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STORMWATER RUNOFF |
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What is stormwater
runoff? |
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Stormwater runoff
occurs when precipitation from rain or snowmelt flows over the ground.
Impervious surfaces like driveways, sidewalks, and streets prevent
stormwater from naturally soaking into the ground. |
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Why is stormwater runoff a problem? |
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Stormwater can pick up debris, chemicals, dirt,
and other pollutants and flow into a storm sewer system or directly to a
lake, stream, creek, or wetland. Anything that enters a storm sewer
system is discharged untreated into the waterbodies we use for swimming,
fishing, and providing drinking water. |
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What are some of the effects of the pollution? |
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Polluted stormwater runoff can have many
adverse effects on plants, fish, animals, and people including: |
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Sediment can
cloud the water and make it difficult or impossible for aquatic plants
to grow. Sediment also can destroy aquatic habitats.
Excess nutrients
can cause algae blooms. When algae die, they sink to the bottom
and decompose in a process that removes oxygen from the water.
Fish and other aquatic organisms can’t exist in water with low dissolved
oxygen levels.
Bacteria and
other pathogens can wash into swimming areas and create health hazards,
often making beach closures necessary.
Debris – plastic
bags, six-pack rings, bottles, and cigarette butts – washed into
waterbodies can choke, suffocate, or disable aquatic life like ducks,
fish, turtles, and birds.
Household hazardous wastes like insecticides,
pesticides, paint, solvents, used motor oil, and other
 auto
fluids can poison aquatic life. Land animals and people can become
sick or die from eating diseased fish and shellfish or ingesting
polluted water.
Polluted
stormwater often affects drinking water sources. This, in turn,
can affect human health and increase drinking water treatment costs. |
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What is the Town of
Ithaca doing? |
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The Town of Ithaca will be
implementing new water quality regulations
 designed
to protect our water resources from the effects of polluted stormwater
runoff. These regulations, mandated by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, require small “municipal separate storm sewer systems”
(MS4s) to implement programs and practices to control polluted runoff.
The Town, as well as several other municipalities in Tompkins County, have
been designated as “regulated” MS4s based on their population and
residential densities. To comply with the requirements the Town must
develop a comprehensive Stormwater Management Program, and annually, over
the next five years, progressively implement stages of it. The plan
must address six main elements including an educational program to encourage
public awareness of stormwater issues, opportunities for public
participation and input into development of a stormwater management plan,
implementation of a detection system to determine the cause of illicit
discharges to the storm sewer, development of plans to insure erosion
control and treatment of runoff from pre- and post- construction sites, and
adoption of a pollution prevention program at municipally operated
facilities.
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 Some
of these elements are already being implemented by the Town. For
example, the Town already requires developers to control and treat
stormwater runoff from new developments. The Town’s Highway Department
is also working to minimize pollution through various practices. The Town
limits the use of fertilizer and does not use any pesticides or herbicides.
The Town owns a hydroseeder that is used to establish grass in ditches
faster and is used after water or sewer breaks for lawn repairs. The
Highway Department collects yard waste twice a year to make mulch and wood
chips, which is used on many Town projects and is available for use by any
Town residents. The Town also uses silt fences and hay bales when
necessary during construction activities and completes such projects with
plantings for landscape restoration. The Town is planning many
new activities including providing public education about the impacts of
stormwater runoff and adopting a stormwater management ordinance. |
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What can you do? |
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By practicing healthy household habits,
homeowners can keep common pollutants like pesticides, pet waste, grass
clippings, and automotive fluids off the ground and out of stormwater.
The following are a few things that you can do to prevent stormwater runoff
pollution: |
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Use fertilizers sparingly and sweep up driveways,
sidewalks, and roads |
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Never dump
anything down storm drains |
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Vegetate bare
spots in your yard |
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Compost your yard
waste |
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Avoid pesticides; learn about Integrated Pest
Management (IPM) |
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Direct downspouts away from paved surfaces |
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Take your car to the car wash instead of washing it
in the driveway |
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Check car for leaks, and recycle motor oil |
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Pick up after your pet |
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Have your septic
tank pumped and system inspected regularly |
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The following brochures from the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency provides tips on a wide variety of simple
things that people can do to prevent stormwater pollution.
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After the Storm Brochure
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Make Your Home the Solution to
Stormwater Pollution Brochure
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Who can I contact at the Town? |
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Daniel Walker, Director
of Engineering
Town of Ithaca
215 N Tioga Street
Ithaca, NY 14850
phone: 607-273-1747
email:
dwalker@town.ithaca.ny.us |
Fred
Noteboom, Highway Superintendent
Town of
Ithaca
106 Seven
Mile Drive
Ithaca, NY
14850
phone:
607-273-1656
email:
publicworks@town.ithaca.ny.us |
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Where can I find more information? |
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Page by Michael Smith, Environmental Planner
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