January: Stormwater 101 – Follow that Stormwater

Precipitation that flows over the ground, such as rain or snowmelt, is referred to as stormwater. Stormwater runoff is the water that flows from rooftops, sidewalks, parking lots, streets, driveways, yards and other surfaces into our creeks and streams. Over natural terrain, much of this water soaks into the ground before reaching surface waterways. However, when stormwater flows over roads, sidewalks, parking lots, driveways, or other impervious surfaces, it is often is collected in stormwater pipes and routed into natural waterways limiting the amount that can be infiltrated into the ground and back into the watershed.

Stormwater runoff also contributes to other problems that are less obvious than flooded streets. When stormwater runs off hardened surfaces and picks up pollutants such as trash, debris, rubber dust, metal deposits, antifreeze, grease, and oils, or when it runs off lawns and yards and picks up fertilizers, pet waste, and pesticides. All of these pollutants are then carried into streams and lakes, degrading the water quality and impacting our local ecosystem.

You can improve stormwater runoff in several ways. First, by picking up your dog’s waste and keeping leaves and debris out of the street curbs that lead to storm drains. Second, minimize pollutants in stormwater by reducing the amount of chemicals sprayed on your yard. Third, consider using rain barrels or building a rain garden to reduce the total stormwater runoff from your property. When combined, these basic steps can go a long way in improving local water quality and ecosystem health. Please visit the City of Roswell Watershed Protection Webpage for more information.

Please visit www.roswellgov.com/Stormwater for more information.

February: Fertilizer Management in Your Yard

When caring for your yard or garden and getting rid of pests, it is important to use fertilizers properly to protect the environment and ecosystems. Overuse of fertilizers can contribute to soil acidification and soil crust which can ultimately lead to killing the plants. Also, the fertilizer can become incorporated into stormwater runoff, eventually reaching our waterways and causing problems, such as increased algae blooms.

There are ways you can use fertilizer in your yard safely to minimize its effects. The EPA recommends the following tips when using fertilizer in your lawn or garden:

• Always follow all directions on the product label.
• Keep in mind the importance of not overwatering your yard to reduce runoff.
• Apply fertilizers only when necessary and at the recommended amount.
• Do not apply fertilizer before windy or rainy days.
• Avoid applying fertilizer close to waterways.
• Properly store unused fertilizers and dispose of empty containers.
• Plant a rain garden of native plants, shrubs, and trees that reduce the amount of fertilizer needed.
• Look into Integrated Pest Management, a common sense and more environmentally friendly approach you can take to controlling pests.

For more information, tips, and resources: What You Can Do: In Your Yard | US EPA

March: Why Maintain Your Septic System?

Maintaining Your Septic System...

• Saves you money
• Protects your property value
• Keeps you and your neighbors healthy
• Protects the environment

Do you have a septic system servicing your home? If you are unsure, there are multiple ways you can check here: US EPA website. If you do have a septic system, proper maintenance is vital to ensuring the safe and effective treatment of wastewater exiting your residence.

Septic tanks are buried, water-tight containers that use a combination of natural and technological processes to treat wastewater from your household plumbing. The solids settle to the bottom of the tank (sludge) and any fats, oils, and grease float (scum) to the top. Microorganisms act to break down the sludge and destroy contaminants. The filtered wastewater is then released into the soil to replenish groundwater, and finally, when the water filters through the soil, most bacteria and viruses are removed.

While soil can treat many contaminants, it cannot remove all of them (e.g., medicines, cleaning products, and other potentially harmful chemicals). Wastewater may contaminate the streams or lakes near your home if untreated wastewater surfaces.

You can help reduce the amount of contaminants being released into your wastewater by limiting the use of the garbage disposal and using phosphate-free detergents. Avoid flushing other chemicals or medications down the drain or toilet since they can also contaminate surface water sources. Always make sure items you buy that go down the drain are septic-safe. For more information on maintaining your septic systems, visit the US EPA website.

