Watershed Wednesday: Goodbye Snow and Hello Stormwater!
Snowbanks and snow piles are quickly disappearing from our parking lots, yards, and streets as temperatures get warmer. As winter melts away, stormwater comes into play. Stormwater is rain or snowmelt that flows over impervious surfaces such as parking lots, roads, rooftops and driveways. Stormwater flows as surface runoff, and as it flows it picks up and carries any pollutants or sediments within its path. In urban areas, runoff enters our storm drain outlets which in turn end up in our local creeks and streams.
Stormwater runoff may carry fertilizers, pesticides, pet waste, road salts, trash debris, and automobile oil and grease into our waterways. When these pollutants enter our waterways, it can lead to stream impairment, fish and wildlife habitat loss, nutrient loading, and contamination of water supplies.
What can we do in our daily lives?
Pick up after our pets - the 2022 Bozeman Dog Poop Cleanup is April 15th, sign up here!
Never dump anything down storm drains or in ditches
Check your car for leaking fluids and recycle motor oil
Use fertilizers sparingly and sweep driveways and sidewalks after application
Avoid pesticide use
Vegetate bare spots in your yard and terrace slopes to minimize erosion
Wash your car at a commercial car wash rather than in the street or in your driveway
Maintain your septic system! Septic systems require regular inspections, maintenance and pumping. Leaky septic systems introduce nitrates and other pollutants in to our groundwater
Bigger picture:
Replace part (or all!) of your lawn with native, drought-resistant plants. Improving plant growth will reduce stormwater runoff
Volunteer with GWC or other organizations via vegetation plating events on streambanks, river clean ups, tree planting events, and other opportunities to address stormwater issues
Support your local stormwater program - learn about city and county programs and regulations
Protect and support your local wetlands. They mitigate flooding and aid in treating nutrients before they enter our waterways
Consider permeable sidewalks and examine local growth and development (more impervious surfaces = more runoff)
Educate yourself on your local floodplain regulations
Educate yourself on stormwater pollution and how to address it - and then tell your friends!
