Did You Know - Every Property In Port Washington Is Lakefront Property?
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) into our creeks which flow directly into Lake Michigan without treatment. 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 disrupt the ecosystem, harm or kill the aquatic life, and close beaches.
What can you do to help?
- Do not use the storm sewer inlets for disposing of motor oil, antifreeze, pesticides, paints, solvents, garbage, cigarette butts, pet waste, etc.
- Repair leaks from your car's transmission or radiator. Soak up spills with cat litter or other absorbent material and put in your trash bag for disposal.
- When washing your car, use a biodegradable soap or take your vehicle to a commercial car wash or wash it on the grass or a gravel area to prevent phosphates from the soap draining into the storm sewer.
- Sweep (do not wash) fertilizer, soil, leaves, grass clippings, etc., off driveways and sidewalks. Any debris left on the pavement is quickly washed into the storm sewer during the next rainfall.
- Plant trees, shrubs, deep rooted grasses and flowers, and ground cover. These plants soak up storm water, reducing pollutant-carrying storm water run-off.
If everyone does their part, we can make a world of difference!
*Source - UW Extension publication GWQ004; Storm Sewers - The Rivers Beneath our Feet
Do Your Part To Protect Our Lakes & Creeks - Become Saltwise!
The Wisconsin Salt Wise Partnership is urging homeowners, municipalities, and private contractors to make a commitment to reduce salt use this winter. Using excess salt harms plants and animals, pollutes our water, damages buildings and corrodes vehicles, roads and bridges. Once you put salt down, it doesn't go away. Instead, it travels into our lakes, rivers, streams and wetlands, putting our aquatic life at risk and endangering our freshwater resources. Salt also alters the composition of soil, slows plant growth and weakens the concrete, brick and stone that make up our homes, garages, bridges, and roads.
Believe it or not, just a coffee mug of salt is enough to treat an entire 20-foot driveway or 10 sidewalk squares. Scatter the salt so the pattern looks like the image below:
Other strategies include:
- Shovel: Clear walkways and other areas before the snow turns to ice. The more snow you remove manually, the less salt you will have to use and the more effective it will be.
- Sweep: Sweep excess salt from walkways and parking lots after a snow event, especially before a rain event to prevent salt from washing down the storm drain to our waterways.
- Switch: When pavement temps drop below 15°, salt composed of sodium chloride won't work. Switch to sand for traction or a different ice melter that works in lower temperatures.
- Look: for proper salt use at the stores and businesses you visit. If they're using the right amount of salt, thank them! If not, let them know you are concerned about over salting and direct them to www.wisaltwise.com for more information.
- Love The Lines: the stripes on roadways before a storm are made of anti-icing brine. Using brine can reduce overall salt use by 70%! If you see brine lines, you know that your winter maintenance crew is protecting public safety while saving time, money and caring for the environment.
- Be Salt-Wise All Year: The salt you put in your water softener ends up in local freshwater streams. New, efficient softeners use less than one bag per month. If you're using more - have a professional tune yours up - or, replace it with a high-efficiency model.
Do your part to help out our community and local water resources. Be Wisconsin Salt Wise! Find out more at www.wisaltwise.com.
Winter Ice and Snow Tips
April MS4 Permit Compliance
Consider planting native plants this year! They offer numerous benefits, including improved infiltration, natural pest resistance, and reduced water needs. Native plants' deep root systems act as nature's filtration system, trapping and absorbing pollutants before they reach our water sources. This natural process significantly reduces the harmful chemicals that can contaminate our streams, rivers, and lakes. This is because unlike non-native counterparts, native plants thrive without the need for chemical fertilizers and pesticides. By eliminating these harmful substances from our gardening practices, we prevent them from leaching into our waterways during heavy rains, preserving our freshwater ecosystem! To learn more about native plants and how to protect our shared water resources, visit www.respectourwaters.org/yard-plantings
June MS4 Permit Compliance
As the weather warms up and we start working on our yards, it's important to think about how we use fertilizer. Using too much fertilizer can harm lakes and rivers nearby, especially during a heavy rainfall. All those extra nutrients from the fertilizer can wash into the water and make it hard for plants and animals to survive.
To help keep our water safe, try using things like mulched leaves in your garden. Mulch naturally enriches soil and minimizes the need for chemical inputs, like fertilizers. If you need fertilizer make sure you apply it responsibility by testing your soil to see what it needs, making sure rain is not on the forecast, and by following the instructions of how much to apply. If you want to learn more about taking care of your yard, check out www.respectourwaters.org/yard-mgmt.
July MS4 Permit Compliance
Please click the link to gather information regarding chemical use and your lawn.
www.respectourwaters.org/yard-chemicals
August MS4 Permit Compliance
Illicit discharge is any substance other than stormwater that enters a storm drain, storm sewer, local waterway, or other regulated system. Examples include sanitary wastewater, effluent from septic tanks, spills from roadway accidents, and improper disposal of auto and household hazardous wastes. These substances can lead to nutrient, bacteria, and chemical pollution to our freshwater systems.
Illicit discharges are easiest to spot when there hasn’t been rainfall or snowmelt for at least 72 hours (3 days). If you spot a storm drain or a pipe leading to a waterway that has an unusual odor, suds, an oil sheen, or flowing water during dry weather, you may have found an illicit discharge. If you think that there is an illicit discharge in your community, please contact an official in your local municipality.
Visit https://www.respectourwaters.org/illicit-discharge to learn more about illicit discharge detection and elimination.
Visit https://www.respectourwaters.org/residential-infiltration to learn more about how you can help capture and infiltrate stormwater before it can collect pollutants and harm local freshwater resources!