April: Pesticides: Proceed with Caution for Clean Water & A Healthy Yard

Landscaping practices have a large impact on the environment and local waterways. Excess use of chemicals, including pesticides and fertilizers can pollute our streams, rivers, and lakes, and also cause harm to people, pets, wildlife, and beneficial insects (like bees and butterflies). Larger animals like birds, amphibians, and small mammals may ingest an insect exposed to pesticides and become ill. Pesticides are also unsafe for children and pets to be around, as the chemicals could pose a variety of health issues from contact or accidental ingestion.

What can you do to ensure you are properly using pesticides?

• The most important thing to remember is to follow the pesticide label instructions exactly. Improper use of pesticides is against the law, and following the label’s instructions is the only safe way to use pesticides.
• Learn which pesticide is best to use for your specific application and only buy that kind.
• Purchase only the amount of pesticide you need. If you have leftover pesticide after use, either dispose of it properly at a hazardous waste event or store it in a sturdy, leak-free container in a safe indoors area.
• Only use pesticides in needed areas in your lawn or garden and avoid applying on the pavement.
• Do not use pesticides if it is raining or if there is rain in the forecast.

What are safer and more environmentally friendly options for pest management other than pesticides?

• Choose to plant native plants when possible. Native plants require less maintenance, watering, and chemicals. Please refer to Roswell's Native Plant Guide for full list of native plants.
• Don’t give your grass a buzz cut – mowing your grass as high as possible promotes healthy plants and a naturally balanced lawn.
• Plant a range of different kinds of plants to diversify your yard. Also, ensure plants are spaced appropriately apart.
• You can use physical methods in your yard to prevent pests including hand weeding, mulching, or setting traps.
• Consider installing a rain garden, which is a low area in your yard that has been planted with vegetation that better controls stormwater runoff. Visit the September article below to learn more about rain gardens.

If you want to learn more about the importance of safely using pesticides and how to better protect the environment please visit the U.S. EPA Lawn and Garden page or contact enviroeducation@roswellgov.com.

May: Hazards of Spring Cleaning: Household Hazardous Waste

Hazardous waste can be dangerous to human health, the environment, and our waterways. Many common household products and cleaners could damage the environment and endanger public water supplies if improperly used or disposed of. Keeping these items away from people and pets is important to eliminate accidental leakage or inhalation of toxic chemicals.

To keep our rivers and streams clean, bring your household hazardous waste to the Household Hazardous Waste Collection Events, held twice a year.

Here are a few of the materials accepted at the collection event:

• Paint thinner/turpentine
• Pesticides including: fertilizers, herbicides, flea and tick products, fungicides, insecticides, rodenticides
• Undiluted pool chemicals
• Household cleaners
• Propane gas cylinders
• Mercury thermometers/thermostats
• Household batteries (non-rechargeable)
• Aerosols including aerosol paint (spray paint)
• Gasoline
• Fire extinguishers
• Automotive brake fluid/used motor oil filters (no other automotive fluids)

Note: No latex paint or oil-based paint will be accepted at this event. This event is limited to Roswell residents only. A photo ID showing an address within Roswell city limits is required.

Visit www.roswellgov.com/HazardousWaste for more information.

June: Dog Waste Management

Pet waste is harmful for the environment, humans, and animals. When protecting our watershed, picking up after your pets is extremely important. According to the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District, a single gram of dog waste contains an average of 23 million fecal coliform bacteria that can threaten the health of animals and people. Stormwater can cause pet waste to be washed into our storm drain system. Potential diseases can be spread through pet waste making their way into our streams or lakes.

Pet waste can carry a wide array of pathogens that are harmful to the environment. There are excess nutrients in pet waste that make their way into our local waters, creating algal blooms and excessive weed growth. Algae growth creates unsafe water that is not fit for swimming, boating, or fishing. Pet waste also decays in our waterways, releasing ammonia that can lead to warmer water temperatures that kill local fish and other aquatic life.

The negative effects of pet waste, however, can mostly be avoided by picking up after your pet. Follow the simple idea today: Rule Number 1 is Pick Up Number 2! Doing the right thing is easy. Pick up after your pet every time you take them out. It only takes a minute to scoop the poop with a plastic bag and toss it in the garbage. To learn more about picking up your dog’s waste, visit Rule #1 is Pick Up #2 today!

