Terry Noto, a conservation expert working with Environmental Defense Fund said, “These wetland forests improve the quality of our drinking water, provide floodwater storage, and reduce the severity of flooding downstream.”

To read more click here http://stormh2o.com/the-latest/incentives-farmers-wetlands.aspx

Remember, whatever goes down a storm drain flows directly – without treatment – into local creeks, streams, and rivers, and eventually to the ocean. These pollutants have harmful effects on our drinking water supplies, recreation areas, fisheries and wildlife.

I did a little research and found a helpful website that consumers can use to locate the nearest household hazardous waste collection facility. Visit www.earth911.org

Here are a few pointers:

Used motor oil and oil filters: Each year, people who change the oil in their trucks and cars dispose of over 180 million gallons of motor oil illegally. You can collect and recycle your used oil and filters at your community recycling center. Just one gallon of oil can contaminate one million gallons of drinking water.

Pesticides: Pesticides that wash off yards from rain or over watering are toxic to the environment. Testing has shown that even small amounts of commonly used pesticides may be lethal to aquatic plants and animals. Try non-toxic alternatives for pest control.

Yard fertilizers: Fertilizers promote algae growth in our waterways. When algae decomposes, the oxygen level in the water is depleted, harming aquatic life. When using fertilizers, follow application instructions, do not over water, and do not apply if rain is forecasted.

Paints and solvents: If you’re using latex-water-based paints, you can wash your paintbrushes directly in your kitchen or bathroom sink. Don’t rinse your brushes in the street. Remember, storm drains flow directly and without treatment into local waterways. If you must use oil-based paints, clean-up properly by rinsing brushes with solvent in a container. Filter and re-use thinner and solvent.

Learn how to properly dispose of pet waste: Pick up pet waste, seal it in a plastic bag, and dispose of it in trash cans. Pet waste contains harmful fecal bacteria and organisms that can spread disease. The accumulation of bacteria from pet waste is not only a serious threat to the environment, but also to public health standards, especially for waterways where recreational activities take place.

Restoration complete

Earlier this year, we had the opportunity to work with Norm Shea, the Director of the Kiawah Island Community Association’s Lakes Management Department. We completed an extensive pond restoration on Turtle Beach in Kiawah Island. The 2.7-acre pond had been demanding for over 10 years as it had no regular source of water to maintain its level. Noisy pumps were constantly running to keep the pond full for aquatic plants and animals. The renovation project deepened the pond so it could be tied to the rest of the system, providing it with a consistent source of water.

We started the project with draining water from the pond and clearing vegetation from the pond’s edge. A Caterpillar 305 amphibious excavator cut the relief ditch to facilitate the draining. The pond was then stacked out and roughly graded. A pair of Caterpillar 324 super long reach excavators performed the majority of the sedimentation and dirt removal to increase the depth and water volume. Over the course of 24 working days, we removed approximately 270,000 cubic feet of dirt and sediment. At completion, we had doubled the capacity of the pond, improved water quality and enhanced the biological diversity of the Turtle Beach Pond.

Pond depth before

Pond depth after restoration

Before maintenance

Compliant stormwater system

Costly fines, severe property damage, and pollution are all detrimental results of a non-functioning stormwater system. Many businesses, big box retailers, shopping centers, apartment communities, neighborhoods, and churches have stormwater systems that are not being properly maintained. Vida Obieglo, General Manager here at Retention Pond Services, has compiled a ‘Top 10 List’ addressing common problems she sees in the field. By adhering to these recommendations, stormwater permit holders can protect themselves from expensive remediation costs and governmental fines, while making a positive contribution to the environment.

1. Start off with a properly functioning system – At the final phase of any new construction, sediment and erosion devices that were installed during construction should be modified or stabilized. An engineer’s certification should be completed, and the local stormwater or water quality agency should conduct an inspection to ensure the best maintenance practices (BMPs) are compliant with local, state, and federal stormwater regulations. Occasionally, these steps are not completed and eventually become the responsibility of the property owner. The first significant rain event will reveal how well the stormwater system was built.

