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Community Corner

Storm Water Runoff Impact on Norton Water Bodies

Tropical Storm Arthur recently dumped many inches of rain and most of us had small floods in our backyards, on our streets, and overflowing gutters. We know where it comes from but where does it go? Other than in our basements, rain goes into our local rivers, streams, water supply, and our lakes and ponds. It is called storm water and it is one of the biggest pollutants to our water systems.

 

Does that make sense? Rain does come from above doesn’t it? How then can it pollute our water systems?  The Town of Norton’s Water Bodies Committee is working with Town Hall to understand the impact of storm water specifically on its lakes and ponds. In recent weeks the Water Bodies Committee was involved in a request for proposal to complete a study and recommend solutions for the town’s lakes and ponds. We are confident that storm water issues will be included in the study. Additionally several members of the Water Bodies Committee attended the Canoe River/Plain Street Bridge Project Public Hearing. Two concerns at that meeting were flooding and pollution filtering. Both issues speak directly to storm water management.

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So, if the water comes from above, how does it get polluted and how does the storm water get into our water systems? What can we do to prevent this from happening? We probably don’t have much control regarding  rain but we have complete control to prevent pollution from occurring and flowing into the lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, and water supplies. These are manmade problems that we can fix. Isn’t that nice to know that yes each and every one of us can help to prevent polluted storm water runoff. We don’t need  a new law. We don’t need another committee. We just need to learn the facts about storm water. Then we can create some simple inexpensive solutions. Yes, the Town needs a Storm Water Management Program. But, you and I can start today to clean up our water bodies.

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The most common pollutants in storm water comes from oil, gas, fertilizer, salt, sand, animal waste, litter, metals such as mercury and copper, and acid rain. Although many of these pollutants appear to be invisible they are deadly for the fish and plant life that live in the lakes and ponds. The best solution is to quickly clean up spills, pick up our animal’s waste, and divert storm water from flowing into the water bodies whenever possible.

 

Storm water runoff is one of the easiest solutions to addressing the storm water problem. First we need to be willing to go out in the rain and watch to see what the water is running off of and where it is going to. We have to ask ourselves; “where does that water go”? This can be a great adventure with the kids to discover and understand the flow of rain, storm water, and storm water runoff. Most homes have runoff from the roof, the gutters, the lawn, and the street. Follow it along to see where it actually goes. Then think about ways that you can minimize, divert, or control the runoff.

 

Three of the best ways for residents to divert storm water runoff are: directing the downspouts on our homes a certain way, minimize the cutting down of trees (especially evergreens) and creating rain gardens. These are three great inexpensive activities. For downspouts make sure they are directed away from driveways, foundations, and septic systems. It is better if the water flows into a lawn, garden or a rain barrel. We all know pine trees can be messy and need to be maintained regularly so we tend to want to cut them down. But, did you also know that evergreens have a shallow and widely distributed root system that absorbs storm water runoff better than most other trees. Evergreens soak up more storm water in the winter than most other trees as well. 

 

The neatest solution to preventing storm water runoff is to create a rain garden. A rain garden is designed with a shallow bowl below ground with an easy to make soil mix to help absorb storm water and filter out pollutants. A rain garden can be designed and built to match a home’s specific landscaping. You can use many types of plants, flowers, and grasses. You want to make sure you do not use fertilizers or pesticides. These pollutants add to the problems of polluted storm water runoff.  For more information on rain gardens feel free to contact the Massachusetts Watershed Coalition at www.commonwaters.org or go to www.youtube.com  and check out the many videos on how to create a rain garden. Designing and creating a rain garden can also be great projects sponsored by local highway departments, local garden clubs and landscapers.

 

Norton’s Water Bodies Committee is committed to protect and clean our lakes and ponds. You can contact us through our facebook page www.facebook.com/NortonWaterBodies?ref=hl. There are some great pictures of storm water runoff on the site. We also meet at 7pm on the third Monday of the each month at the Town Hall. Please join us.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

 

 

Colleen E. Ryan

45 Lantern Lane

Norton

Water Bodies Committee Member

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