NCSC has created educational posters for the public. If you're interested in posting them at your business, school, community center or home, click HERE. Great for teachers, businesses, environmental educators, and local citizens!
The most effective way to reduce stormwater pollution is to stop it getting in there in the first place. The water that runs off the roads, your roof, footpath and driveway are the beginning of the stormwater system. After there it flows through a system of usually hidden pipes and drains. From here the water goes untreated and empties into your local waterway. Unlike sewage, stormwater is not treated. In some cases it's filtered through oil and water separators or stormwater filters, but it still flows directly from streets and gutters into our rivers, the bay and the ocean.
Three Types of Stormwater Pollution
All types end up discharging into waterways as sediment, sludge and solids. These can be caught in expensive stormwater treatment filters, but the most effective way to reduce this problem is to prevent pollution entering the stormwater system in the first place.
Stormwater - Who's responsible?
Everyone has a part to play. Reducing the pollution depends on every person preventing harmful natural or chemical substances entering the drains.
Local municipalities are responsible for controlling and maintaining stormwater systems. However, it is everyone's responsibility to reduce the amount of rubbish and pollution that is carried into the drains. Local municipalities and rate payers have to foot the bill for cleaning out stormwater facilities, and it's much more cost-effective to stop the problem at the top of the pipe than further downstream.
Effects of Stormwater on Plants and Animals
Stormwater pollution can kill plants and animals that live in the water. Sediment in the water reduces light penetration and affects photosynthesis, the processes that allow plants to use light as their source of energy.
When green waste decays in water it uses up oxygen, taking vital oxygen away from plants, fish and other aquatic animals.
Soil makes waterways cloudy and can suffocate fish by clogging their gills.
Litter clogs waterways and causes toxicity as it breaks down. It affects the health of birds, fish and other animals and plants that live in the waterways.
Effects of Stormwater on Humans
Bacteria and chemical pollutants in runoff pose a health risk to humans. It can be dangerous to swim immediately after rain. Pollution also destroys the visual amenity of our waterways.