South Dakota
Water Pollution Prevention
Guide

What to Do at Home and in the Community to Keep
South Dakota's Rivers, Lakes, and Streams Clean

a US EPA 319 watersheds project from the SD DENR

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:

1. More rain/snow melt enters the river, lake or stream (also known as a receiving water) via a storm drain instead of soaking in..
2. Increased rain/snow melt in the receiving water means increased pollution being carried in.
3. More water in the receiving water means faster flow and more erosion.

Depending on the intonation, this question can have dual meanings. The first is a simple interrogative statement about the steps that individuals and community groups can take reduce or eliminate their contribution to water pollution. A simple, clear, direct question; the answers are below.

The second phrasing of the question is a little more complicated. “What can I do” (note the emphasis) is meant to convey the idea that individual efforts are ineffective and pointless. The problem is too big and the result so small so why even try.

The problem of water pollution is, indeed, big. Yet, one of the reasons non-point source pollution is so big is that it is a cumulative problem. Everyone contributes to it. Everyone is responsible.

The answer to “what can I do” then becomes “reduce your personal contribution”. And again, the answers as to how to do this are below.

Some of the ideas below are easy to implement. Others require more planning, new habits, a different way of doing things. The usual advice of life management applies here. Think baby steps (i.e. do not try to do all of these at once.) Read all about them. Make a plan. Try it, expecting that you will have to tweak, improvise, re-do or adapt your plan. Keep at it and eventually acting in a manner to minimize water quality pollution will become second nature.
 

Water quality, like charity, often begins at home.

• Gutters, downspouts and rain barrels
• Water coming off your roof from the downspouts should not be directed straight to the street.  In sub-arid South Dakota, homeowners might want to install a rain barrel to collect and store water from the downspout to use for lawn and garden watering.

Rain Barrel Guide | How To Build A Rain Barrel*

Whether you live on a small lot in town or several acres out in the country, the way you care for your land will affect water quality. 

Highlighted below is the section about converting your yard to a habitat.  Many of the practices that are good for water quality are also good for wildlife as well.

• Landscaping
• Use native plants that require minimal fertilization and watering.
• Install a rain garden to increase infiltration.
• Mulch
  NWF Native Plant Species Finder  | UW Extension: Homeowner's Guide to Rain Gardens*  |  USDA Mulching*

Where we live consists of more than just homes.  A community project helps build awareness about water pollution prevention practices. 

• Storm drain stenciling

  • Stencil storm drains with the message to "Dump No Waste, Drains to Lake" around your neighborhood.  Leave door hangers or flie rs at the houses in the area explaining the reason for the stencil.  Limited quantities of stencils are available through the Information and Education project.
  
  How to Stencil | How To Stencil Brochure* | Stencil flier to handout on stenciling day (rtf format, can be customized for local water body) | Storm Sewers: Rivers Beneath Our Feet*

• Watershed/Waterside Clean Ups
  • Removing litter
  and trash from the area surrounding a river, lake or stream helps keep it clean.  Picking up trash from the street, a park  or along the bank of a stream will protect habitat and keep your community looking good.

• Natural Landscaping and Habitat Restoration
• Natural landscaping uses a sense of place, biodiversity and native species in public and corporate spaces.
• Habitat restoration is similar to natural landscape, but the emphasis is on restoration rather than naturalizing.
• Regardless of whether you want to implement natural landscaping or oversee a full blown habitat restoration project, you will need commitment and coordination to get it done. The EPA's document Engaging and Involving Stakeholders in Your Watershed* will assist you in getting others involved. 
• If you choose a complicated project, you will need technical assistance. The document Stream Corridor Restoration (linked below) gives an overview of the technical scope of habitat restoration.

School Yard Habitat | Natural Landscaping Toolkit | Stream Corridor Restoration: Principles, Processes and Practices

• Smart Growth/Low Impact Development
• Support low impact development (LID) ordinances and policies in your community.  Urban sprawl and development are having an impact even in mostly rural South Dakota.  Low impact development is the response to sprawl.  Learn more about LID and educate your municipal and county officials as well.

EPA Smart Growth | What is Smart Growth?*

For more information about Water Quality Monitoring, visit South Dakota Volunteer Monitoring (under construction) page.

If you want to make others in your community aware of a water related issue or concern, you need to plan an outreach campaign.  The basic steps of an outreach campaign are:

• Define the concern or the issue and the changes you want to make to address it.
• Prioritize which groups of people (target audience) you want to know about this issue or which need to make the changes. While you may think you want to reach everyone, once you get into the nuts and bolts of a campaign you will realize your focus should be a little narrower.
  
• Create your message.  What do you want to tell your target audience?
• Package and distribute your message.  How will you communicate your message and get it out to your target audience? 
• Evaluate your effectiveness.  Is your message reaching your intended audience?  What impact is it having?  How do you know this?  If you are wanting to see a change, what sorts of information will you need to show change is indeed occurring?  You may  have to go back a step or two to include activities that will help you collect this information.

Getting In Step: A Guide for Conducting Watershed Outreach Campaigns* | Getting In Step: A Guide for Engaging and Involving Stakeholders in Your Watershed* | Community Based Social Marketing

Rain Barrels:

Rain Barrel Guide | How To Build A Rain Barrel*

Pets

UW Extension: Pet Waste and Water Quality*

Landscaping

NWF Native Plant Species Finder  | UW Extension: Homeowner's Guide to Rain Gardens*  |  USDA Mulching*

Rural Living: A Guide for South Dakota Rural Homeowners*

Storm Drain Stenciling

How to Stencil | How To Stencil Brochure* | Stencil flier to handout on stenciling day (rtf format, can be customized for local water body)

Natural Landscaping & Habitat Restoration