Groxie

I’m getting pretty fired up these days over the state of our water. Last week I saw a painting contractor dumping paint down a storm drain. Now you probably already know this, but storm drains go straight to nearby waterways—in this case, the Rivanna River. Stormwater does not pass go, does not collect $100, and does not go through treatment facilities.

Outraged, I called my apartment complex to find out the phone number of the contracting company, M & M Painting. They told me they didn’t know, but they were sure that storm drains were treated. Wrong.

Next, I called our local department of environmental administration. The woman I spoke to was very concerned, and she was also grateful that I bothered to call. She explained that it is very hard for them to track down the folks who dump illegally, so they rely heavily on citizen reports. The city has a pretty solid stormwater plan, but some parts of the Rivanna are still considered in poor health.

Everything that enters stormwater drains ends up in our groundwater or in a nearby river, stream, or lake. If you see anyone dumping anything you wouldn’t want to drink into the drains, give your local DEQ a call. You can often find good contact information from the EPA. Many localities even have online forms you can fill out to report illegal dumping.

For your part, you can be a responsible consumer by properly disposing of paint, motor oil, pesticides, and any of the other nasties that might make their way into stormwater drains. Earth911 can help you locate local facilities for hazardous waste disposal.