2. Stormwater BMPs should be environmental assets – Properly functioning stormwater BMPs are assets to our natural water environment. These systems are typically designed to move the first inch of a rain event through their structures, trapping sediment, pollution, metals, oil, fuels, and pesticides that degrade water quality in streams, rivers, lakes, and oceans. Over-development and ‘nutrient loading’ have degraded the water quality in many natural water systems and have now come to the forefront of local, state, and federal agencies seeking to ensure that permitted stormwater BMPs are doing their job to protect water quality.

3. Use only certified BMP maintenance professionals – Maintenance, inspections, and monitoring of BMPs should be performed by certified stormwater BMP maintenance professionals. Mowing pond embankments and removing trash and debris are only a small part of the overall stormwater system maintenance. Embankments should be monitored to ensure perennial grasses are well established and seasonally limed, fertilized, and over-seeded. Stable embankments will inhibit erosion and potential sedimentation of the BMP basin and prolong the time before a costly basin dredge is required. A dredge is easier to budget for over 15 to 20 years rather than 5 years.

4. Regular inspections are a must – BMP piping, headwalls, earthen structures, outlet controls, bulkheads, and any other hard structures should be routinely inspected for functional and structural integrity in order to ensure the stormwater BMP is processing and filtering the runoff as designed. This is the best assurance that runoff from developed areas will not negatively impact the natural system’s water quality.

5. Woody vegetation can spell trouble – Allowing woody embankment vegetation to become established could potentially damage embankments. Trees may become uprooted, or act as energy dissipation, causing scouring and riling at the embankment, leading to sedimentation. Embankment erosion should be repaired as soon as it is discovered.

6. Control vegetation using licensed professionals to apply herbicides and algaecides – Wet retention ponds may contain alga, submerged pond weeds, floating aquatic vegetation, and emergent vegetation. Large mats of aquatic weeds can break free and float into outlet control structures causing flooding and damage pond structures. Efforts should be made to control the amounts of vascular vegetation and alga that occur in wet ponds. Only licensed ground applicators, with a category code for aquatics, are authorized to use EPA approved herbicides and algaecides in water. Landscapers and ground applicators applying herbicides or pesticides to areas adjacent to wet retention ponds should not enter the pond area and should avoid the top of the pond embankment.

7. Out of sight, out of mind – Underground structures often don’t get the maintenance they require until water movement is severely impeded or flooding occurs. Surface BMPs are certainly the most visible part of a stormwater system, but the piping and catch basins, that are underground, are the first structures in the filtration process of stormwater BMPs. If accumulated materials are not removed, they can impede positive flow and contribute to sediment pollution. Vactor trucks can be utilized to remove floatables and accumulated sediment from catch basins. Some local municipalities provide this service, but most often it is left to the property owner to maintain piping and catch basins.

8. There’s a price for improperly maintained stormwater BMPs – Permit holders of improperly maintained stormwater BMPs may potentially incur fines and penalties, particularly if environmentally sensitive areas are experiencing detrimental effects from off-site runoff. The number one cause of water pollution problems in our natural waterways is sediment. Excessive sediment can cause water bodies to stagnate, alter positive flow, become over vegetated, and fill in completely.

9. Enforcement is the new reality – Recently, local municipalities have become active in phase II of the EPA’s efforts to revitalize the Clean Water Act. Municipalities have adopted and implemented stormwater maintenance regulations and are requiring annual inspection reports concerning the regular maintenance of stormwater BMPs under their jurisdiction. State water quality agencies are also following up on renewals of previously issued stormwater BMP permits and requiring that compliance repairs are made before renewals will be granted.

10. Water quality hits close to home for all of us – It should be apparent that by properly maintaining your stormwater system, you can make a real difference for your business, your family, your neighbors, and our environment. When you think of that next seafood meal or vacation at the beach, remember that it all starts in your backyard, and each of us can make a difference.