?
Blowing or depositing yard waste, leaves or grass clippings, into storm
drains or drainage ditches will cause them to be washed into out streams and
rivers. Aquatic ecosystems (a system of plants and animals interacting
together in a waterway) are dependent upon healthy streams and rivers.
Microorganisms, which form a part of these ecosystems, eat the organic materials
that naturally enter into the waterway, such as leaves falling from riverbank
trees. These microorganisms use oxygen from the water when they eat (or
decompose) this vegetation. However, when large volumes of organic
materials enter the stream, (e.g. when leaves are blown into storm drains) more
oxygen is used to break down this vegetation, leaving less oxygen for the other
fish and aquatic animals. Please compost yard waste or dispose of it
through your organic waste pickup.
Help keep Gwinnett's Water CLEAN by joining
Adopt-A-Stream!!!
By joining the Gwinnett County Adopt-A-Stream Program, you can learn how
to improve our water resources. This can be done by participating in a
stream cleanup, monitoring stream health, stenciling storm drains, touring one
of our award winning facilities, or taking one of our environmental workshops.
Did you know....
- 169 miles of Gwinnett's waters are considered impaired by Georgia's Environmental Protection Division
- Approximately 73 tons of trash and debris are removed every year by Gwinnett's Adopt-A-Stream volunteers
- Lake Lanier is Gwinnett's drinking water source
- Stormwater runoff is the leading cause of water pollution in the United States
For more information, contact Michael O'Shield at 678-376-7157 or Katherine Atteberry at 678-376-6944.