Photo By Edzel Butac | Benthic sampling conducted on Joint Base Lewis-McChord tests for water quality. Chad...... read more read more
JOINT BASE LEWIS-McCHORD, Wash. -- When it rains, it drains, and it must go somewhere. Where does the rainwater on Joint Base Lewis-McChord go?
Water from inside our homes goes to a wastewater treatment plant for purification; but water from parking lots, driveways, streets, roofs and outdoor faucets is untreated and often goes directly into the storm drains and into stormwater retention facilities such as bioretention swales and ponds. Most of the JBLM stormwater does not flow into wetlands or riparian zones without some level of pretreatment, though some rainwater does flow down roads, and parking lots straight to our waterways — picking up all kinds of contaminants along the way.
“JBLM samples urban streams and certain outfalls discharging stormwater to surface water,” said Sarah Montero, stormwater program manager, Environmental Division of the Directorate of Public Works. “These sampling results tell us what pollutants may be leaving JBLM like nutrients, bacteria or metals.”
Polluted stormwater causes problems that come with an extremely high environmental and monetary price tag. The most cost-effective way to manage stormwater pollution is to prevent it in the first place.
Montero recommends taking the following actions to prevent stormwater pollution:
Leaf litter and landscape trash – Account for 56 percent of phosphorous in urban stormwater, not to mention clogging storm drains, causing potential flooding and increasing debris in our waterways.
To prevent landscape trash from getting into waterways, do not blow leaves or lawn clippings into the street and rake up any leaves that block the storm drain and put them in the trash.
Fertilizer over-application – Fertilize sparingly. September is the best month to fertilize using a slow-release fertilizer. Excess nutrients – specifically nitrogen and phosphorous, pollute stormwater run-off from urban areas, contributing to the third cause of lake deterioration in the U.S.
Another way to prevent over application of fertilizer is to sweep up any spills or overspray of fertilizers on sidewalks and streets.
Washing your car in the driveway – When you wash your car in the driveway, you are washing about 120 gallons of grime-filled, untreated water down into a storm drain, which run directly into lakes and streams.
Instead, use the MWR auto craft shop or a commercial car wash, where water is recycled and sent to wastewater treatment facilities.
Do your Doody! – Pick up after your pet. Just one pound of dog waste contains 10 billion bacteria. The bacteria and microorganisms can survive in your yard, or on the street, for months. It can pollute local waterbodies when the rain runs over it, getting into the streams, creeks, lake and ultimately the Puget Sound.
JBLM is working hard to decrease stormwater discharging to surface water, but there are still outfalls with direct discharge to Clover Creek and American Lake. Protect these waterways by cleaning up any spills and protecting the storm drain in your area.
| Date Taken: | 11.08.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 11.08.2022 15:32 |
| Story ID: | 432912 |
| Location: | TACOMA, WASHINGTON, US |
| Web Views: | 42 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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