Most of us do very little to harm the environment.
However, very little multiplied by a couple billion is
very much. But the little things you do to benefit the
environment can add up to a lot of good as well."
Source: Guideposts for a Sustainable Future
Monitoring for water quality, precipitation, stream flow
and groundwater levels.
Managing runoff after development.
Stormwater Manual.
Capital facilities projects.
Pond-maintenance requirements.
Protecting rivers and streams during construction.
Stormwater Manual Best Management Practices.
NPDES General Permits.
Low-Impact Development.
Storm and
Surface Water Utility
The Problem with Stormwater Runoff and How to Help
When
you think about pollution in Thurston County’s rivers,
streams, and Puget Sound, what comes to mind? Not
surprisingly, many people envision oil-tanker spills,
industrial polluters, chemical leaks from private boats, and
pollution caused by shoreline property owners.
These sources certainly contribute to the pollution problem,
but they’re not the major cause. What are the major sources?
You and I -- individuals who inadvertently cause water
pollution as we go about our everyday lives, driving our
cars, tending our lawns, painting our homes, and walking our
pets.
The way
we use the land ultimately affects our water, even if our
homes are nowhere near a stream. That’s because stormwater
runoff from hard surfaces washes pollutants from the land
around us, and the polluted runoff then ends up in water
bodies or in the ground -- our source of drinking water. The
stormwater arrives at those destinations by flowing through
storm drains, ditches, swales, stormwater ponds and other
engineered conveyances that are intended to prevent
flooding. The very devices we use to prevent flooding on
pavements end up being freeways for pollution.
The
future doesn’t have to be cloudy, however. We can help curb
pollution by taking a few easy steps.
Thurston
County is proud to be among more than 300 Puget Sound organizations
involved in "Puget Sound
Starts Here," a public education campaign to stop the daily
flow of 140,000 pounds of toxic chemicals from entering Puget
Sound.
