Our Rivers, Our Drinking Water

What happens if your dog drops his tennis ball down a storm drain? You can grab a canoe and go search for it in the waters of the Congaree because our storm sewer system, the grates you see along roads connect to pipes, dumps water directly into our streams, rivers and lakes. Storm sewers channel the rain that falls on hard surfaces, roofs, parking lots, roads or lawns, all the water that does not seep into the ground.

This rain, or stormwater, flows directly into storm drains and carries lawn chemicals, car oil, trash and other debris directly into the streams, rivers, and lakes the source of our drinking water. It is a common belief that this runoff goes to a water treatment facility. Not so. This toxic mix poses serious health risk to local communities, fish and wildlife. Of course we don’t drink directly from our streams, rivers or lakes, but our water treatment plants are only designed to remove specific chemicals meaning many pollutants can still end up in our drinking water.

Litter, yard waste and pet waste also gets swept up by stormwater. Water from people washing cars or watering lawns flows into storm sewers carrying debris and pollutants into our drinking water sources. The yard and pet waste can result in algae blooms that kill fish and destroy natural habitats. Yard debris also clogs storm drains so streets flood during heavy rains. All of the unfiltered, waste water makes our native streams and riversides unpleasant places to visit and for wildlife to live. Maxcy Gregg and Martin Luther King Park on Rocky Branch Creek are public parks are filled with the litter carried by stormwater

How can you help? Normally rain would be filtered through soil to remove pollutants but our man made storm water system bypasses this natural system. It’s easy to help keep our drinking water pure and public parks clean.  Below is a list of things you can do.

  1. Don’t litter, properly dispose of  trash and pet waste.
  2. Start a compost pile for your yard debris. Bag your yard debris if you don’t compost.
  3. Adopt a storm drain to help keep it unclogged by yard debris and other material.
  4. Consider changing from concrete to a permeable driveway and walkways.
  5. Create a rain garden on your property to hold rainwater and allow it to naturally seep into the ground.
  6. Catch the stormwater runoff from your roof in a rain barrel or direct it into your yard or garden.
  7. In stead of washing your car in the driveway or street, go to a car wash or wash it on the grass. (Businesses they are required to treat the water used to wash cars and therefore they reduce the amount of cleaning chemicals that are released into our streams, rivers and lakes.)
  8. Maintain your car to reduce leaks and spills of car fluid on roads and parking lots which are picked up by stormwater runoff.