Download
the free Adobe Acrobat Reader STORM WATER MANAGEMENT INFORMATION
The following is an excerpt from the New Jersey Department of
Environmental Publication:
THE CLEAN WATER BOOK:
CHOICES FOR WATERSHED PROTECTION
Have you ever waited at an intersection and looked at the curb? Where do all
those cigarette butts, candy wrappers, chip bags and soda cans come from? Where
do they go?
The source of all that litter is people: a cigarette butt carelessly tossed
aside or a candy wrapper blown away by the wind. The litter does not come from
one person or one place. It comes from many different people and different places.
Eventually that litter and other debris at the curb can find its way to the
local creek, stream, pond or river and even the ocean.
How does all that curbside debris find its way to the local creek or lake? When
it rains, stormwater carries all that debris down to a nearby storm drain along
the roadway. The stormwater not only carries easily visible debris such as litter,
but also less visible pollutants such as oil and antifreeze from cars, pesticides
from lawns, and even metals from brake linings. The storm drain leads to a system
of stormwater collection pipes that lie beneath the streets. These underground
pipes carry the stormwater directly into waterways. (In some of New Jersey's
older cities the wastewater and stormwater collection systems are combined with
both going to the sewage treatment plant rather than separate as they are in
most newer cities and suburban areas.)
The best way to avoid contaminating local waterways is pollution prevention.
By preventing pollution sources from coming in contact with stormwater, the
stormwater remains clean and does not pose a water quality problem when it enters
the waterway. By making small changes in our daily lives, we can help prevent
pollution of stormwater. Reducing nonpoint source pollution can be as simple
as using the garbage can, avoiding unnecessary pesticides or cleaning up after
pets. This booklet contains numerous choices to help you prevent pollution at
the source.
It has become clear that one of New Jersey's largest pollution problem is people.
It is us -- you and me! As the most densely populated state in the nation, the
collective individual actions of the state's nearly 8 million people add up
to a major pollution source. Compounding this is the vast influx of visitors
to our resort areas and the impacts of their activities in these areas and along
the transportation corridors. This type of pollution is called "nonpoint
source" pollution or "NPS" because it comes from many diffuse
or scattered sources, such as individuals, rather than a concentrated "point"
source. Sometimes NPS is called "people pollution" or "pointless
pollution." The litter at the curb is one type of NPS because it comes
from many different people and many different places.
The control of nonpoint source pollution rests to a great extent on you and
your involvement as a concerned New Jersey resident. By carefully controlling
the use of chemicals, disposal of waste and course of rainwater within your
own home, yard, neighborhood and community, you and your neighbors will be helping
to improve New Jersey’s waters for all of us to enjoy, now and in the
future. Choose a lifestyle that helps protect the environment.
Welcome to the new environmental challenge of nonpoint source pollution, in
which clean water begins with you!
CLICK ON THESE LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Download
the free Adobe Acrobat Reader
Stormwater Management Plan (with ZONING MAP WITH HUC 14 ZONES)
What is Non Pointsource pollution? (PDF)
Get the Phosphorous Out (PDF)
http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/stormwatermonth.cfm#materials
http://www.njstormwater.org/tier_A/edu_fliers.htm