Every drop of water that falls on the ground can wind up in our lakes. Rainwater keeps our lakes, streams and estuaries full of water. Runoff typically meanders through ditches, pipes and storm drains on its way to a receiving water body. Storm drains accept runoff from our parking lots, streets, roofs and driveways, providing a means to minimize flooding. Unfortunately, some people use storm drains to discard their unwanted automotive fluids, household products, yard clippings and leaves.
Our homes and roads all lie within drainage basins, geographical areas where surface water flows to a centralized point, usually a lake. Stormwater runoff helps keep our lakes full. If it is contaminated, our lakes begin to look muddy and green. Stormwater pollution can cause fish kills and algal blooms. Labeling storm drains has been a practice used since the 1980s as an effective means of public information. Information placed on a storm drain informs citizens that a drain is not a place to discharge waste. The information may also provide the name of the lake, stream or bay where that storm water goes.
Fig. 1: The blue lines on this map show the location of Leon County's hydrological drainage divides. Water falling on the land inside of these ridges flows to the lowest area, often a lake. Map by Greg Mauldin, Tallahassee Leon County GIS.
Lakes Jackson, Lafayette or Munson are considered "impaired" by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP). Most of our urban stormwater flows into these three lakes. The federal Clean Water Act has mandated new federal standards called the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) which may force communities to clean up stormwater runoff. Cities and towns will have to build espensive stormwater treatment ponds to clean up our stormwater. The most economical way to solve pollution is to stop it at its source.
Fig. 2: What we do in our yards, streets and places of business can assure the continued health and beauty of area lakes like Lake McBride, shown above. Photo by the author.
Where do the pollutants in stormwater runoff come from? There are no paper mills, steel mills or other traditional large-scale polluters in Leon County. Our stormwater comes from every home and business or paved surface in Leon County. Forested areas tend to have little runoff because the plants and the soils absorb the water. Areas with a lot of concrete, like heavily developed areas, generate more runoff because concrete does not absorb water. That is why most of our stormwater comes from the urban and commercial areas, where most of us live, shop, and work.
Check the map to discover which drainage basin your home is in. The fertilizer you use on your yard, the soap used to wash your car in the driveway, the washed out construction site down the road all load pollutants into the lake in your drainage basin. Check to see if the storm drains in your neighborhood have plaques.
Fig. 3: Many curb inlets have plaques like this one reminding us that what goes into curb inlets can migrate into lakes. Photo by Curtis Watkins.
Labeling storm drains is conducted throughout Florida to discourage improper discharge of contaminants into the storm drain as well as to provide the name of the lake, river or bay that would eventually receive the storm water.
The City of Tallahassee began labeling its storm drains in 1999. The City has attached plaques onto the top of storm drains which advise people to "Dump No Waste" and provide the name of the lake where the storm water eventually drains. The three drainage basins that drain the City each have different plaques identifying Lake Jackson, Lake Lafayette, or Lake Munson as the receiving water. Unwanted fluids, construction runoff, yard grass and leaves still flow into storm drains after every storm.
Who is polluting our lakes... we are.
Every drop you lose, nature finds.
Slow the Flow.