Transcript Eastern Virginia Medical School STORM WATER AWARENESS Storm Water Program  Clean Water Act  Environmental Protection Agency Phase I 1990 – large municipal systems  Phase.

Eastern Virginia Medical School
STORM WATER AWARENESS
Storm Water Program

Clean Water Act

Environmental Protection Agency
Phase I 1990 – large municipal systems
 Phase II 1999 – additional municipal systems


2004 National Water Quality Inventory


Of assessed U.S. water bodies, 44% of rivers (miles), 64%
of lakes (acres), and 30% of bays and estuaries (sq. mi.) are
impaired by pollution.
Do not meet water quality standards


Not clean enough for swimming and fishing
Leading sources include atmospheric deposition,
agriculture runoff, and hydrologic modifications.
Storm Water Program

Virginia
 Department
of Environmental Quality
 Permits
EVMS obtained permit in 2003
 Erosion and Sediment Control
 Best Management Practices (BMPs)
 Education requirements
 Control measures

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What is it?
Storm water is water from rain or melting
snow that does not soak into the ground.
 It flows from rooftops, over paved areas and
bare soil, and through sloped lawns.
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Pollutants
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Runoff collects and
transports soil, pet
manure, salt, pesticides,
fertilizer, oil and grease,
leaves, litter and other
potential pollutants.
Yard Waste/Fertilizer
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Sometimes we dump or sweep pollutants down the
drain.
We also spread lawn chemicals that end up in the
street, and subsequently into storm drains.
Washing the car
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Rinse water, as well as grease and oil, from washing
your car drains to the curb then to the storm sewer.
Scoop the poop!

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Pet droppings contain
bacteria and other
pathogens.
When our pets leave
those little surprises,
rain washes all that
waste into our storm
drains.
Hazardous Waste



Paint, pesticides, used motor oil, solvents, etc.
At EVMS, dispose via Environmental Health & Safety
(EH&S)
At home, Household Hazardous Waste Facilities and
Collection Schedule
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For more information, contact SPSA
Household Hazardous Waste

Chesapeake Transfer Station
901 Hollowell Lane
Chesapeake, VA 23320
 Open:



M-F (7:00AM – 3:00PM)
Sat (7:00AM – Noon)
Regional Landfill
1 Bob Foeller Drive
Suffolk, VA 23434
 Open:


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M-F (8:00AM – 4:00PM)
Sat (8:00AM – Noon)
Household Hazardous Waste

Norfolk Transfer Station
3136 Woodland Avenue
Norfolk, VA 23507
 Open:


Sat and Sun
(Noon – 4:00PM)
Landstown Transfer Station
1825 Concert Drive
Virginia Beach, VA 23453
 Used motor oil drop-off only
 Open:

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M-F (5:00AM – 5:00PM)
Sat (7:00AM – Noon)
Where does it go?


Rain carries pollutants
to streams, wetlands,
lakes and coastal
waters.
Storm drains carry
runoff from a
neighborhood to the
nearest body of water.
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Storm sewers DO NOT carry storm water to wastewater
treatment plants!
Why the concern?
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
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Excess nutrients cause
algae blooms.
When algae die, they
remove oxygen from
the water.
Fish and other aquatic
life cannot exist in
water with low oxygen
levels.

Bacteria can wash into
swimming areas and
create health hazards,
often making beach
closures necessary.
Algae
Why the concern?
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Household hazardous
wastes like insecticides,
pesticides, paint,
solvents, used motor oil,
and other auto fluids can
poison aquatic life.

Debris – plastic bags, sixpack rings, bottles, and
cigarette butts – washed
into water bodies can
choke, suffocate, or
disable aquatic life.
Illicit Discharges

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An illegal and/or
improper waste
discharge into a storm
drain system and
receiving waters
Example: connection of
a floor drain in a
business to a storm
sewer
Illicit Discharges

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Pouring used motor oil
down a storm sewer
catch basin rather than
properly recycling the
waste oil.
One quart of used motor
oil can contaminate
250,000 gallons of
drinking water and
spread an oil slick the size
of two football fields.
Oil Spill?

Exxon Valdez oil spill –
1989
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11 million gallons of oil
spilled

Do-it-yourselfers


Home oil change
200 million gallons per
year
Impacts

Flooding
 Clogged

drainage ditches in neighborhoods
Beaches closed due to contamination
 Hampton,

Norfolk, Virginia Beach
Increased mercury in fish
 Lake
Whitehurst and Lake Trashmore
Oyster yield decreased
 Reduced water quality
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What can we do?

Yard waste
Sweep clippings back onto the lawn.
 Rake up pine needles and leaves and recycle them.


Landscaping
Eliminate bare spots and paved areas.
 Plant grass, ground covers or flower beds.

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Pet droppings
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Pick up droppings, bury them, or, if not mixed with
other material, flush down the toilet.
What can we do?

Hazardous chemicals
 Store
safely, read manufacturers directions, and
dispose at a household hazardous waste facility.

Car washing
 Wash
your car on the lawn or use a commercial
car wash.

Report illicit discharges
 At
EVMS, report to EH&S.
 At home, call your local Public Works Department.
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Effects of Pollutants
Polluted storm water often affects drinking
water sources. This, in turn, can affect human
health and increase drinking water treatment
costs.
 You dump it, you drink it!
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EVMS Concerns

Lawn maintenance

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Yard waste – do not
blow in the street
Pesticides and
herbicides – apply per
manufacturer’s
instructions
EVMS Issues

Hazardous chemicals
Dispose via EH&S, not in drains
 Recycle waste oil and antifreeze


Ice melting products

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Spread only on the sidewalk according to
manufacturer’s instructions
Raw materials
Mulch, sand, dirt, rocks
 Prevent washing into storm drains
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Remember…
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Only Rain Should Go Down the Drain!