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Garden waste in stormwater pollutes our waterways Latrobe City’s Stormwater Education Officer, Peter Collins, has called on residents to ensure garden refuse is not swept into stormwater drains. By Latrobe City Council - 11th September 2003 - Back to News Mr Collins said that with the arrival of Spring, many Latrobe residents looked forward to getting out into the garden for a clean up. "However, sweeping garden soil, leaves and clippings into the stormwater system from roadside gutters and driveways has an adverse effect on the environment," Mr Collins said
"When leaves and clippings are washed into the stormwater system, they can cause big problems. As they decay in water, they use up oxygen which can kill plants, fish and other animals," Mr Collins explained.
"The amount of soil being washed into our gutters is a growing problem. It makes the waterways cloudy and can silt them up, causing fish to suffocate by clogging their gills.
"If we rake up our leaves and clippings to use them for compost or mulch rather than hosing them down the drain, both our gardens and our waterways will benefit," Mr Collins said.
Latrobe City Mayor and chair of the Litter Prevention Taskforce, Cr Graeme Middlemiss, said there was a misconception that natural things like leaves, grass clippings and soil didn’t harm our waterways.
"Soil and organic material washed into the stormwater system ends up in our rivers and lakes, greatly increasing the nutrient levels in our waterways, which helps create enhanced conditions for algal blooms," Cr Middlemiss said.
"Although the gross pollutant traps, installed in Moe, Morwell, Churchill and Traralgon over the past twelve months, are doing a good job in reducing the flow of urban litter such as plastic bottles and bags, they are not designed to stop material such as grass clippings and sediment from entering our waterways," Cr Middlemiss explained.
"The only way to stop this finer material from polluting our waterways is to make sure it doesn’t enter the stormwater system in the first place."
Mr Collins said that sweeping driveways and gutters regularly and removing the material for composting was the best option for the environment. When a storm comes it means that there is less organic pollution to wash into our local creeks, streams and rivers," he said.
"If gardeners cover piles of sand, soil and mulch, it will be harder for it to be washed down the drain too, Mr Collins added."
Mr Collins appointment as Stormwater Education Officer is in partnership with Baw Baw Shire and the West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority. The position has been assisted by funding from the Victorian Government through the Environment Protection Authority as part of the Victorian Stormwater Action Program.
Source: http://gippsland.com/ Published by: news@gippsland.com
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