Blog Post

We all enjoy the bright colors of changing fall leaves. And when leaves litter our lawns, we might complain about having to continuously rake them. But how many of us make the connection that leaves impact stormwater systems and the health of local waterways? How Leaves Cause Problems for Local Drainage Systems During and after rainfall, stormwater brings leaves that have gathered on streets and sidewalks into storm drains. When large amounts of leaves collect in storm drains, leaves can…

Colorful leaves create beautiful scenes in our neighborhood throughout the fall season but quickly pile up in yards and streets. Did you know that fall leaves contribute up to half of the annual amount of phosphorus in urban stormwater in just the months of October and November? As the rain falls and flows through the piles of leaves, phosphorus quickly leaches out of leaves much like a tea bag in water. This “leaf tea” makes its way to our local…

As fall rolls around, colorful leaves begin to fall off their trees and scatter lawns across the neighborhood. Extra clean-up is needed in the fall to keep your yard tidy as the leaves pile up. When cleaning up your yard, it is important to dispose of your leaves the right way! Many times, leaves end up on the street where they can be washed into storm drains, back up stormwater and enter our waterways where they can cause big problems…

What are invasive plants? While inspecting your stormwater detention pond, you may come across invasive plants crowding the area. Invasive plants are non-native plants that are introduced into the environment and often harm the local ecosystem. What’s the issue? When invasive species find their way into stormwater detention ponds, they can inhibit stormwater pond function. Invasive plants like giant reed/phragmites, cattails and reed canary grass can fill in a detention pond by trapping sediment. As detention basins are filled in,…

What is shoreline erosion? During inspections of your local stormwater detention pond, you may notice signs of shoreline erosion. Common signs of a deteriorating shoreline can include: Loose soil around the shoreline Soil collapsing into the water causing murkiness Steep shoreline bank Why is Shoreline Erosion a Problem? When soil erosion occurs, the loose soil particles build a layer of sediment in the pond and make the water murky. Over time the extra layer of sediment in the pond can…