Press Release

March 16, 2006

From: Story County Soil and Water Conservation District

 

PRESERVING WATER QUALITY from the CITY SIDE

To preserve and improve the quality of the water in our lakes and rivers is the responsibility of everyone rural and city. There is much emphasis on the effect that industrial operations and rural land use can have on water quality, but we who live in town have just as much responsibility. Farming and industrial operations have state and local regulations which control how contaminates are to be kept out of the lakes and rivers. As town people we need to be equally vigilant.

As city dwellers there are many things we can do to keep contaminates out of streams and lakes. Much of the rain that falls on city areas is carried off in storm sewers. These storm sewers bypass the sewage system and empty directly into the local streams. Anything that washes off our property into the street goes straight to the storm sewer system.

We can mow our lawns more often and mulch the clippings in the grass. We can use fertilizer sparingly to have not the greenest lawn in the neighborhood but a strong, healthy stand of grass, so that excess fertilizer won’t wash off into the street gutter. We can wash our car in a location where the water runs into the grass and not down the street. The lawn will re-use the water and will filter out the chemicals. We can make sure that oils and waste are not dumped down storm sewers. If construction is underway on our property we can make sure a temporary ground cover (fast growing grass) is planted on open soil so rain won’t wash it into the storm sewer system.

To preserve and improve water quality is the responsibility of everyone, urban and rural.

--Marilyn Loupee, Story Soil and Water District Commissioner