The City of Bunnell issued, via email, an educational statement regarding stormwater; including what stormwater is, what illicit discharge is, how residents can help, and how and what kind of illicit discharges residents should report.
What is Stormwater? The simple answer is water that originates during precipitation events and snow/ice melts. Stormwater can usually soak into soil, evaporate or runoff and end up in nearby bodies of water or streams. Polluted stormwater is usually transported through the storm sewer systems (MS4s) and discharged (untreated) into local bodies of water.
An MS4 is a conveyance or system of conveyances that is: owned by a municipality or public entity that discharges to waters of the U.S, designed or used in the collection of stormwater, not combined sewer, and not part of any sewage treatment plant or publicly owned treatment works facilities.
To prevent harmful pollutants from being washed or dumped into the above mentioned MS4’s; specific operators are required to have NPDES permits and develop stormwater management programs (SWMPs) The SWMP is used to describe the stormwater practices that will be used in conjunction with the permit requirements, in order to minimize the amount of pollutants from the sewer system.
Illicit Discharge is any kind of discharge into a municipal Storm sewer system that is not 100% stormwater. Examples of this kind of discharge would be stormwater that has been contaminated with Fertilizers, yard waste, paint, gas or motor oil, pesticides and weed killers, detergents and soaps and cooking grease, to name a few. Residents should be keeping an eye out for “illicit” amounts of discharge from stormwater pipes, especially during dry weather. This could be a sign that there is a problem and should be reported to the local municipality.
How can residents help? The City of Bunnell lists a few ways that residents can help keep illicit discharges to a minimum. Those tips are: Using pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers sparingly and away from storm drains and ditches. Do not pour household cleaners, oils or paints on driveways or into storm drains. Do not blow leaves or yard waste into storm drains. Pick up litter, don’t pour oil or antifreeze down or near a storm drain or onto the street. Properly disposing of hazardous materials at 1700 S. Old Kings Rd. Flagler Beach, and by not storing or exposing materials that rain could “wash off” into storm drains or streets.
The City of Bunnell also listed some examples of when a resident should report illicit discharging issues. If you are a resident in the City limits and you see any of the following: Someone dropping litter, oil sheen in a body of water, leave or grass clippings deposited in or near storm drains, sewage odor from a storm drain, inlet, or body of water, spills or dumping of oil, paint, household cleaners, antifreeze, pesticides, or fertilizers, discharging of chlorinated swimming pool water to a storm drain, sediment tracking from a construction site into streets, illegal dumping (where regular garbage and trash is not picked up) or witnessing anything being disposed of into a storm drain; the City of Bunnell urges you to report that their stormwater department. You can contact the City of Bunnell’s infrastructure Department at (386)-437-7515, or by email at stormwater@bunnellcity.us.
To learn more about this subject you can visit this page here for more information.
