The Rivers Beneath Our Feet | Storm Water Pollution

Where does the Storm Sewer Go? If you look in the street outside of your home or office and search the parking lots around town, you will probably find storm sewer inlets. Did you ever wonder where they go? A common misconception about storm sewers is that they go to a wastewater treatment plant. This is not the case. Storm sewers transport storm water (rain and melting snow) to the nearest river, lake, stream or wetland. Storm water often contains materials found on streets and parking lots such as oil, antifreeze, gasoline, soil, litter, pet wastes, fertilizers, pesticides, leaves and grass clippings. When these materials enter lakes and streams, they become pollutants that pollute the water, kill fish and close beaches. Follow the simple clean-water tips inside and become part of the solution to water quality problems. According to federal regulations, many cities and industries must reduce water pollution from storm sewers. We can help by taking steps around the home to increase the amount of water that soaks into the ground. This reduces the amount of water flowing into the street.

CONTROLLING STORM WATER POLLUTION
Here’s what you can do to help:

•  Plant trees, shrubs or ground covers.
•  Maintain a healthy lawn.
•  Redirect down spouts from paved areas to vegetated areas.
•  Install gravel trenches along driveways or patios.
•  Use porous materials such as wooden planks or bricks for walkways and patios.
•  If building a new home, have the driveway and walkways graded so water flows onto lawn areas.
•  Use a rain barrel to catch and store water for gardens.
•  Wash your car on the lawn, not the driveway, or take your car to a commercial car wash.

Storm-Water Basins Maintenance

Post construction maintenance of storm-water basins is a requirement to comply with local and state codes. When left unmanaged, storm-water basins can rapidly deteriorate, leaving the owner or manager in non-compliance of their permit requirements. In addition, unmanaged ponds can become aesthetically unpleasing, contain poor water quality parameters, and reduce the effectiveness of the wet basin.

Wisconsin Lake & Pond Resource LLC assists many owners and managers of storm-water basins to:

•   Comply with maintenance requirements
•   Preserve water quality parameters
•   Identify structural failures

Common Problems Associated with Storm-Water Basins:

• Noxious and Woody Vegetation
• Poor Water Quality
• Nuisance Plant & Algae Growth
• Pond Odors
• Shoreline Erosion
• Overpopulated Resident Geese
• Organic Sediment Levels

Routine evaluations help identify problem areas and concerns within each storm-water wet basin. Many municipalities, private owners, and association groups rely on our reporting system so they are informed of the status of their ponds.

While on site, we evaluate each wet basin for the following:

• Armored shoreline erosion protection
• Diverse vegetation above normal water level
• Absence of woody vegetation
• Intensely managed cattail growth
• Managed submersed aquatic plant community
• Properly designed aeration system
• Adequate depth for sediment storage

Wisconsin Lake & Pond Resource LLC provides professional management services including:

• Product applications & treatments
• Installation of aeration/fountain systems
• Site monitoring
• Aquatic plant management

For further information on storm-water solutions or about Wisconsin Lake & Pond Resource LLC please call AL Kietzmann at 1.920.872.2032