July: Clean Car Washing

The next time you are in need of a car wash, think about where you go to get one! Washing your car in your driveway can actually be harmful to the environment. As you wash your car, soaps, detergents, residue from exhaust fumes, gasoline, heavy metals from rust, and motor oil all flow directly into storm drains, eventually leading to the nearest creek or stream. These pollutants can harm water quality and wildlife..

Finding a local car wash facility is the best way to wash your car, because the water is drained into a sanitary system or a water recycling unit. Commercial car washes are required to dispose of their wastewater properly, so by choosing to wash your car at a commercial place, you are doing your part for the environment. If you do choose to wash your car at home, be sure to wash your car in an area where water will not go directly into a storm drain and don’t pour dirty wash water down the storm drain.

Learn more about responsible car washing from Georgia's Clean Water Campaign.

August: Stream Buffer Protection

Stream buffers are vegetated areas along and adjacent to streams where clearing, building structures, and other activities are prohibited to protect stream water quality. An effective stream buffer begins at the top of the stream bank and extends at least 50 feet on either side. There are a multitude of benefits a stream buffer offers including reducing floods, filtering pollutants, trapping sediment, and stabilizing streambanks, as well as providing shade, habitat, and nutrition for fish and other aquatic organisms.

Properties with streams have an important responsibility to protect stream health, but often homeowners prevent the establishment of a stream buffer by extending their lawn to the edge of the stream. This allows for pesticides, fertilizers, pet waste, and sediment to runoff from the property directly in the stream. This also causes the streambank to erode because the grass roots are not strong enough to protect from erosion each time it rains.

Consistently removing trash and debris from streams is an easy way to increase the health of streams that may flow through your property. Community clean up events, such as the annual Rivers Alive Clean Up held in September, that beautify streams through removing litter and trash from the stream are important. Natural debris, however, such as trees and limbs, provide vital habitat for stream fauna and should not be removed like other litter.

Stream buffers are often an overlooked asset to stream health, but with your help, we can maintain and improve buffer protection in Roswell and promote a healthy and lasting watershed.

For more information visit the Georgia Environmental Protection Division.

September: Garden with Purpose: Rain Gardens

Every time it rains, stormwater runoff moves quickly downhill and while some of it seeps into the ground, a large portion of it flows over sidewalks, streets, and other impervious surfaces. Stormwater limits the amount of water that can be returned to the watershed and erodes the soil along banks. Further, the impervious surfaces cause stormwater to bring pollutants and excess sediments into natural waterways, which can damage local ecosystems, cause flooding, and damage property. One way you can help manage stormwater runoff on your property is by adding a rain garden to your landscape.

A rain garden is a low area in the yard or landscape that has been planted with vegetation, including grasses, native shrubs, and perennial flowers. These shallow areas actively collect rain water from a roof, driveway, sidewalk, street, or gutter and absorbs it into the ground. By collecting excess stormwater, rain gardens allow for 30% more water to be absorbed, compared to an average lawn, reducing the volume of polluted stormwater rushing into drains and the Big Creek Water Basin here in Roswell.

Rain gardens not only reduce pollution and manage stormwater on your property, but they can be a beautiful addition to your yard. Rain gardens are also low maintenance as they are self-watering and require little up keep. To get started planning your perfect rain garden, please visit Roswell’s Guide to Rain Gardens (PDF) or EPA Rain Gardens.

For more information on local sources of native plants in Roswell, please contact Roswell Environmental Education at enviroeducation@roswellgov.com.

October: Leaves and Storm Drains

When you are doing yard work this fall, it is important to pay attention to where you are putting your leaves and yard waste. This is because leaves cause problems for our local drainage systems. During and after rainfall, storm water gathers leaves from sidewalks and streets and pushes them down into storm drains. When leaves pile up into storm drains, it leads to a backup of water resulting in flooding on the street, lawns, and in nearby basements. Leaves and yard waste can degrade the water quality of the Chattahoochee and other local streams. The degrading leaves release phosphorus and nitrogen into the storm drains and water ways. The phosphorus and nitrogen leaks into local streams and can create algae blooms which can be dangerous to animals and people nearby. Degrading leaves reduce available habitat for aquatic animals and can also decrease the amount of oxygen available for these same aquatic species.

