20 Sep 2016 Welcoming Stormy the Fish to EcoFest Oct. 8

by Debbie Plopper

Few people set out to intentionally create pollution, but as residents, even the best of us commonly and unintentionally add to the problems of flooding and polluted stormwater.

In turn, our actions impact many bodies of water within our watershed, including the rivers, lakes and streams we play in and swim in; fish (and eat) from; or use for drinking and/or irrigating our food sources. Ill health and many other major economic impacts can result from our actions.

A new community-wide web-based program, Stormy the Fish, originated by the City of Wilmington, N.C., will be introduced at the next Conway EcoFest on Saturday, Oct. 8. It provides residents simple tips on how to protect water resources and help reduce local flooding. This program also will be accessible through conwayecofest.com, several cityofconway.org sites and other related sites.

Although this program has been modified for the Conway area, the results are mostly the same everywhere (levels will vary depending on land use within the watershed); water is a shared resource, and its pollution does not stop at a city’s border, as further research on watersheds will show.

Residents are not regulated in the same way businesses and industries are, in part because of the lower volume residents create; however, because of the cumulative effect of all residents, they still can have a significant impact on the entire watershed.

Water pollution is created by what we do and products we use, knowingly or not.

For example, as noted by the Central Arkansas Storm Drain program, many residents mistakenly think that storm drains are part of the sanitary sewer system that leads to a wastewater treatment plant and that their use is a safe method of waste disposal.

In reality, as pointed out in many publications, storm drains constitute a direct link to our streams, rivers and lakes. When it rains, storm water flows over parking lots, driveways, roadways, lawns, gardens and other surfaces, picking up excess chemicals, grease and oil, soaps, yard waste, pet waste, litter and anything else in its path. This untreated, polluted water flows into our storm drains, ultimately harming bodies of water, ecosystems, wildlife and more.

The sediment picked up from eroding bare land, in addition to even small bits of yard waste, can clog drainage systems and cause flooding. What makes it to the rivers can cause significant damage.

Another misconception is that anything can be put down the drain or flushed down a commode because it will be treated. There are many reasons why this will cause problems for residents, make water treatment more difficult and costly, and may lead to problems for lakes and streams as well.

To learn more about this and Conway Corporation’s “Can the Grease” program, visit conwaycorp.com/services/waste-water. Check with your local cities for similar programs.

Proper use of and/or disposal of materials is crucial for a healthy community. Learn more about disposal issues through your local sanitation department, at the next Conway EcoFest and at conwayecofest.com.