Happy Fall!
Did you know that there are approximately 2,000 storm water outfall pipes in the Mystic River Watershed? (Check out a map here click “Find it and Fix it” under the water quality tab). Most of these pipes are connected to storm drains from our city roads and streets! That’s right, storm drains connect directly to a nearby waterway without any sort of treatment. Below are some Fall tips on keeping our rivers and streams healthy this time of the year for you. Feel free to disseminate them to others, also. Thank you for doing your part to clean up the Mystic River Watershed!
Stormwater Tips for “Fall”ing into Winter:
As you button up your yard before Winter, are your Fall yard practices protecting our rivers, streams and lakes? They are if you:
Keep your leaves and grass clippings out of streets and stormdrains. Yard waste that gets into our waterways robs aquatic life of oxygen as they decompose. You can safely compost your yard waste or participate in your local yard waste collection. Be sure to keep your local stormdrain cleared of leaves and debris to avoid flooding as well.
Direct your down spouts away from hard surfaces. Rainwater leaving your roof can be absorbed by your yard or garden. If the rain runs across hard surfaces like pavement it will likely to pick up pollutants that end up in our stormdrains and ultimately in our rivers.
Remember that Fall is the best time for your lawn to be de-thatched, aerated, seeded and fertilized (using phosphorus-free fertilizers at the correct rate!) Maintaining a healthy lawn reduces your need to use chemicals that can leave your lawn and enter our waterways where they may harm aquatic life and degrade water quality.
For more information seeMysticRiver.org
Adapted from