Keep these 5 easy tips in mind when doing yard work this fall:

• Bag leaves and place them in front of your yard for curbside pickup. Roswell picks up yard waste weekly that is placed in paper composing sacks or a 50-gallon metal or plastic container, limited to 12 bags.
• Leave grass clippings on your lawn, it can also be good fertilizer.
• Mow away from the pavement so clippings stay out of the street.
• Sweep or blow clippings back onto the lawn.
• Make compost by mixing grass with leaves and soil.

For more information about the importance of disposing of yard waste properly, please watch a fun video about Fall Coming to Roswell! Also please see this informational article to learn more: The Effects of Leaves on Storm Drains.

November: Fats, Oils, and Grease

Fats, oils, and greases may be a delicious component of your cooking, especially with Thanksgiving right around the corner, but they can cause a lot of problems in the sewer system. Fats, oils, and greases (FOG) are the by-products of cooking, food preparation, and baking. FOG includes anything oil or dairy-based. Some examples of FOGs include, but are not limited to:

• Meat greases and fats
• Cooking oils (olive, coconut, avocado, etc.)
• Cheese
• Butter
• Gravy
• Ice cream
• Peanut butter
• Mayonnaise
• Salad Dressings or sauces
• Milk

When poured down the drain, FOG hardens in sewer pipes. This restricts the capacity of the sewer pipes to convey the waste to the treatment plant. Overtime, FOGs can completely block the pipes and force sewage back up into your home, the street, or nearby creeks.

By eliminating FOGs down the drain, you can help maintain the sewer system so that it remains dependable and long lasting. System maintenance, repair and replacement, and overflow cleanups are factored into your water bill and FOG continues to be the #1 cause of sewer system blockages in the metro Atlanta area.

Simple things you can do to prevent FOG from going down your drain:

• Never pour any FOG down the drain.
• Scrape left over food into the trash instead of the sink, even if you have a garbage disposal.
• Pour oil and grease from pans into a container that you can dispose of in the trash before washing your pans.
• Fryer grease should be cooled, placed in a sealed container, and disposed of in the trash.
• Use sink strainers to catch food and empty it into the trash can.
• Don’t forget that FOG includes not only fats or grease from meats, but also mayonnaise, salad dressing, cheese, butter, and other items that were listed above.

Roswell residents can bring liquefied cooking oils – such as olive oil, soy bean oil, or peanut oil – to the Roswell Recycling Center, located at 11570 Maxwell Road, Alpharetta, GA 30009. To learn more information check out the FOGgy Things video that explains in more detail the effects of FOGs.

December: Stormwater Runoff and Impervious Surfaces

Perhaps the most defining characteristic of urban streams is the increased amount and rapidity of stormwater or surface runoff to those systems. Impervious surfaces associated with urbanization reduce infiltration and increase surface runoff, altering the pathways by which water (and any associated contaminants) reach urban streams.

Common impervious surfaces include:

• Roads
• Parking lots
• Rooftops
• Driveways
• Sidewalks
• Compacted soils

How Does Stormwater Runoff Affect Streams?

• It alters natural hydrology, generally leading to more frequent, larger magnitude, and shorter duration peak flows.
• It alters channel morphology, generally leading to changes such as increased channel width, increased downcutting, and reduced bank stability.
• It alters in-stream hydraulics, affecting biologically important parameters such as water velocity and shear stress.
• It disrupts the balance between sediment supply and transport, generally leading to increased sediment transport capacity and channel erosion.
• It increases stream temperatures, due to the transfer of heat from impervious surfaces to stormwater runoff.
• It increases delivery of pollutants from the landscape to the stream. Pollutants commonly found in stormwater runoff include:
  • Sediment
  • Nutrients
  • Pesticides
  • Wear metals
  • Organic pollutants
  • Oil and grease

Check out how the City of Roswell is helping to combat this issue by reviewing our Low-Impact Development Practices.