Spring Community Clean-Ups for Water Quality
updated: Thursday, February 02, 2012Spring Clean-Ups for Water Quality in City of St. Louis Park!
Leaves that have fallen from last year may still be on your street ...did you know they are a serious pollutant for our local waters? When leaves and other organic debris are washed down our storm sewers they are carried to our local lakes and rivers, untreated and unfiltered. Tons of debris gets into our waters this way – far more than is natural and far more than our waters can keep up with. Once in the water, organic debris releases phosphorus. This fuels noxious algae blooms that degrade water quality and harm lake and river ecosystems and aquatic life.
According to the Freshwater Society, just 5 bags of leaves contain 1 pound of phosphorus, which can fuel as much as 1,000 pounds of algae!
CITIZENS CAN HELP PREVENT THIS! Because “nutrient pollution” is right outside your front door, YOU are in the best position to prevent this water pollutant. Here’s how:
RAKE leaves and other debris from the curb in front of your home, and clear the nearest storm drain. NEVER rake leaves into the street!
BAG the leaves and debris. Use them in your home garden, home compost, or bag them for your weekly waste pick-up (where contents will be broght to site and mass composted.
COUNT how many bags of debris you’ve removed from the curb and the storm drain.
INVOLVE YOUR NEIGHBORS. If you’d like to organize a block-wide Clean-Up, go to freshwater.org for more information or to get your Community Clean-Ups for Water Quality toolkit It’s easy, cheap and a fun neighborly way to help our lakes and rivers!
City Street sweepers perform a critical function for our city. And they will be out on our streets this spring busily sweeping up debris. But they cannot be everywhere at once. St. Louis Park is a beautiful city with many, many trees. Citizens can do their part by cleaning curbsides before and after street sweepers do their part.
