Protecting Stormwater

Stormwater is defined as runoff water resulting from precipitation. It can contain a variety of pollutants that can harm and hamper our environment. Everything from oil spills, gasoline dripping from a nozzle, pesticides/herbicides being applied to wash water coming from washing a car or truck eventually ends up in our local waterways. In time, these pollutants can find their way into larger estuaries like the Chesapeake Bay and add up with the multitude of other stormwater runoffs to kill off the aquatic life there. 

Our ecosystem is a circular one, as depicted in the diagram. Since matter is neither created nor destroyed, we have to reuse our most precious resource: water. The water that rains down on us picks up pollutants and deposits them in our waterways before it evaporates back into the clouds. When it does so, it increases the pollutant concentration in our waterways, as the pollutants do not evaporate, but accumulate instead. 

What Goes On the Ground Sticks Around! 

Impervious media, such as asphalt and concrete, that accompany urban areas create problems with the water from precipitation recycling through our ecosystem. The water runs off too fast for natural evapotranspiration and/or groundwater recharge to take place. In the process of runoff, the water picks up the oils and other pollutants that are on the paved surfaces. Even something as simple as pet waste left on a sidewalk makes an impact on the waters around us. 

Some estimates predict that the Chesapeake Bay will be devoid of aquatic life within the next 50 years if we continue polluting at our current rate. 

The County of Henrico has a massive and complex piping system to handle our rainwater. This includes underground systems as well as above ground ditches, culverts, streams, creeks, and rivers. Whenever you see water flowing during a storm, that water—along with anything it carries—will eventually end up in the Chesapeake Bay. 

Why is it a concern? 

Stormwater picks up any and all pollutants that are on the ground when it precipitates. Chemicals, debris, dirt, and other pollutants flow with stormwater into either a storm sewer system or directly into lakes, streams, creeks, rivers, and eventually the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean. Anything that enters a storm sewer system is discharged without treatment into the water bodies we use for swimming, fishing, and drinking water. 

Sediment  

Excess sediment is a serious pollutant. When sediment enters our streams and creeks, it can kill plants by clouding water and blocking their source of sunlight or kill fish by clogging their gills. Vegetative buffers act as a filter, slowing stormwater flow and allowing groundwater penetration. They also prevent the loss of topsoil and deposition of silt and sediment into the waterways.

Excess Nutrients (Fertilizers) 

By far the biggest contributor to the poor state of the Chesapeake Bay’s waters to date, excess nutrients can cause algae blooms to grow out of control. When these blooms die, they decompose on the bottom of the waterway. While decomposing, they use up large amounts of oxygen in the process, which in turn kills fish and other aquatic life forms that need oxygen to survive. Simple things like following the directions on fertilizer products and fertilizing your lawn in the fall instead of the spring can make a big impact on improving the Bay’s waters. 

Fall fertilization is superior for a few reasons: 

The amount of rain in the spring is much greater, taking more of the fertilizer with it into the waterways and leaving less fertilizer on your lawn 

• Grass plants produce more root mass and a deeper root system resulting in an overall healthier plant
• Disease and weed problems are usually less severe 
• Heat and drought tolerance are usually better, enhancing the summer lawn quality 

Debris

Bags, bottles, plastic six-pack rings, and even cigarette butts washed into water bodies can choke, suffocate, and disable aquatic life such as ducks, fish, turtles, and birds. The #1 thing people can do to help protect our waterways is stop polluting!