Protecting
Our WatersFrom Polluted Run-off
Information provided by the San Diego Coast Keeper
Did you know just one quart of oil can contaminate 250,000 gallons of water and that fifty million gallons of oil disappear from cars each year - burned in exhaust, dripped on the roadway or illegally dumped? In this age, a kayaker's paradise is not found by accident. Many efforts behind those beautiful scenes make them possible.
According
to a recent study, San Diego Bay is the nation's second most polluted
bay; but Southern California's stormwater systems carry millions of
gallons of polluted runoff to the Pacific Ocean everyday. All across
the country and the world our waters face such dilemmas. Excess water
from storm water pollution carries yard wastes, dirt and pesticides
into gutters, down storm drains and into our oceans, lakes and streams.
The San Diego BayKeepers have put together the following guidelines so that you can help avoid polluted run-off from the waters you paddle in. You as a kayaker and this site, as a kayaker's network, should assist in this great effort. This season we will be devoted to that effort by providing articles such as this.
In
the Home & Garden:
- Don't over water yards or landscaping - This is one of the primary activities leading to stormwater pollution.
- Watch
the Weather - Don't use pesticides, herbicides
or fertilizers just before it rains. Storms will wash your efforts away
and poison aquatic animals.
- Limit
or Eliminate Garden Toxics - Pesticides and
herbicides not only kill pesky insects and weeds, they make swimmers
ill and can kill birds and fish, as well as beneficial insects. Talk
to your local nursery about nontoxic alternatives.
-
Avoid Chemical Fertilizers - Use nutrients
from your compost pile or soil amendments such as peat moss, blood or
bone meal, fish emulsion, manure or seaweed.
- Compost
Your Yard Trimmings - Yard waste clogs storm
drains and causes flooding. Once it reaches the ocean, the decaying
waste absorbs oxygen fish need to survive.
- Conserve
Water Whenever Possible - Use a broom, not
a hose, to clean driveways and save hundreds of gallons of water.
- Clean
Up After Your Pets - Animal feces washed into
storm drains account for an alarming level of harmful bacteria in polluted
runoff.
- Cover Excavated Materials - During the rainy season, use plastic tarps to cover excavated materials, stockpiles of asphalt, sand and yard clippings, and dumpsters. Prevent wind from blowing contaminants into gutters. Schedule grading and excavating projects for dry weather.
Shopping
and Disposal:
- Know
What's Harmful - Products labeled caution
are usually the least toxic; warning means moderate toxicity; and danger,
poison or the skull and crossbones indicates extreme toxicity. Remember,
if it is harmful to you, it is also harmful to wildlife at the other
end of the pipe.
- Dispose
of it Properly - Any liquid, solid or gaseous product labeled toxic,
flammable, corrosive, irritant or poison is household hazardous waste.
It is illegal to dispose of these products in the storm drain, sewer
system or regular trash. For proper disposal information, call your
local hazardous waste hotline number. Fire departments usually have
information and can be of assistance.
- Avoid
Toxic Products - Find alternatives to toxic household and gardening
materials such as aerosol products, chemical cleaners, bleach, thinners,
solvents, pesticides herbicides, fertilizers and products with chlorinated
compounds, petroleum distillates, phenols and formaldehyde.
- Look
for Safer Alternatives - Purchase products that are nontoxic, not
petroleum based, free of ammonia, phosphates, dye or perfume, readily
biodegradable, and whose containers are recyclable.
- Don't Overbuy Products - Purchase only the amounts you need, especially of products containing hazardous or toxic materials.
Car
Care:
- Don't
be a Drip - Oil and other car fluids pose a serious threat to the
health of waterways and the ocean. Prevent stormwater from polluting
our waterways with fluids from your car: Recycled motor oil production
requires only 2.4% of the oil and 50% of the energy of new production.
- Maintain
your car regularly
- Fix
leaks
- Use
s drip pan - when changing car fluids
- Mop
up spills - with sawdust or kitty litter before they pose a problem
- Wash
your car - at a car wash that recycles and reuses its water. If
you do it yourself, use a biodegradable soap and pull the car onto a
patch of grass or gravel rather than increasing the flow of water in
the gutter. Remove fine black dust from hubcaps with a damp paper towel
or soft cloth. Dispose in regular trash. The dust contains copper and
zinc.
- Conserve
Water - Use a bucket of water, not a running hose, to wash and rinse
the car.
- Carpool - Reduce auto transmissions by taking public transportation, ridesharing and using alternative forms of transportation wherever possible.
Related Articles & Links:
- The San Diego Coast Keeper
- TopKayaker.Net's Directory of Clubs and Water Quality Organizations
- TopKayaker.Net's Calendar of Events - We will keep this updated with as many volunteer clean-up and water quality related events that we know of.
- WATERKEEPERS: Look for more articles on these great organizations. Check out their website.
We hope you've found this information helpful.
We appreciate your feedback & support.
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