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Introduction
Water is life says a Lakota proverb. And what was true for the first residents of South Dakota is true for us today. South Dakotans depend on a ready supply of drinkable, swimmable, fishable waters for our health, economy and recreation.
All of us have a part in keeping our water clean enough to drink, swim in or fish from.
Rain and snow melt
(run off) pick up pollutants.
The major cause of water
pollution today is not industry pumping its waste into the
water but rather non-point source pollution. Non-point
source pollution (or runoff pollution) comes from pollutants
being carried into a river, lake or stream through rain,
snow melt or other runoff. We all contribute to
non-point source pollution.
Storm
drains pipe polluted rain and snow melt directly into water.
Human activity has influenced
the way rain and snow melt reach a water body. In an
urban area, the water from rain and snow melt flows down a
storm drain. As the water washes into the drain,
it can carry dirt, fertilizer, oil, or bacteria from pet
waste.
In
all urban areas in South Dakota except for Lead, water that
goes into a storm drain does goes into a river, lake or
stream. This water does NOT go to the water
treatment plant first.
Impervious cover
puts more water pollution into the water faster.
Impervious cover can exacerbate
the problems caused by polluted water in the storm drain.
Impervious cover is any cover
over the land that prohibits water from soaking in.
Roads, parking lots and buildings are all examples of
impervious cover.
Once land is covered with an
impervious surface, rain and snow melt that would have
soaked into the ground now has to run off somewhere.
From a public works point of view, this run off water should be
removed
quickly and efficiently to avoid flooding. However,
quickly removing rain and snow melt through storm drain has these impacts:
- More rain/snow melt
enters the river, lake or stream (also known as a
receiving water) via a storm drain instead of soaking in..
- Increased rain/snow
melt in the receiving water means increased pollution being carried in.
- Increased rain/snow
melt means the runoff hits the receiving water faster
which causes erosion and scouring within that water
body.
More water in the receiving water means faster flow and
more erosion.
Runoff pollution can be reduced or eliminated.
The good news is that by adopting a few practices on
land, we can reduce or eliminate pollution caused by runoff water. This guide
offers practical steps you can take to reduce or eliminate your personal contribution to
runoff pollution.
You can also multiply your efforts to reduce pollution by making
your community aware of non-point source pollution’s causes and effects.
This guide provides information on these community oriented
activities and how to do them. These activities are
suitable for scout groups, classes, civic organizations,
neighborhood associations, or almost any group of people
that want to work together to protect their community.
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